use Version::Easy 'v1.2.3';
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This has the disadvantage that static parsers like the PAUSE indexer won't be able to find the version.

version->declare('VERSION_GOES_HERE')

would become just another tribal knowledge.

You'll find $VERSION also documented in hundreds of places, fixing old documentation is one of Perl's biggest mortgages.

Furthermore could "Version::Easy" be easily bundled into one master module to rule ehm use them all, hence simplifying boilerplates.

Compare Modern::Perl.

Of course a built-in feature

vers v1.2.3;

might be more elegant, but this could easily be introduced later on top of this semantics once the tool chain is modernized.

There's already a built-in version syntax from Perl 5.14 onwards.

package Foo::Bar 1.23;
...;

# or

package Foo::Bar 1.23 {
   ...;
}
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And the PAUSE indexer, etc supports it. It's only a problem if you need to support Perl versions earlier than 5.14.

toby döt ink

> There's already a built-in version syntax from Perl 5.14 onwards.

package Foo::Bar 1.23;

from package

> If VERSION is provided, package sets the $VERSION variable in the given namespace to a version object with the VERSION provided.

(emphasize added)

so apparently I've just implemented the same semantic for older versions

Cheers Rolf
_{(addicted to the Perl Programming Language :)
Wikisyntax for the Monastery}