Class::Exporter(3)

👑 Class::Exporter — the Class::Exporter(3) page, but make it a vibe ✨

Bestie. Listen. It's User Contributed Perl Documentation energy, and it's literally about exporting class methods as regular subroutines. Let's go. 💖

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

Class::Exporter — export class methods as regular subroutines. no cap, that's the whole thing.

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

okay so watch this, it's giving magic 🪄

package MagicNumber;
use base 'Class::Exporter';

# Export object-oriented methods!
@EXPORT_OK       = qw(magic_number);

sub new {
  my $class = shift;
  bless { magic_number=>3, @_ }, $class
}

sub magic_number {
  my $self = shift;
  @_ and $self->{magic_number} = shift;
  $self->{magic_number}
}

# Meanwhile, in another piece of code!
package Bar;
use MagicNumber;  # exports magic_number
print magic_number; # prints 3
magic_number(7);
print magic_number; # prints 7

# Each package gets its own instance of the object. This ensures that
# two packages both using your module via import semantics don't mess
# with each other.

package Baz;
use MagicNumber; # exports magic_number
print magic_number; # prints 3 because this package has a different
                    # MagicNumber object than package Bar.

like?? the same sub name, but every package gets its own lil object. the way that works is so satisfying fr fr 💅

---

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

So here's the tea: this module makes it so much easier to give a module a hybrid object/method interface, kinda like the one CGI.pm has. Got some crusty old module with a purely object-oriented interface? You can convert it to a hybrid one by literally just adding use base 'Class::Exporter' to your code. that's it. that's the whole glow-up. 🦋

This package lets you export object methods. It supports import(), @EXPORT and @EXPORT_OK and not a whole lot else — and honestly? we respect the restraint. Every package your object methods get imported into gets its own instance of the object. That's the whole point: it ensures there are no interaction effects between multiple packages that use your object. no cross-talk, no drama, periodt. 👑

Setting up a module to export its variables and functions is simple:

package My::Module;
use base 'Class::Exporter';

@EXPORT = qw($Foo bar);

and now when you use My::Module, $Foo and bar() will show up. iconic behavior. ✨

In order to make exporting optional, use @EXPORT_OK.

package My::Module;
use base 'Class::Exporter';

@EXPORT_OK = qw($Foo bar);

when My::Module is used, $Foo and bar() will not show up. You have to ask for them. use My::Module qw($Foo bar). consent first, always 🫶

---

🎀 Methods 🎀

Class::Exporter has one public method, import(), which is called automatically when your modules is use()'d. (yes, "modules is". the manpage said it, we're keeping it, it's cute 😭)

In normal usage you don't have to worry about this at all. like, at all at all. go live your life, bestie. 💖

---

🌟 import 🌟

Some::Module->import;
Some::Module->import(@symbols);

Works just like Exporter::import() excepting it only honors @Some::Module::EXPORT and @Some::Module::EXPORT_OK.

The given @symbols are exported to the current package provided they are in @Some::Module::EXPORT or @Some::Module::EXPORT_OK. Otherwise an exception is thrown (ie. the program dies 💀). so like, don't test it and find out.

If @symbols is not given, everything in @Some::Module::EXPORT is exported. the whole squad, no questions asked.

---

💀 DIAGNOSTICS 💀

• '"%s" is not exported by the %s module' — you attempted to import a symbol which is not in @EXPORT or @EXPORT_OK. ma'am. it's not on the list.
• 'Can\'t export symbol: %s' — you attempted to import a symbol of an unknown type (ie. the leading $@% salad wasn't recognized). ngl the $@% salad is a whole mood but it has to make sense 🥗

---

🫶 AUTHORS 🫶

David James <david@jamesgang.com>

Most of the code and documentation was borrowed from Exporter::Lite. Exporter::Lite was written by Michael G Schwern <schwern@pobox.com> — shoutout to the ancestors, they built the house we're vibing in 🏡💜

---

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Exporter, Exporter::Lite, UNIVERSAL::exports — the family tree, iykyk ✨

---

📜 LICENSE 📜

Copyright (c) 2002 David James
All rights reserved.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

---

and that's the whole page bestie!! 💅💖 this was Class::Exporter(3) from perl v5.42.0, dated 2025-07-25 — slay, ate, no crumbs left, periodt. 🎀✨🦋