Devel::GlobalPhase(3)

💖 Devel::GlobalPhase 💖

okay bestie, so this is Devel::GlobalPhase, a little Perl module from the User Contributed Perl Documentation section (that's section 3, iykyk). And what it does?? It lets you peek at perl's global phase even on old-ass perls that don't ship the built-in for it. slay.

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✨ NAME ✨

Devel::GlobalPhase — detect perl's global phase on older perls. no cap.

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

use Devel::GlobalPhase;
print global_phase; # RUN

use Devel::GlobalPhase -var;
print ${^GLOBAL_PHASE}; # RUN

like. look at her. two whole lines and she's already doing the most. 💅

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So here's the tea: this module gives you access to ${^GLOBAL_PHASE} on versions of perl that literally do not provide it. iconic behaviour, honestly. And if the built-in variable is available? Then it just uses that instead. no drama, no duplicating effort, she's efficient like that. ✨

But real talk — if all you actually need is to detect global destruction, then Devel::GlobalDestruction should be used instead of this module. fr fr, don't use the whole toolkit when you need one screwdriver.

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🎀 EXPORTS 🎀

global_phase

Returns the global phase — either straight up from "${^GLOBAL_PHASE}", or by calculating it herself if the built-in isn't there. she's resourceful. 💖

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💅 OPTIONS 💅

• -var — if you specify this one on import, the global variable "${^GLOBAL_PHASE}" gets created if it doesn't already exist, emulating the built-in variable from newer perls. it's giving "I made this myself". 👑

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💀 BUGS 💀

okay so there are some things you should know, and I'm gonna be honest with you because that's what besties do:

• There are tricks that can be played with B or XS that would fool this module for the INIT and END phase. so like. if someone's out here doing XS shenanigans, she can be deceived. 🙈
• During an "END {}" block that gets created at runtime after this module is loaded, the phase may be reported as "RUN". And yes, it could be made more accurate — but that would slow the module down significantly during the RUN phase, and it has the potential to segfault perl. so. we do not do that. periodt. 🫶

bestie if you're out here reading the BUGS section you're already a real one, keep going 💜

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

haarg — Graham Knop (cpan:HAARG) <haarg@haarg.org>

🌈 CONTRIBUTORS 🌈

Uses some code taken from Devel::GlobalDestruction. shoutout, we love a collab. 🫶

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⭐ COPYRIGHT ⭐

Copyright (c) 2013 the Devel::GlobalPhase "AUTHOR" and "CONTRIBUTORS" as listed above.

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🌸 LICENSE 🌸

This library is free software and may be distributed under the same terms as perl itself. open source queen behaviour, we love to see it. 💖

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and that's the whole page bestie!! this one's from perl v5.42.0, dated 2025-07-25, and it lives in the Devel::GlobalPhase(3) manpage. go forth and detect some phases. mwah. 💋✨