(Win32) Re: How do YOU test/install modules?

On Win32, I usually look for modules on CPAN, and download them from there.

If the distribution is made up of Perl, documentation and tests, I breathe a sigh of relief and install by hand as normal, in my case:

  perl makefile.pl
  nmake
  nmake test
  nmake install
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(I use the version of nmake downloadable from Microsoft's website.) I have to admit that the fact that I run nmake test is mainly superstitious. Even if errors are reported, I have very little idea of what I'm supposed to do with that (sometimes I look at the test and see that it failed because it was hard-coded with Unix system calls, very portable).

If the distribution contains any C files (extensions .c, .xs etc.) that need compilation, I curse loudly and profanely. I've mainly given up trying to use ppm to install from repositories - it sometimes works, but it's failed on 2 separate installations of Perl, is slow, the help system is awful, and sometimes the only way to fix it is to hand- edit the XML configuration file... (Apparently ppm3 is better). So I go to ActiveState's site, search around for the downloadable .zip distributions which may or may not be there (see CrazyInsomniac's useful thread). If it's there I download it and install it locally using ppm. If it's not there I tend to give up at this point (though that thread includes details of various other repositories).

Update: Oh, and testing: that I'm aware, ppm runs no tests, and provides no way of giving feedback.

Cheerio!
Osfameron
http://osfameron.perlmonk.org/chickenman/

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Re: (Win32) Re: How do YOU test/install modules?
by dada (Chaplain) on May 20, 2002 at 12:17 UTC

Oh, and testing: that I'm aware, ppm runs no tests, and provides no way of giving feedback.

PPM (at least version 2.x.x) installs binaries, so it doesn't contain all the stuff from the CPAN distribution. for example, it doesn't contain the scripts used for make test.

if you want to test something, PPM is a no-go.

cheers,
Aldo

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