Pod::S...:Debug(3perl)

💅 Pod::S...:Debug — the tea ☕

okay bestie, so this is the manpage for Pod::S...:Debug(3perl) — that's the one living in the Perl Programmers Reference Guide (yes the title got chopped up like that, it's giving ✨abbreviated✨ but that's literally what it says). she's a tiny module. she has one job. let's get into it 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

Pod::S...:Debug — put Pod::Simple into trace/debug mode 🐛✨

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

the classic glow-up, the one-line version:

use Pod::Simple::Debug (5);  # or some integer

Or:

my $debuglevel;
use Pod::Simple::Debug (\$debuglevel, 0);
...some stuff that uses Pod::Simple to do stuff, but which
 you don't want debug output from...

$debug_level = 4;
...some stuff that uses Pod::Simple to do stuff, but which
 you DO want debug output from...

$debug_level = 0;

⚠️ not me pointing out that the original flips between $debuglevel and $debug_level — that's literally in the source, so it's staying exactly like that, periodt 💀

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so this is an internal module. it controls the debug level (a.k.a. the trace level) of Pod::Simple. it's giving "backstage pass only" 🎟️ — the only people who care about this are Pod::Simple developers. if that's not you, you can scroll, no hard feelings 💖

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💀 CAVEATS 💀 (read these fr fr)

okay so listen up because these are the ✨important✨ ones:

• you should load this module before loading Pod::Simple (or any Pod::Simple-based class). if you try loading Pod::Simple::Debug after &Pod::Simple::DEBUG is already defined, Pod::Simple::Debug will throw a fatal error to the effect that "It's too late to call Pod::Simple::Debug". and she means it. it's too late. bestie you missed the window 😭
• also, the use Pod::Simple::Debug (\$x, somenum) mode will make Pod::Simple (et al) run rather slower, because &Pod::Simple::DEBUG won't be a constant sub anymore, and so Pod::Simple (et al) won't compile with constant-folding. so like… you're trading speed for the dynamic vibe. know that before you commit 🐢🔥

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🧚 GUTS 🧚 (the behind-the-scenes lore)

doing this:

use Pod::Simple::Debug (5);  # or some integer

is basically equivalent to:

BEGIN { sub Pod::Simple::DEBUG () {5} }  # or some integer
use Pod::Simple ();

And this:

use Pod::Simple::Debug (\$debug_level,0);  # or some integer

is basically equivalent to this:

my $debug_level;
BEGIN { $debug_level = 0 }
BEGIN { sub Pod::Simple::DEBUG () { $debug_level }
use Pod::Simple ();

💅 that last block is verbatim, brace situation and all — iconically it's written exactly like that in the source, so we're preserving the moment, no editing, no notes

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• Pod::Simple
• the article "Constants in Perl", in The Perl Journal issue 21. See <http://interglacial.com/tpj/21/> 🔗

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🫶 SUPPORT 🫶

got questions? wanna discuss POD and Pod::Simple? send them to the pod-people@perl.org mail list. to subscribe, send an empty email to pod-people-subscribe@perl.org 📧 (yes, empty. just vibes. send nothing.)

this module is managed in an open GitHub repository, <https://github.com/perl-pod/pod-simple/>. feel free to fork and contribute 🍴✨, or to clone <https://github.com/perl-pod/pod-simple.git> and send patches!

patches against Pod::Simple are welcome 💖. please send bug reports to <bug-pod-simple@rt.cpan.org> 🐞

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🌈 COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMERS 🌈

Copyright (c) 2002 Sean M. Burke.

this library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

this program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. 🫠

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

Pod::Simple was created by Sean M. Burke <sburke@cpan.org>. but don't bother him, he's retired. 😌 let the man rest, he earned it ✨

Pod::Simple is maintained by:

• Allison Randal "allison@perl.org"
• Hans Dieter Pearcey "hdp@cpan.org"
• David E. Wheeler "dwheeler@cpan.org"

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and that's the whole thing bestie, no cap 💅 we're running off perl v5.44.0, dated 2026-10-17, and this page is a proud resident of the Perl Programmers Reference Guide section 3perl — slay, go debug something, iykyk 🦋✨🎀