PERLMODLIB(1perl)

💖 perlmodlib(1perl) 💖

Perl Programmers Reference Guide

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✨ NAME ✨

perlmodlib — constructing new Perl modules and finding existing ones 🫶

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📚 THE PERL MODULE LIBRARY 📚

okay so like, the Perl distribution comes with SO many modules, and they're all described down below. they all end in .pm 💅. you might also stumble upon compiled library files (usually ending in .so) or little bits of modules that get autoloaded (ending in .al) — those were auto-generated when you installed stuff. you might also see files in the library directory ending in .pl or .ph. these are like, the old-school libraries kept around so your ancient programs still run. the .pl files are gonna get converted into standard modules eventually, and the .ph files made by h2ph will probably become extension modules made by h2xs. (some .ph values might already be available through the POSIX, Errno, or Fcntl modules.) the pl2pm file in the distribution can help you convert, but it's just a mechanical process so it's far from bulletproof 💀.

🧠 Pragmatic Modules 🧠

so these work kinda like compiler directives (pragmata) — they mess with how your program compiles, so you usually gotta use them inside a use or no. most of them are lexically scoped, which means an inner BLOCK can override them by saying:

no integer;
no strict 'refs';
no warnings;

and that lasts until the end of that BLOCK ✨.

some pragmas are lexically scoped — typically the ones that mess with the $^H hints variable. others affect the current package instead, like use vars and use subs, which let you predeclare variables or subroutines for a whole file, not just a block. those declarations stick for the entire file they're declared in. and you can't take them back with no vars or no subs 🙅‍♀️.

here are all the defined pragmas (they each have their own docs, too) 👇

• attributes — get/set subroutine or variable attributes 💅
• autodie — replaces functions with ones that either succeed or die, with lexical scope 💀
• autodie::exception — exceptions from autodying functions. 😭
• autodie::exception::system — exceptions from autodying system(). 🖥️
• autodie::hints — provide hints about user subroutines to autodie 🧐
• autodie::skip — skip a package when throwing autodie exceptions 🙈
• autouse — postpone load of modules until a function is used ⏳
• base — establish an ISA relationship with base classes at compile time 👑
• bigfloat — transparent big floating point number support for Perl 🎈
• bigint — transparent big integer support for Perl 🔢
• bignum — transparent big number support for Perl 🔢
• bigrat — transparent big rational number support for Perl 🧮
• blib — use MakeMaker's uninstalled version of a package 📦
• builtin — import built-in utility functions 🛠️
• bytes — expose the individual bytes of characters 🔤
• charnames — access to Unicode character names and named character sequences; also define character names 🏷️
• constant — declare constants 🔒
• deprecate — Perl pragma for deprecating the inclusion of a module in core 🚫
• diagnostics — produce verbose warning diagnostics 📢
• encoding — allows you to write your script in non-ASCII and non-UTF-8 🌐
• encoding::warnings — warn on implicit encoding conversions ⚠️
• experimental — experimental features made easy 🧪
• feature — enable new features ✨
• fields — compile-time class fields 🏗️
• filetest — control the filetest permission operators 🔍
• if — use a Perl module if a condition holds 🤔
• integer — use integer arithmetic instead of floating point 🔢
• less — request less of something 🤏
• lib — manipulate @INC at compile time 📚
• locale — use or avoid POSIX locales for built-in operations 🌍
• mro — Method Resolution Order 🔎
• ok — alternative to Test::More::use_ok ✅
• open — set default PerlIO layers for input and output 📂
• ops — restrict unsafe operations when compiling 🚧
• overload — package for overloading Perl operations 🎭
• overloading — lexically control overloading 🔄
• parent — establish an ISA relationship with base classes at compile time 👪
• re — alter regular expression behaviour 🔍
• sigtrap — enable simple signal handling 🚨
• sort — control sort() behaviour 🔤
• source::encoding — declare Perl source code encoding 📝
• stable — experimental features made easy, once we know they're stable 🏛️
• strict — restrict unsafe constructs 🚫
• subs — predeclare subroutine names 📝
• threads — Perl interpreter-based threads 🧵
• threads::shared — Perl extension for sharing data structures between threads 🤝
• utf8 — enable/disable UTF-8 (or UTF-EBCDIC) in source code 🌈
• vars — predeclare global variable names 📌
• version — Perl extension for Version Objects 📦
• vmsish — control VMS-specific language features 🖥️
• warnings — control optional warnings ⚠️
• warnings::register — warnings import function 📥

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📦 Standard Modules 📦

these standard, bundled modules are all supposed to behave super well and not pollute namespaces because they use the Exporter module. check their own docs for the tea ☕.

just a heads up: not all of these might be installed on your system. like, GDBM_File won't be there if you don't have the gdbm library 💅.

• Amiga::ARexx — Perl extension for ARexx support 🎛️
• Amiga::Exec — Perl extension for low level amiga support 🖥️
• AnyDBM_File — provide framework for multiple DBMs 🗄️
• App::Cpan — easily interact with CPAN from the command line 💻
• App::Prove — implements the "prove" command. 🧪
• App::Prove::State — state storage for the "prove" command. 🗃️
• App::Prove::State::Result — individual test suite results. 📊
• App::Prove::State::Result::Test — individual test results. 🧾
• Archive::Tar — module for manipulations of tar archives 📦
• Archive::Tar::File — a subclass for in-memory extracted file from Archive::Tar 📄
• Attribute::Handlers — simpler definition of attribute handlers 🏷️
• AutoLoader — load subroutines only on demand ⏳
• AutoSplit — split a package for autoloading ✂️
• B — the Perl Compiler Backend 🧠
• B::Concise — walk Perl syntax tree, printing concise info about ops 🌳
• B::Deparse — Perl compiler backend to produce perl code 🔄
• B::Op_private — OP op_private flag definitions 🚩
• B::Showlex — show lexical variables used in functions or files 🔍
• B::Terse — walk Perl syntax tree, printing terse info about ops 🌲
• B::Xref — generates cross reference reports for Perl programs 📈
• Benchmark — benchmark running times of Perl code ⏱️
• CORE — namespace for Perl's core routines 🧬
• CPAN — query, download and build perl modules from CPAN sites 🌐
• CPAN::API::HOWTO — a recipe book for programming with CPAN.pm 📖
• CPAN::Debug — internal debugging for CPAN.pm 🐞
• CPAN::Distroprefs — read and match distroprefs 🔍
• CPAN::FirstTime — utility for CPAN::Config file Initialization ⚙️
• CPAN::HandleConfig — internal configuration handling for CPAN.pm 🛠️
• CPAN::Kwalify — interface between CPAN.pm and Kwalify.pm 🔗
• CPAN::Meta — the distribution metadata for a CPAN dist 📋
• CPAN::Meta::Converter — convert CPAN distribution metadata structures 🔄
• CPAN::Meta::Feature — an optional feature provided by a CPAN distribution ✨
• CPAN::Meta::History — history of CPAN Meta Spec changes 📜
• CPAN::Meta::History::Meta_1_0 — version 1.0 metadata specification for META.yml 📄
• CPAN::Meta::History::Meta_1_1 — version 1.1 metadata specification for META.yml 📄
• CPAN::Meta::History::Meta_1_2 — version 1.2 metadata specification for META.yml 📄
• CPAN::Meta::History::Meta_1_3 — version 1.3 metadata specification for META.yml 📄
• CPAN::Meta::History::Meta_1_4 — version 1.4 metadata specification for META.yml 📄
• CPAN::Meta::Merge — merging CPAN Meta fragments 🧩
• CPAN::Meta::Prereqs — a set of distribution prerequisites by phase and type 📋
• CPAN::Meta::Requirements — a set of version requirements for a CPAN dist 📌
• CPAN::Meta::Requirements::Range — a set of version requirements for a CPAN dist 📌
• CPAN::Meta::Spec — specification for CPAN distribution metadata 📜
• CPAN::Meta::Validator — validate CPAN distribution metadata structures ✅
• CPAN::Meta::YAML — read and write a subset of YAML for CPAN Meta files 📝
• CPAN::Nox — wrapper around CPAN.pm without using any XS module 🚫
• CPAN::Plugin — base class for CPAN shell extensions 🔌
• CPAN::Plugin::Specfile — proof of concept implementation of a trivial CPAN::Plugin 🧪
• CPAN::Queue — internal queue support for CPAN.pm 🗂️
• CPAN::Tarzip — internal handling of tar archives for CPAN.pm 📦
• CPAN::Version — utility functions to compare CPAN versions 🔢
• Carp — alternative warn and die for modules 🐟
• Class::Struct — declare struct-like datatypes as Perl classes 🏗️
• Compress::Raw::Bzip2 — low-level interface to bzip2 compression library 🗜️
• Compress::Raw::Zlib — low-level interface to zlib or zlib-ng compression library 🗜️
• Compress::Zlib — interface to zlib compression library 🗜️
• Config — access Perl configuration information ⚙️
• Config::Extensions — hash lookup of which core extensions were built. 🔍
• Config::Perl::V — structured data retrieval of perl -V output 📊
• Cwd — get pathname of current working directory 📂
• DB — programmatic interface to the Perl debugging API 🐞
• DBM_Filter — filter DBM keys/values 🔍
• DBM_Filter::compress — filter for DBM_Filter 🗜️
• DBM_Filter::encode — filter for DBM_Filter 🔤
• DBM_Filter::int32 — filter for DBM_Filter 🔢
• DBM_Filter::null — filter for DBM_Filter 🚫
• DBM_Filter::utf8 — filter for DBM_Filter 🌈
• DB_File — Perl access to Berkeley DB 1.x 🗄️
• Data::Dumper — stringified perl data structures, suitable for both printing and "eval" 📦
• Devel::PPPort — Perl/Pollution/Portability 🧪
• Devel::Peek — a data debugging tool for the XS programmer 👀
• Devel::SelfStubber — generate stubs for a SelfLoading module 🧙
• Digest — modules that calculate message digests 🔐
• Digest::MD5 — Perl interface to the MD5 Algorithm 🔐
• Digest::SHA — Perl extension for SHA-1/224/256/384/512 🔐
• Digest::base — Digest base class 🧬
• Digest::file — calculate digests of files 📁

okay so continuing the great module tour, bestie, we're literally in it now 💖

• DirHandle — (obsolete) — throws object methods at directory handles, like a lil time capsule. it's giving legacy energy ngl 🫶
• Dumpvalue — literally dumps your Perl data to the screen so you can see what's inside. a whole data photoshoot ✨
• DynaLoader — yanks C libraries into your Perl code at runtime. dynamic, dramatic, iconic 💅
• Encode — the whole character-encoding situation in Perl. the queen bee of bytes 👑
• Encode::Alias — maps aliases onto encodings. nickname registry fr fr 🎀
• Encode::Byte — single byte encodings. baby steps, one byte at a time 🌸
• Encode::CJKConstants — used internally by Encode::??::ISO_2022_*. behind the scenes, no notes 🧚
• Encode::CN — China-based Chinese encodings 🇨🇳✨
• Encode::CN::HZ — used internally by Encode::CN. secret helper vibes 🙈
• Encode::Config — used internally by Encode. the config bestie 💜
• Encode::EBCDIC — EBCDIC encodings, the vintage aesthetic of character sets 💀
• Encode::Encoder — an object oriented encoder. main character energy fr 🦋
• Encode::Encoding — the base class for implementing Encode stuff. it's giving foundational 💖
• Encode::GSM0338 — ETSI GSM 03.38 encoding. yes, the phone-texting one 📱💅
• Encode::Guess — sniffs out the encoding from your data. detective mode, no cap 🔍
• Encode::JP — Japanese encodings 🇯🇵🌸
• Encode::JP::H2Z — used internally by Encode::JP::2022_JP*. undercover helper ✨
• Encode::JP::JIS7 — used internally by Encode::JP. another secret agent 🦋
• Encode::KR — Korean encodings 🇰🇷💜
• Encode::KR::2022_KR — used internally by Encode::KR. living in the shadows 🙈
• Encode::MIME::Header — MIME encoding for an unstructured email header. email glamour 💌
• Encode::MIME::Name — used internally by Encode. quiet lil worker bee 🐝
• Encode::PerlIO — a detailed document about Encode and PerlIO. the lore drop 📖
• Encode::Supported — all the encodings Encode supports. the full roster, periodt 👑
• Encode::Symbol — symbol encodings. cute and symbolic 🎀
• Encode::TW — Taiwan-based Chinese encodings 🇹🇼✨
• Encode::Unicode — various Unicode Transformation Formats. UTF-everything 🌈
• Encode::Unicode::UTF7 — UTF-7 encoding. the retro cousin 💀
• English — lets you use nice English (or awk) names for those ugly punctuation variables. say $INPUT_RECORD_SEPARATOR instead of $/ — glow up 💅
• Env — imports environment variables as scalars or arrays. your env vars, but cuter 🫶
• Errno — system errno constants. all the error codes, cataloged ✨
• Exporter — implements the default import method for modules. the reason use actually does stuff 🔥
• Exporter::Heavy — the guts of Exporter. the internal organs, respectfully 💀
• ExtUtils::CBuilder — compiles and links C code for Perl modules 🛠️
• ExtUtils::CBuilder::Platform::Windows — the builder class for Windows platforms 🪟
• ExtUtils::Command — utilities to replace common UNIX commands in Makefiles etc. 🇺🇳
• ExtUtils::Command::MM — commands for the MM's to use in Makefiles. teamwork fr fr 🤝
• ExtUtils::Constant — generates XS code to import C header constants. code gen magic ✨
• ExtUtils::Constant::Base — base class for ExtUtils::Constant objects. foundation laid 💖
• ExtUtils::Constant::Utils — helper functions for ExtUtils::Constant. the lil helpers 🧚
• ExtUtils::Constant::XS — generates C code for XS modules' constants. C code goes brrr 💅
• ExtUtils::Embed — utilities for embedding Perl in C/C++ applications 🫶
• ExtUtils::Install — installs files from here to there. literally the moving truck 🚚
• ExtUtils::Installed — inventory management of installed modules. a lil librarian 📚
• ExtUtils::Liblist — decides which libraries to use and how. the whole selection process 🎀
• ExtUtils::MM — OS-adjusted ExtUtils::MakeMaker subclass. adapts to your platform 🌍
• ExtUtils::MM_AIX — AIX-specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix 💠
• ExtUtils::MM_Any — platform-agnostic MM methods. works everywhere, iconic 🌈
• ExtUtils::MM_BeOS — methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker 🧡
• ExtUtils::MM_Cygwin — methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker 🐧
• ExtUtils::MM_DOS — DOS-specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix 💾
• ExtUtils::MM_Darwin — special behaviors for OS X 🍎
• ExtUtils::MM_MacOS — once produced Makefiles for MacOS Classic. retired legend 🕰️
• ExtUtils::MM_NW5 — methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker 🟥
• ExtUtils::MM_OS2 — methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker 🔵
• ExtUtils::MM_OS390 — OS390-specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix 🏢
• ExtUtils::MM_QNX — QNX-specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix 🐝
• ExtUtils::MM_UWIN — U/WIN-specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix 🌊
• ExtUtils::MM_Unix — the methods used by ExtUtils::MakeMaker. the OGs 💜
• ExtUtils::MM_VMS — methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker 💫
• ExtUtils::MM_VOS — VOS-specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix 🌙
• ExtUtils::MM_Win32 — methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker 🪟
• ExtUtils::MM_Win95 — a method to customize MakeMaker for Win9X 💀
• ExtUtils::MY — the ExtUtils::MakeMaker subclass for customization. your personal touch 💅
• ExtUtils::MakeMaker — creates a module Makefile. the whole build pipeline bestie ✨
• ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Config — a wrapper around Config.pm 🎁
• ExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ — frequently asked questions about MakeMaker. your questions, answered 🙋
• ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Locale — bundled Encode::Locale 📦
• ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Tutorial — writing a module with MakeMaker. the tutorial arc 📖
• ExtUtils::Manifest — utilities to write and check a MANIFEST file 📝
• ExtUtils::Miniperl — writes the C code for miniperlmain.c and perlmain.c 🐣
• ExtUtils::Mkbootstrap — makes a bootstrap file for use by DynaLoader 🥾
• ExtUtils::Mksymlists — writes linker options files for dynamic extension 🔗
• ExtUtils::PL2Bat — batch file creation to run Perl scripts on Windows 🦇
• ExtUtils::Packlist — manages .packlist files 📋
• ExtUtils::ParseXS — converts Perl XS code into C code. the translator, ate 🔥
• ExtUtils::ParseXS::Constants — initialization values for some globals 🧮
• ExtUtils::ParseXS::Eval — a clean package to evaluate code in 🧼
• ExtUtils::ParseXS::Node — classes for nodes of an Abstract Syntax Tree. tree branches fr 🌳
• ExtUtils::ParseXS::Utilities — subroutines used with ExtUtils::ParseXS 🧰
• ExtUtils::Typemaps — read, write and modify Perl/XS typemap files 💾
• ExtUtils::Typemaps::Cmd — quick commands for handling typemaps ⚡
• ExtUtils::Typemaps::InputMap — an entry in the INPUT section of a typemap 📥
• ExtUtils::Typemaps::OutputMap — an entry in the OUTPUT section of a typemap 📤
• ExtUtils::Typemaps::Type — an entry in the TYPEMAP section of a typemap 🔤
• ExtUtils::XSSymSet — keeps sets of symbol names palatable to the VMS linker 😋
• ExtUtils::testlib — adds blib/* directories to @INC 🧪
• Fatal — swaps functions for equivalents that succeed or die. all or nothing, periodt 💀
• Fcntl — various flag constants and helper functions from C's fcntl.h 🚩
• File::Basename — parses file paths into directory, filename and suffix. paths get dissected 🔪
• File::Compare — compares files or filehandles 🆚
• File::Copy — copies files or filehandles. copy-paste but make it Perl 📄
• File::DosGlob — DOS-like globbing and then some 💾✨
• File::Fetch — a generic file fetching mechanism 🐕
• File::Find — traverses a directory tree. going on an adventure 🌲
• File::Glob — a Perl extension for the BSD glob routine 🌐
• File::GlobMapper — extends file glob to allow input and output files 🗺️
• File::Path — creates or removes directory trees. landscaping, but for dirs 🌳
• File::Spec — portably performs operations on file names. cross-platform slay 🌈
• File::Spec::AmigaOS — File::Spec for AmigaOS 🟡
• File::Spec::Cygwin — methods for Cygwin file specs 🐧
• File::Spec::Epoc — methods for Epoc file specs 📱
• File::Spec::Functions — portably performs operations on file names. same vibe, function-flavored 💖
• File::Spec::Mac — File::Spec for Mac OS (Classic) 🍎
• File::Spec::OS2 — methods for OS/2 file specs 🔵
• File::Spec::Unix — File::Spec for Unix, and the base for the other File::Spec modules. the blueprint 💅
• File::Spec::VMS — methods for VMS file specs 💫
• File::Spec::Win32 — methods for Win32 file specs 🪟
• File::Temp — returns the name and handle of a temporary file, safely. temp but trustworthy 🫶
• File::stat — a by-name interface to Perl's built-in stat() functions 🕵️
• FileCache — keeps more files open than the system permits. breaking the rules (legally) 🔥
• FileHandle — supplies object methods for filehandles 💅
• Filter::Simple — simplified source filtering. filtering but make it easy ✨
• Filter::Util::Call — the Perl Source Filter Utility Module 🧰
• FindBin — locates the directory of the original Perl script. finding your roots 🌱
• GDBM_File — Perl5 access to the gdbm library. 🗄️
• Getopt::Long — extended processing of command line options. options got range 🔥
• Getopt::Long::Parser — the Getopt::Long object-oriented interface 💖
• Getopt::Std — processes single-character switches with switch clustering 🎛️
• HTTP::Tiny — a small, simple, correct HTTP/1.1 client. tiny but mighty 🐜✨
• Hash::Util — a selection of general-utility hash subroutines 🔑
• Hash::Util::FieldHash — support for inside-out classes 🙃
• I18N::Collate — compares 8-bit scalar data according to the current locale 🌍
• I18N::LangTags — functions for dealing with RFC3066-style language tags 🏷️
• I18N::LangTags::Detect — detects the user's language preferences 🔍
• I18N::LangTags::List — tags and names for human languages 🗣️
• I18N::Langinfo — queries locale information 📊
• IO — loads various IO modules 📦
• IO::Compress — read and write compressed data in multiple formats. compression buffet 🍽️
• IO::Compress::Base — base class for IO::Compress modules 🧱
• IO::Compress::Bzip2 — writes bzip2 files and buffers 🗜️
• IO::Compress::Deflate — writes RFC 1950 files and buffers 📄
• IO::Compress::FAQ — frequently asked questions about IO::Compress 🙋
• IO::Compress::Gzip — writes RFC 1952 files and buffers 🗜️
• IO::Compress::RawDeflate — writes RFC 1951 files and buffers 📦
• IO::Compress::Zip — writes zip files and buffers 🤐
• IO::Dir — supplies object methods for directory handles. (hi again, same energy as DirHandle) 💅
• IO::File — supplies object methods for filehandles 📁
• IO::Handle — supplies object methods for I/O handles 🎀
• IO::Pipe — supplies object methods for pipes 🚰
• IO::Poll — an object interface to the system poll call 🗳️
• IO::Seekable — supplies seek-based methods for I/O objects 🔎
• IO::Select — an OO interface to the "select" system call 🎯
• IO::Socket — an object interface to socket communications 🔌
• IO::Socket::INET — an object interface for AF_INET domain sockets 🌐
• IO::Socket::IP — a family-neutral IP socket supporting both IPv4 and IPv6. bi-lingual networking 🔥
• IO::Socket::UNIX — an object interface for AF_UNIX domain sockets 🐧
• IO::Uncompress::AnyInflate — uncompresses zlib-based (zip, gzip) files and buffers 🎈
• IO::Uncompress::AnyUncompress — uncompresses gzip, zip, bzip2, zstd, xz, lzma, lzip, lzf or lzop files and buffers. the whole squad 💖
• IO::Uncompress::Base — base class for IO::Uncompress modules 🧱
• IO::Uncompress::Bunzip2 — reads bzip2 files and buffers 🗜️
• IO::Uncompress::Gunzip — reads RFC 1952 files and buffers 📄
• IO::Uncompress::Base — (same as above, base class energy) 🧱

and bestie we're not done yet — hold on, the tour continues 💜

• IO::Uncompress::Inflate — read RFC 1950 files/buffers 💖
• IO::Uncompress::RawInflate — read RFC 1951 files/buffers, raw and unfiltered, no cap ✨
• IO::Uncompress::Unzip — read zip files/buffers, unzipping the drama away 🦋
• IO::Zlib — the IO::-style interface to Compress::Zlib, serving looks 👑
• IPC::Cmd — finding and running system commands made easy. literally the bestie who handles the scary subprocess stuff for you 🫶
• IPC::Msg — SysV Msg IPC object class 💌
• IPC::Open2 — open a process for both reading and writing using open2() 🔁
• IPC::Open3 — open a process for reading, writing, and error handling using open3(). three-way bind, main character behavior 💅
• IPC::Semaphore — SysV Semaphore IPC object class 🚦
• IPC::SharedMem — SysV Shared Memory IPC object class 🧠
• IPC::SysV — System V IPC constants and system calls, the OGs 🏛️
• Internals — reserved special namespace for internals related functions. do not touch unless you know, iykyk 🙈
• JSON::PP — a JSON::XS-compatible pure-Perl module ⭐
• JSON::PP::Boolean — dummy module providing JSON::PP::Boolean 🎀
• List::Util — a selection of general-utility list subroutines, like the little spoon of your module list 🍓
• List::Util::XS — indicates if List::Util was compiled with a C compiler 🔥
• Locale::Maketext — framework for localization 🌍
• Locale::Maketext::Cookbook — recipes for using Locale::Maketext 👩‍🍳
• Locale::Maketext::Guts — deprecated module to load Locale::Maketext utf8 code 💀
• Locale::Maketext::GutsLoader — deprecated module to load Locale::Maketext utf8 code 💀
• Locale::Maketext::Simple — simple interface to Locale::Maketext::Lexicon 🌸
• Locale::Maketext::TPJ13 — an article about software localization 📝
• MIME::Base64 — encoding and decoding of base64 strings 🔤
• MIME::QuotedPrint — encoding and decoding of quoted-printable strings 🖨️
• Math::BigFloat — arbitrary size floating point math package 🎈
• Math::BigInt — arbitrary size integer math package 🔢
• Math::BigInt::Calc — pure Perl module to support Math::BigInt 🧮
• Math::BigInt::FastCalc — Math::BigInt::Calc with some XS for more speed ✨
• Math::BigInt::Lib — virtual parent class for Math::BigInt libraries 👑
• Math::BigRat — arbitrary size rational number math package 🐀
• Math::Complex — complex numbers and associated mathematical functions 🌈
• Math::Trig — trigonometric functions. sin, cos, tan, the whole squad 📐
• Memoize — make functions faster by trading space for time. the classic deal-with-the-devil arc 🔥
• Memoize::AnyDBM_File — glue to provide EXISTS for AnyDBM_File for Storable use 🩹
• Memoize::Expire — plug-in module for automatic expiration of memoized values ⏳
• Memoize::NDBM_File — glue to provide EXISTS for NDBM_File for Storable use 🩹
• Memoize::SDBM_File — DEPRECATED compatibility shim 🪦
• Memoize::Storable — store memoized data in a Storable database 📦
• Module::CoreList — what modules shipped with versions of perl 🗂️
• Module::CoreList::Utils — what utilities shipped with versions of perl 🛠️
• Module::Load — runtime require of both modules and files 🚀
• Module::Load::Conditional — looking up module information / loading at runtime 🔎
• Module::Loaded — mark modules as loaded or unloaded ✅
• Module::Metadata — gather package and POD information from perl module files 🕵️
• NDBM_File — tied access to ndbm files 🗄️
• NEXT — provide a pseudo-class NEXT (et al) that allows method redispatch ⏭️
• Net::Cmd — Network Command class (as used by FTP, SMTP etc) 📡
• Net::Config — local configuration data for libnet ⚙️
• Net::Domain — attempt to evaluate the current host's internet name and domain 🏠
• Net::FTP — FTP Client class 📁
• Net::FTP::dataconn — FTP Client data connection class 🔌
• Net::NNTP — NNTP Client class 📰
• Net::Netrc — OO interface to users netrc file 📜
• Net::POP3 — Post Office Protocol 3 Client class (RFC1939) 📬
• Net::Ping — check a remote host for reachability 🏓
• Net::SMTP — Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Client ✉️
• Net::Time — time and daytime network client interface 🕰️
• Net::hostent — by-name interface to Perl's built-in gethost*() functions 🖥️
• Net::libnetFAQ — libnet Frequently Asked Questions ❓
• Net::netent — by-name interface to Perl's built-in getnet*() functions 🌐
• Net::protoent — by-name interface to Perl's built-in getproto*() functions 📋
• Net::servent — by-name interface to Perl's built-in getserv*() functions 🚪

---

okay bestie, we're entering the section of the list where everything is named after one letter or a vague concept. stay with me. 💜

• O — generic interface to Perl Compiler backends 🔭
• ODBM_File — tied access to odbm files 🗄️
• Opcode — disable named opcodes when compiling perl code 🚫
• POSIX — Perl interface to IEEE Std 1003.1 📏
• Params::Check — a generic input parsing/checking mechanism 🔍
• Parse::CPAN::Meta — parse META.yml and META.json CPAN metadata files 🧾
• Perl::OSType — map Perl operating system names to generic types 🗺️
• PerlIO — on demand loader for PerlIO layers and root of PerlIO::* name space 🌱
• PerlIO::encoding — encoding layer 🔡
• PerlIO::mmap — memory mapped IO 🧠
• PerlIO::scalar — in-memory IO, scalar IO 💭
• PerlIO::via — helper class for PerlIO layers implemented in perl 🧰
• PerlIO::via::QuotedPrint — PerlIO layer for quoted-printable strings 🖨️
• Pod::Checker — check pod documents for syntax errors 🩺
• Pod::Escapes — for resolving Pod E<...> sequences 🔓
• Pod::Functions — group Perl's functions a la perlfunc.pod 📚
• Pod::Html — module to convert pod files to HTML 🌐
• Pod::Html::Util — helper functions for Pod-Html 🧷
• Pod::Man — convert POD data to formatted *roff input 📖
• Pod::ParseLink — parse an L<> formatting code in POD text 🔗
• Pod::Perldoc — look up Perl documentation in Pod format 🔍
• Pod::Perldoc::BaseTo — base for Pod::Perldoc formatters 🧱
• Pod::Perldoc::GetOptsOO — customized option parser for Pod::Perldoc 🎛️
• Pod::Perldoc::ToANSI — render Pod with ANSI color escapes 🌈
• Pod::Perldoc::ToChecker — let Perldoc check Pod for errors ✅
• Pod::Perldoc::ToMan — let Perldoc render Pod as man pages 📄
• Pod::Perldoc::ToNroff — let Perldoc convert Pod to nroff 🖨️
• Pod::Perldoc::ToPod — let Perldoc render Pod as ... Pod! 💅 iconic, honestly
• Pod::Perldoc::ToRtf — let Perldoc render Pod as RTF 📝
• Pod::Perldoc::ToTerm — render Pod with terminal escapes 💻
• Pod::Perldoc::ToText — let Perldoc render Pod as plaintext 📃
• Pod::Perldoc::ToTk — let Perldoc use Tk::Pod to render Pod 🪟
• Pod::Perldoc::ToXml — let Perldoc render Pod as XML 🏷️
• Pod::Simple — framework for parsing Pod 🧚
• Pod::Simple::Checker — check the Pod syntax of a document 🩺
• Pod::Simple::Debug — put Pod::Simple into trace/debug mode 🐛
• Pod::Simple::DumpAsText — dump Pod-parsing events as text 📤
• Pod::Simple::DumpAsXML — turn Pod into XML 🔄
• Pod::Simple::HTML — convert Pod to HTML 🌐
• Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch — convert several Pod files to several HTML files 📦
• Pod::Simple::JustPod — just the Pod, the whole Pod, and nothing but the Pod 🎯
• Pod::Simple::LinkSection — represent "section" attributes of L codes 🔗
• Pod::Simple::Methody — turn Pod::Simple events into method calls 📞
• Pod::Simple::PullParser — a pull-parser interface to parsing Pod 🧲
• Pod::Simple::PullParserEndToken — end-tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser 🏁
• Pod::Simple::PullParserStartToken — start-tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser 🚩
• Pod::Simple::PullParserTextToken — text-tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser 🔤
• Pod::Simple::PullParserToken — tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser 🎟️
• Pod::Simple::RTF — format Pod as RTF 📝
• Pod::Simple::Search — find POD documents in directory trees 🔎
• Pod::Simple::SimpleTree — parse Pod into a simple parse tree 🌳
• Pod::Simple::Subclassing — write a formatter as a Pod::Simple subclass 👩‍💻
• Pod::Simple::Text — format Pod as plaintext 📄
• Pod::Simple::TextContent — get the text content of Pod 📝
• Pod::Simple::XHTML — format Pod as validating XHTML ✅
• Pod::Simple::XMLOutStream — turn Pod into XML 🔄
• Pod::Text — convert POD data to formatted text 📃
• Pod::Text::Color — convert POD data to formatted color ASCII text 🌈
• Pod::Text::Overstrike — convert POD data to formatted overstrike text 💥
• Pod::Text::Termcap — convert POD data to ASCII text with format escapes 💻
• Pod::Usage — extracts POD documentation and shows usage information 📢
• SDBM_File — tied access to sdbm files 🗄️
• Safe — compile and execute code in restricted compartments 🔒
• Scalar::List::Utils — a distribution of general-utility subroutines 🧰
• Scalar::Util — a selection of general-utility scalar subroutines ✨
• Search::Dict — Look - search for key in dictionary file 📖
• SelectSaver — save and restore selected file handle 💾
• SelfLoader — load functions only on demand 🪄
• Socket — networking constants and support functions 🔌
• Storable — persistence for Perl data structures 📦
• Sub::Util — a selection of utility subroutines for subs and CODE references 🛠️
• Symbol — manipulate Perl symbols and their names 🔣
• Sys::Hostname — try every conceivable way to get hostname 🏠
• Sys::Syslog — Perl interface to the UNIX syslog(3) calls 📋
• Sys::Syslog::Win32 — Win32 support for Sys::Syslog 🪟
• TAP::Base — base class that provides common functionality to TAP::Parser 🧱
• TAP::Formatter::Base — base class for harness output delegates 🎛️
• TAP::Formatter::Color — run Perl test scripts with color 🌈
• TAP::Formatter::Console — harness output delegate for default console output 🖥️
• TAP::Formatter::Console::ParallelSession — harness output delegate for parallel console output ⚡
• TAP::Formatter::Console::Session — harness output delegate for default console output 🖥️
• TAP::Formatter::File — harness output delegate for file output 📁
• TAP::Formatter::File::Session — harness output delegate for file output 📁
• TAP::Formatter::Session — abstract base class for harness output delegate 🧱
• TAP::Harness — run test scripts with statistics 📊
• TAP::Harness::Env — parsing harness related environmental variables where appropriate 🌿
• TAP::Object — base class that provides common functionality to all "TAP::*" modules 👑
• TAP::Parser — the main character that parses TAP output, no cap 💅
• TAP::Parser::Aggregator — bundles up a whole bunch of TAP::Parser results into one, lowkey essential
• TAP::Parser::Grammar — a grammar for the Test Anything Protocol. that's it, that's the vibe ✨
• TAP::Parser::Iterator — base class for TAP source iterators, the parent of the whole iterator fam
• TAP::Parser::Iterator::Array — iterator for TAP sources that live in arrays
• TAP::Parser::Iterator::Process — iterator for TAP sources that come from a process
• TAP::Parser::Iterator::Stream — iterator for TAP sources coming off a filehandle
• TAP::Parser::IteratorFactory — figures out which SourceHandler objects to use for a given Source, like a little matchmaker 🎀
• TAP::Parser::Multiplexer — multiplex multiple TAP::Parsers, i.e. keep several parsers going at once
• TAP::Parser::Result — base class for TAP::Parser output objects
• TAP::Parser::Result::Bailout — the bailout result token.
• TAP::Parser::Result::Comment — the comment result token.
• TAP::Parser::Result::Plan — the plan result token.
• TAP::Parser::Result::Pragma — the TAP pragma token.
• TAP::Parser::Result::Test — the test result token.
• TAP::Parser::Result::Unknown — the unknown result token.
• TAP::Parser::Result::Version — the TAP syntax version token.
• TAP::Parser::Result::YAML — the YAML result token.
• TAP::Parser::ResultFactory — the factory for creating TAP::Parser output objects 🏭
• TAP::Parser::Scheduler — schedules tests while you're doing parallel testing
• TAP::Parser::Scheduler::Job — one single testing job.
• TAP::Parser::Scheduler::Spinner — a no-op job. it just sits there. slay ✨
• TAP::Parser::Source — a TAP source, plus meta data about it
• TAP::Parser::SourceHandler — base class for the different TAP source handlers
• TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::Executable — streams output from an executable TAP source
• TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::File — streams TAP from a text file.
• TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::Handle — streams TAP from an IO::Handle or a GLOB.
• TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::Perl — streams TAP from a Perl executable 🐪
• TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::RawTAP — streams output from raw TAP sitting in a scalar or array ref.
• TAP::Parser::YAMLish::Reader — reads YAMLish data from an iterator
• TAP::Parser::YAMLish::Writer — writes YAMLish data
• Term::ANSIColor — colors your screen output using ANSI escape sequences 🌈
• Term::Cap — the Perl termcap interface
• Term::Complete — the Perl word completion module
• Term::Complete... no wait, Term::ReadLine — the Perl interface to various "readline" packages.
• Term::Table — formats a header and rows into a table
• Term::Table::Cell — the representation of a cell in a table.
• Term::Table::CellStack — combines several cells into one (vertical).
• Term::Table::HashBase — builds hash based classes.
• Term::Table::LineBreak — breaks up lines so they fit in tables.
• Term::Table::Util — utilities for Term::Table.
• Test — provides a simple framework for writing test scripts 🧪
• Test2 — a framework for writing test tools that all work together.
• Test2::API — the primary interface for writing Test2 based testing tools.
• Test2::API::Breakage — what breaks at what version 💀
• Test2::API::Context — an object to represent a testing context.
• Test2::API::Instance — the object Test2::API uses under the hood
• Test2::API::InterceptResult — the representation of a list of events.
• Test2::API::InterceptResult::Event — representation of an event for use in …and yeah bestie the manpage literally cuts off right there, that's all it gives us 😭
• Test2::API::InterceptResult::Hub — the hub used by InterceptResult.
• Test2::API::InterceptResult::Squasher — encapsulation of the algorithm that …(also cut off, the page is like that, not my fault 🙈)
• Test2::API::Stack — an object to manage a stack of Test2::Hub
• Test2::AsyncSubtest — an object representing an async subtest.
• Test2::AsyncSubtest::Event::Attach — the event that attaches a subtest to the parent.
• Test2::AsyncSubtest::Event::Detach — the event that detaches a subtest from the parent.
• Test2::AsyncSubtest::Hub — the hub used by async subtests.
• Test2::Bundle — documentation for bundles.
• Test2::Bundle::Extended — the old name for Test2::V0
• Test2::Bundle::More — ALMOST a drop-in replacement for Test::More. ALMOST, okay, read the fine print 👀
• Test2::Bundle::Simple — ALMOST a drop-in replacement for Test::Simple.
• Test2::Compare — the Test2 extension for writing deep comparison tools.
• Test2::Compare::Array — the internal representation of an array comparison.
• Test2::Compare::Bag — the internal representation of a bag comparison.
• Test2::Compare::Base — the base class for comparison classes.
• Test2::Compare::Bool — compares two values as booleans
• Test2::Compare::Custom — a custom field check for comparisons.
• Test2::Compare::DeepRef — ref comparison
• Test2::Compare::Delta — the representation of differences between nested data
• Test2::Compare::Event — the event specific Object subclass.
• Test2::Compare::EventMeta — the meta class for events in deep comparisons
• Test2::Compare::Float — compares two values as numbers, but with tolerance.
• Test2::Compare::Hash — the representation of a hash in a deep comparison.
• Test2::Compare::Isa — checks whether the value is an instance of the class.
• Test2::Compare::Meta — the check library for meta-checks
• Test2::Compare::Negatable — a poor man's 'role' for compare objects that can be negated.
• Test2::Compare::Number — compares two values as numbers
• Test2::Compare::Object — the representation of an object during deep …(cut off again, the original literally ends there 💀)
• Test2::Compare::OrderedSubset — the internal representation of an ordered subset.
• Test2::Compare::Pattern — uses a pattern to validate values in a deep …(yep, truncated, moving on 🦋)
• Test2::Compare::Ref — ref comparison
• Test2::Compare::Regex — regex direct comparison
• Test2::Compare::Scalar — the representation of a Scalar Ref in deep …(cut off, but you get it)
• Test2::Compare::Set — allows a field to be matched against a set of …(also truncated!)
• Test2::Compare::String — compares two values as strings
• Test2::Compare::Undef — checks that something is undefined
• Test2::Compare::Wildcard — a placeholder check.
• Test2::Env — documentation for the environment variables used or set by Test2.
• Test2::Event — the base class for events
• Test2::Event::Bail — bailout! 🚨
• Test2::Event::Diag — the diag event type
• Test2::Event::Encoding — sets the encoding for the output stream
• Test2::Event::Exception — the exception event
• Test2::Event::Fail — the event for a simple failed assertion
• Test2::Event::Generic — the generic event type.
• Test2::Event::Note — the note event type
• Test2::Event::Ok — the ok event type
• Test2::Event::Pass — the event for a simple passing assertion ✨
• Test2::Event::Plan — the event of a plan
• Test2::Event::Skip — the skip event type
• Test2::Event::Subtest — the event for subtest types
• Test2::Event::TAP::Version — the event for the TAP version.
• Test2::Event::V2 — the second generation event.
• Test2::Event::Waiting — tells all procs and threads that it is time to be done
• Test2::EventFacet — the base class for all event facets.
• Test2::EventFacet::About — the facet with event details.
• Test2::EventFacet::Amnesty — the facet for assertion amnesty. (a full pardon, bestie 🫶)
• Test2::EventFacet::Assert — the facet representing an assertion.
• Test2::EventFacet::Control — the facet for hub actions and behaviors.
• Test2::EventFacet::Error — the facet for errors that need to be shown.
• Test2::EventFacet::Hub — the facet for the hubs an event passes through.
• Test2::EventFacet::Info — the facet for information a developer might care about.
• Test2::EventFacet::Info::Table — the intermediary representation of a table.
• Test2::EventFacet::Meta — the facet for meta-data
• Test2::EventFacet::Parent — the facet for events that contains other events
• Test2::EventFacet::Plan — the facet for setting the plan
• Test2::EventFacet::Render — the facet that dictates how to render an event.
• Test2::EventFacet::Trace — the debug information for events
• Test2::Formatter — the namespace for formatters.
• Test2::Formatter::TAP — the standard TAP formatter
• Test2::Handle — the base class for Test2 handles used in V# bundles.
• Test2::Hub — the conduit through which all events flow. iconic ✨
• Test2::Hub::Interceptor — the hub used by the interceptor to grab results.
• Test2::Hub::Interceptor::Terminator — an exception class used by …(truncated, rip 💀)
• Test2::Hub::Subtest — the hub used by subtests
• Test2::IPC — turns on IPC so you get threading or forking support.
• Test2::IPC::Driver — the base class for Test2 IPC drivers.
• Test2::IPC::Driver::Files — the temp dir + files concurrency model.
• Test2::Manual — the documentation hub for Test2 and Test2-Suite.
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy — the hub for documentation of the inner workings of …(cut off, again, I know 😭)
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy::API — internals documentation for the API.
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy::Context — internals documentation for the Context
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy::EndToEnd — an overview of Test2 from load to finish.
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy::Event — the internals of events
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy::Hubs — internals documentation for the hub stack, and …(truncated)
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy::IPC — the manual for the IPC system.
• Test2::Manual::Anatomy::Utilities — an overview of utilities for Test2.
• Test2::Manual::Concurrency — documentation for Concurrency support.
• Test2::Manual::Contributing — how to contribute to the Test2 project.
• Test2::Manual::Testing — the hub for documentation about writing tests with Test2.
• Test2::Manual::Testing::Introduction — an introduction to testing with Test2.
• Test2::Manual::Testing::Migrating — how to migrate existing tests from …(and the page cuts off right here 🎀)
• Test2::Manual::Testing::Planning — the many ways to set a plan, bestie. so many. pick one. 🎀
• Test2::Manual::Testing::Todo — tutorial for marking tests as TODO. the "we'll get to it" pile, but make it official. ✨
• Test2::Manual::Tooling — manual page for tool authors. iykyk, this one's for the builders. 🔥
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::FirstTool — write your first tool with Test2. baby's first tool 🥹 so iconic.
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Formatter — how to write a custom formatter, in our
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Nesting — tutorial for using other tools within your
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Plugin::TestExit — how to safely add pre-exit
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Plugin::TestingDone — run code when the test file is
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Plugin::ToolCompletes — how to add behaviors that occur
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Plugin::ToolStarts — how to add behaviors that occur
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Subtest — how to implement a tool that makes use of
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::TestBuilder — this section maps Test::Builder methods
• Test2::Manual::Tooling::Testing — tutorial on how to test your testing tools. testing inception fr fr 🌀
• Test2::Mock — module for managing mocked classes and instances. fake it till the tests pass 💅
• Test2::Plugin — documentation for plugins.
• Test2::Plugin::BailOnFail — automatically bail out of testing on the first test
• Test2::Plugin::DieOnFail — automatically die on the first test failure. dramatic but valid 💀
• Test2::Plugin::ExitSummary — add extra diagnostics on failure at the end of the
• Test2::Plugin::SRand — control the random seed for more controlled test
• Test2::Plugin::Times — output timing data at the end of the test. clocking the vibe ⏱️
• Test2::Plugin::UTF8 — Test2 plugin to test with utf8. unicode besties only 🦋
• Test2::Require — base class and documentation for skip-unless type test
• Test2::Require::AuthorTesting — only run a test when the AUTHOR_TESTING
• Test2::Require::AutomatedTesting — only run a test when the AUTOMATED_TESTING
• Test2::Require::EnvVar — only run a test when a specific environment variable
• Test2::Require::ExtendedTesting — only run a test when the EXTENDED_TESTING
• Test2::Require::Fork — skip a test file unless the system supports forking
• Test2::Require::Module — skip tests if certain packages are not installed, or
• Test2::Require::NonInteractiveTesting — only run a test when the NONINTERACTIVE_TESTING
• Test2::Require::Perl — skip the test unless the necessary version of Perl is
• Test2::Require::RealFork — skip a test file unless the system supports true
• Test2::Require::ReleaseTesting — only run a test when the RELEASE_TESTING
• Test2::Require::Threads — skip a test file unless the system supports threading
• Test2::Suite — distribution with a rich set of tools built upon the Test2
• Test2::Todo — TODO extension for Test2.
• Test2::Tools — documentation for Tools.
• Test2::Tools::AsyncSubtest — tools for writing async subtests.
• Test2::Tools::Basic — Test2 implementation of the basic testing tools.
• Test2::Tools::Class — Test2 implementation of the tools for testing classes.
• Test2::Tools::ClassicCompare — classic (Test::More style) comparison tools. retro but make it slay ✨
• Test2::Tools::Compare — tools for comparing deep data structures.
• Test2::Tools::Defer — write tests that get executed at a later time
• Test2::Tools::Encoding — tools for managing the encoding of Test2 based
• Test2::Tools::Event — tools for generating test events.
• Test2::Tools::Exception — Test2 based tools for checking exceptions
• Test2::Tools::Exports — tools for validating exporters.
• Test2::Tools::GenTemp — tool for generating a populated temp directory.
• Test2::Tools::Grab — temporarily intercept all events without adding a scope
• Test2::Tools::Mock — class/instance mocking for Test2.
• Test2::Tools::Ref — tools for validating references.
• Test2::Tools::Refcount — assert reference counts on objects
• Test2::Tools::Spec — RSPEC implementation on top of Test2::Workflow
• Test2::Tools::Subtest — tools for writing subtests
• Test2::Tools::Target — alias the testing target package.
• Test2::Tools::Tester — tools to help you test other testing tools. meta af 🌀
• Test2::Tools::Tiny — tiny set of tools for unfortunate souls who cannot use
• Test2::Tools::Warnings — tools to verify warnings.
• Test2::Transition — transition notes when upgrading to Test2
• Test2::Util — tools used by Test2 and friends.
• Test2::Util::ExternalMeta — allow third party tools to safely attach meta-data
• Test2::Util::Facets2Legacy — convert facet data to the legacy event API.
• Test2::Util::Grabber — object used to temporarily intercept all events.
• Test2::Util::Guard — inline copy of Scope::Guard
• Test2::Util::HashBase — build hash based classes.
• Test2::Util::Importer — inline copy of Importer.
• Test2::Util::Ref — tools for inspecting or manipulating references.
• Test2::Util::Sig — signal tools used by Test2 and friends.
• Test2::Util::Stash — utilities for manipulating stashes and globs.
• Test2::Util::Sub — tools for inspecting and manipulating subs.
• Test2::Util::Table — format a header and rows into a table
• Test2::Util::Table::LineBreak — break up lines for use in tables.
• Test2::Util::Times — format timing/benchmark information.
• Test2::Util::Trace — legacy wrapper for Test2::EventFacet::Trace.
• Test2::V0 — 0th edition of the Test2 recommended bundle. the OG 👑
• Test2::V1 — V1 edition of the Test2 recommended bundle.
• Test2::V1::Base — base namespace used for Test2::Handle objects created via
• Test2::V1::Handle — V1 subclass of Test2::Handle.
• Test2::Workflow — a test workflow is a way of structuring tests using
• Test2::Workflow::BlockBase — base class for all workflow blocks.
• Test2::Workflow::Build — represents a build in progress.
• Test2::Workflow::Runner — runs the workflows.
• Test2::Workflow::Task — encapsulation of a Task
• Test2::Workflow::Task::Action — encapsulation of an action.
• Test2::Workflow::Task::Group — encapsulation of a group (describe).
• Test::Builder — backend for building test libraries
• Test::Builder::Formatter — Test::Builder subclass of Test2::Formatter::TAP
• Test::Builder::Module — base class for test modules
• Test::Builder::Tester — test testsuites that have been built with
• Test::Builder::Tester::Color — turn on colour in Test::Builder::Tester
• Test::Builder::TodoDiag — Test::Builder subclass of Test2::Event::Diag
• Test::Harness — run Perl standard test scripts with statistics
• Test::Harness::Beyond — beyond make test
• Test::More — yet another framework for writing test scripts
• Test::Simple — basic utilities for writing tests.
• Test::Tester — ease testing test modules built with Test::Builder
• Test::Tester::Capture — help testing test modules built with Test::Builder
• Test::Tester::CaptureRunner — help testing test modules built with Test::Builder
• Test::Tutorial — a tutorial about writing really basic tests
• Test::use::ok — alternative to Test::More::use_ok
• Text::Abbrev — abbrev - create an abbreviation table from a list
• Text::Balanced — extract delimited text sequences from strings.
• Text::ParseWords — parse text into an array of tokens or array of arrays
• Text::Tabs — expand and unexpand tabs like unix expand(1) and unexpand(1)
• Text::Wrap — line wrapping to form simple paragraphs
• Thread — manipulate threads in Perl (for old code only). legacy energy, handle with care bestie ⚠️
• Thread::Queue — thread-safe queues
• Thread::Semaphore — thread-safe semaphores
• Tie::Array — base class for tied arrays
• Tie::File — access the lines of a disk file via a Perl array
• Tie::Handle — base class definitions for tied handles
• Tie::Hash — base class definitions for tied hashes
• Tie::Hash::NamedCapture — named regexp capture buffers
• Tie::Memoize — add data to hash when needed
• Tie::RefHash — use references as hash keys
• Tie::Scalar — base class definitions for tied scalars
• Tie::StdHandle — base class definitions for tied handles
• Tie::SubstrHash — fixed-table-size, fixed-key-length hashing
• Time::HiRes — high resolution alarm, sleep, gettimeofday, interval timers
• Time::Local — efficiently compute time from local and GMT time
• Time::Piece — object oriented time objects
• Time::Seconds — a simple API to convert seconds to other date values
• Time::gmtime — by-name interface to Perl's built-in gmtime() function
• Time::localtime — by-name interface to Perl's built-in localtime() function
• Time::tm — internal object used by Time::gmtime and Time::localtime
• UNIVERSAL — base class for ALL classes (blessed references)
• Unicode::Collate — Unicode Collation Algorithm
• Unicode::Collate::CJK::Big5 — weighting CJK Unified Ideographs
• Unicode::Collate::CJK::GB2312 — weighting CJK Unified Ideographs
• Unicode::Collate::CJK::JISX0208 — weighting JIS KANJI for Unicode::Collate
• Unicode::Collate::CJK::Korean — weighting CJK Unified Ideographs
• Unicode::Collate::CJK::Pinyin — weighting CJK Unified Ideographs
• Unicode::Collate::CJK::Stroke — weighting CJK Unified Ideographs
• Unicode::Collate::CJK::Zhuyin — weighting CJK Unified Ideographs
• Unicode::Collate::Locale — linguistic tailoring for DUCET via Unicode::Collate
• Unicode::Normalize — Unicode Normalization Forms
• Unicode::UCD — Unicode character database
• User::grent — by-name interface to Perl's built-in getgr*() functions
• User::pwent — by-name interface to Perl's built-in getpw*() functions
• VMS::DCLsym — Perl extension to manipulate DCL symbols
• VMS::Filespec — converts back and forth between VMS and Unix file spec syntax, no cap
• VMS::Stdio — standard I/O functions, but via VMS extensions
• Win32 — interfaces to some Win32 API functions
• Win32API::File — low-level access to Win32 system API calls for files/dirs.
• Win32CORE — Win32 CORE function stubs
• XS::APItest — tests the perl C API
• XS::Typemap — a module that tests the XS typemaps shipped with perl
• XSLoader — dynamically loads C libraries into Perl code
• autodie::Scope::Guard — wrapper class for calling subs at end of scope
• autodie::Scope::GuardStack — hook stack for managing scopes via %^H
• autodie::Util — internal utility subroutines for autodie and Fatal
• version::Internals — Perl extension for Version Objects

---

okay bestie, wanna see literally every module sitting on your system — even the undocumented ones, even the ones from outside the standard release? say less. just run this (and psst, if you're in the default win32 shell, use double quotes instead of single quotes, okay?):

% perl -MFile::Find=find -MFile::Spec::Functions -Tlwe \
  'find { wanted => sub { print canonpath $_ if /\.pm\z/ },
  no_chdir => 1 }, @INC'

(The -T is there to stop @INC from being populated by "PERL5LIB", "PERLLIB", and "PERL_USE_UNSAFE_INC", bestie — it's giving taint mode, it's giving protection ✨.) All of those modules should have their own docs installed and reachable through your system man(1) command. No find program? use the Perl find2perl program instead — it spits out Perl code as output and you just run it through perl. Got a man program but it can't find your modules? yeah that's a manpath issue, you'll have to fix that. See perl for the deets. And if you have no system man command at all, try the perldoc program instead. problem solved 💅

Also worth knowing: perldoc perllocal hands you a (possibly incomplete, we keep it real) list of the modules that have been further installed on your system. (The perllocal.pod file gets updated by the standard MakeMaker install process — so blame MakeMaker, not me.)

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🌸 Extension Modules 🌸

Extension modules are written in C (or a mix of Perl and C, because why not both). They usually get dynamically loaded into Perl right when you need them, but they can also be linked in statically. Supported extension modules include Socket, Fcntl, and POSIX. iconic behavior honestly.

A ton of popular C extension modules are not bundled (or at least, not completely) — because they're big, because they're chaotic and volatile, or simply because nobody had time to adequately test and configure them across the whole multitude of platforms Perl was beta-tested on. You're encouraged to go hunt for them on CPAN (described below, keep reading 🫶), or just use web search engines like Google or DuckDuckGo.

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💖 CPAN 💖

CPAN stands for Comprehensive Perl Archive Network — say it with me. It's a globally replicated trove of Perl materials: documentation, style guides, tricks and traps, alternate ports to non-Unix systems, and occasionally binary distributions for those systems too. Search engines for CPAN live at https://www.cpan.org/

And here's the main character part: CPAN includes around a thousand unbundled modules, some of which need a C compiler to build. The major categories of modules are:

• Language Extensions and Documentation Tools
• Development Support
• Operating System Interfaces
• Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess Communication
• Data Types and Data Type Utilities
• Database Interfaces
• User Interfaces
• Interfaces to / Emulations of Other Programming Languages
• File Names, File Systems and File Locking (see also File Handles)
• String Processing, Language Text Processing, Parsing, and Searching
• Option, Argument, Parameter, and Configuration File Processing
• Internationalization and Locale
• Authentication, Security, and Encryption
• World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME
• Server and Daemon Utilities
• Archiving and Compression
• Images, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing, and Graphing
• Mail and Usenet News
• Control Flow Utilities (callbacks and exceptions etc)
• File Handle and Input/Output Stream Utilities
• Miscellaneous Modules

You can find the CPAN online at <https://www.cpan.org/> 💖

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✨ Modules: Creation, Use, and Abuse ✨

(The following section is borrowed directly from Tim Bunce's modules file, available at your nearest CPAN site. credit where credit is due, periodt.)

Perl implements a class using a package, but — huge plot twist — the presence of a package does not imply the presence of a class. A package is just a namespace. A class is a package that provides subroutines which can be used as methods. And a method? a method is just a subroutine that expects, as its first argument, either the name of a package (for "static" methods) or a reference to something (for "virtual" methods). that's it. that's the whole tea. 🍓

A module is a file that (by convention) provides a class of the same name (sans the .pm), plus an import method in that class that can be called to fetch exported symbols. This module may implement some of its methods by loading dynamic C or C++ objects, but that should be totally transparent to whoever's using the module. Likewise, the module might set up an AUTOLOAD function to slurp in subroutine definitions on demand — also transparent. Only the .pm file is required to exist. See perlsub, perlobj, and AutoLoader for the details on that AUTOLOAD mechanism.

🎀 Guidelines for Module Creation 🎀

• Do similar modules already exist in some form?

If so, please try to reuse the existing modules — either whole, or by inheriting useful features into a new class. If that's not practical, try getting together with the module authors to work on extending or enhancing the functionality of what already exists. A perfect example is the plethora of packages in perl4 for dealing with command line options. 😭

If you're writing a module to expand an already existing set of modules, please coordinate with the author of the package. It genuinely helps if you follow the same naming scheme and module interaction scheme as the original author.

• Try to design the new module to be easy to extend and reuse.

Try to use warnings; (or use warnings qw(...);). And remember you can add no warnings qw(...); to individual blocks of code that need less warnings.

Use blessed references. Use the two argument form of bless to bless into the class name given as the first parameter of the constructor, e.g.,:

sub new {
    my $class = shift;
    return bless {}, $class;
}

or even this, if you'd like it to be usable as either a static or a virtual method.

sub new {
    my $self  = shift;
    my $class = ref($self) || $self;
    return bless {}, $class;
}

Pass arrays as references so more parameters can be added later (it's also faster, bestie, win-win). Convert functions into methods where appropriate. Split large methods into smaller, more flexible ones. Inherit methods from other modules if appropriate.

Avoid class name tests like: die "Invalid" unless ref $ref eq 'FOO'. Generally you can delete the eq 'FOO' part with no harm at all. Let the objects look after themselves! Generally, avoid hard-wired class names as far as possible.

Avoid $r->Class::func() where using @ISA=qw(... Class ...) and $r->func() would work.

Use autosplit so little-used or newly-added functions won't be a burden to programs that don't use them. Add test functions to the module after __END__, either using AutoSplit or by saying:

eval join('',<main::DATA>) || die $@ unless caller();

Does your module pass the 'empty subclass' test? If you say @SUBCLASS::ISA = qw(YOURCLASS); your applications should be able to use SUBCLASS in exactly the same way as YOURCLASS. For example — does your application still work if you change: $obj = YOURCLASS->new(); into: $obj = SUBCLASS->new(); ?

Avoid keeping any state information in your packages. It makes it hard for multiple other packages to use yours. Keep state information in objects.

Always use -w.

Try to use strict; (or use strict qw(...);). Remember you can add no strict qw(...); to individual blocks of code that need less strictness.

Always use -w.

Follow the guidelines in perlstyle.

Always use -w.

• Some simple style guidelines

The perlstyle manual supplied with Perl has many helpful points.

Coding style is a matter of personal taste. Lots of people evolve their style over several years as they learn what helps them write and maintain good code. Here's one set of assorted suggestions that seem to be widely used by experienced developers:

Use underscores to separate words. It's generally easier to read $var_names_like_this than $VarNamesLikeThis, especially for non-native speakers of English. It's also a simple rule that works consistently with VAR_NAMES_LIKE_THIS.

Package/Module names are an exception to this rule. Perl informally reserves lowercase module names for 'pragma' modules like integer and strict. Other modules normally begin with a capital letter and use mixed case with no underscores (they need to be short and portable).

You may find it helpful to use letter case to indicate the scope or nature of a variable. For example:

$ALL_CAPS_HERE   constants only (beware clashes with Perl vars)
$Some_Caps_Here  package-wide global/static
$no_caps_here    function scope my() or local() variables

Function and method names seem to work best as all lowercase. e.g., $obj->as_string().

You can use a leading underscore to indicate that a variable or function should not be used outside the package that defined it. 💅

• Select what to export.

Do NOT export method names!

Do NOT export anything else by default without a good reason!

Exports pollute the namespace of the module user, and that's just rude. If you must export, try to use @EXPORT_OK in preference to @EXPORT, and avoid short or common names to reduce the risk of name clashes.

Generally, anything not exported is still accessible from outside the module using the ModuleName::item_name (or $blessed_ref->method) syntax. By convention you can use a leading underscore on names to indicate informally that they are 'internal' and not for public use.

(It is actually possible to get private functions by saying: my $subref = sub { ... }; &$subref;. But there's no way to call that directly as a method, because a method must have a name in the symbol table. yeah. vibe check: failed. 💀)

As a general rule, if the module is trying to be object oriented then export nothing. If it's just a collection of functions then @EXPORT_OK anything but use @EXPORT with caution.

• Pick a name for your module, bestie. 🎀

This name should be as descriptive, accurate, and complete as possible. Avoid any risk of ambiguity. Always try to use two or more whole words. Generally the name should reflect what is special about what the module does rather than how it does it. Please use nested module names to group informally or categorize a module. There should be a very good reason for a module not to have a nested name. Module names should begin with a capital letter.

Having 57 modules all called Sort will not make life easy for anyone (though having 23 called Sort::Quick is only marginally better :-). Imagine someone trying to install your module alongside many others. chaos, honestly.

If you are developing a suite of related modules/classes it's good practice to use nested classes with a common prefix as this will avoid namespace clashes. For example: Xyz::Control, Xyz::View, Xyz::Model etc. Use the modules in this list as a naming guide.

If adding a new module to a set, follow the original author's standards for naming modules and the interface to methods in those modules.

If developing modules for private internal or project specific use, that will never be released to the public, then you should ensure that their names will not clash with any future public module. You can do this either by using the reserved Local::* category or by using a category name that includes an underscore like Foo_Corp::*.

To be portable each component of a module name should be limited to 11 characters. If it might be used on MS-DOS then try to ensure each is unique in the first 8 characters. Nested modules make this easier.

For additional guidance on the naming of modules, please consult:

https://pause.perl.org/pause/query?ACTION=pause_namingmodules

or send mail to the <module-authors@perl.org> mailing list. 💌

• Have you got it right? 🫶

How do you know that you've made the right decisions? Have you picked an interface design that will cause problems later? Have you picked the most appropriate name? Do you have any questions?

The best way to know for sure, and pick up many helpful suggestions, is to ask someone who knows. The <module-authors@perl.org> mailing list is useful for this purpose; it's also accessible via news interface as perl.module-authors at nntp.perl.org.

All you need to do is post a short summary of the module, its purpose and interfaces. A few lines on each of the main methods is probably enough. (If you post the whole module it might be ignored by busy people - generally the very people you want to read it!)

Don't worry about posting if you can't say when the module will be ready - just say so in the message. It might be worth inviting others to help you, they may be able to complete it for you! collab era ✨

• README and other Additional Files. 📄

It's well known that software developers usually fully document the software they write. If, however, the world is in urgent need of your software and there is not enough time to write the full documentation please at least provide a README file containing:

• A description of the module/package/extension etc.
• A copyright notice - see below.
• Prerequisites - what else you may need to have.
• How to build it - possible changes to Makefile.PL etc.
• How to install it.
• Recent changes in this release, especially incompatibilities
• Changes / enhancements you plan to make in the future.

If the README file seems to be getting too large you may wish to split out some of the sections into separate files: INSTALL, Copying, ToDo etc.

• Adding a Copyright Notice. ©️

How you choose to license your work is a personal decision. The general mechanism is to assert your Copyright and then make a declaration of how others may copy/use/modify your work.

Perl, for example, is supplied with two types of licence: The GNU GPL and The Artistic Licence (see the files README, Copying, and Artistic, or perlgpl and perlartistic). Larry has good reasons for NOT just using the GNU GPL.

My personal recommendation, out of respect for Larry, Perl, and the Perl community at large is to state something simply like:

Copyright (c) 1995 Your Name. All rights reserved.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

This statement should at least appear in the README file. You may also wish to include it in a Copying file and your source files. Remember to include the other words in addition to the Copyright.

• Give the module a version/issue/release number. 🔢

To be fully compatible with the Exporter and MakeMaker modules you should store your module's version number in a non-my package variable called $VERSION. This should be a positive floating point number with at least two digits after the decimal (i.e., hundredths, e.g., $VERSION = "0.01"). Don't use a "1.3.2" style version. See Exporter for details.

It may be handy to add a function or method to retrieve the number. Use the number in announcements and archive file names when releasing the module (ModuleName-1.02.tar.Z). See perldoc ExtUtils::MakeMaker.pm for details.

• How to release and distribute a module. 🚀

If possible, register the module with CPAN. Follow the instructions and links on:

https://www.cpan.org/modules/04pause.html

and upload to:

https://pause.perl.org/

and notify <modules@perl.org>. This will allow anyone to install your module using the cpan tool distributed with Perl.

By using the WWW interface you can ask the Upload Server to mirror your modules from your ftp or WWW site into your own directory on CPAN!

• Take care when changing a released module. ⚠️

Always strive to remain compatible with previous released versions. Otherwise try to add a mechanism to revert to the old behavior if people rely on it. Document incompatible changes.

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🌈 Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts into Modules 🌈

• There is no requirement to convert anything.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Perl 4 library scripts should continue to work with no problems. You may need to make some minor changes (like escaping non-array @'s in double quoted strings) but there is no need to convert a .pl file into a Module for just that.

• Consider the implications. 🤔

All Perl applications that make use of the script will need to be changed (slightly) if the script is converted into a module. Is it worth it unless you plan to make other changes at the same time?

• Make the most of the opportunity.

If you are going to convert the script to a module you can use the opportunity to redesign the interface. The guidelines for module creation above include many of the issues you should consider.

• The pl2pm utility will get you started. 🛠️

This utility will read *.pl files (given as parameters) and write corresponding *.pm files. The pl2pm utilities does the following:

• Adds the standard Module prologue lines
• Converts package specifiers from ' to ::
• Converts die(...) to croak(...)
• Several other minor changes

Being a mechanical process pl2pm is not bullet proof. The converted code will need careful checking, especially any package statements. Don't delete the original .pl file till the new .pm one works! 😭

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💜 Guidelines for Reusing Application Code 💜

• Complete applications rarely belong in the Perl Module Library.
• Many applications contain some Perl code that could be reused.

Help save the world! Share your code in a form that makes it easy to reuse. 🌍

• Break-out the reusable code into one or more separate module files.
• Take the opportunity to reconsider and redesign the interfaces.
• In some cases the 'application' can then be reduced to a small

fragment of code built on top of the reusable modules. In these cases the application could invoked as:

% perl -e 'use Module::Name; method(@ARGV)' ...

or

% perl -mModule::Name ...    (in perl5.002 or higher)

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👑 NOTE 👑

Perl does not enforce private and public parts of its modules as you may have been used to in other languages like C++, Ada, or Modula-17. Perl doesn't have an infatuation with enforced privacy. It would prefer that you stayed out of its living room because you weren't invited, not because it has a shotgun. boundaries, but make them consensual 💅

The module and its user have a contract, part of which is common law, and part of which is "written". Part of the common law contract is that a module doesn't pollute any namespace it wasn't asked to. The written contract for the module (A.K.A. documentation) may make other provisions. But then you know when you use RedefineTheWorld that you're redefining the world and willing to take the consequences. 🔥

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<div align="center">okay that's the whole page bestie, and it's sourced from perl v5.44.0, dated 2026-10-17, filed under PERLMODLIB(1perl). go forth and write iconic modules, you absolute legend 🦋✨💖</div>