Pod::Si...MLBatch(3pm)

📦

version 5.42.3 · 12 versions

💅 Pod::Si...MLBatch(3pm) — like, the actual manual page, bestie

okay so this is Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch, and yes the manual name is literally Pod::Si...MLBatch(3pm) because someone was being ✨economical✨ with characters. anyway. she's a Perl module, she lives in the Perl Programmers Reference Guide, and she's here to help you convert a whole bunch of Pod files into a whole bunch of HTML files at once. no cap. 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch — convert several Pod files to several HTML files. that's it, that's the whole vibe. batch conversion. plural on both sides. 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

  perl -MPod::Simple::HTMLBatch -e 'Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch::go' in out

like, that's the whole one-liner. go off. 🔥

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so listen: this module is used for running batch-conversions of a lot of HTML documents. like, when one Pod file just isn't the moment and you need the whole squad converted. 💅

IMPORTANT THING, don't skip this: this class is NOT a subclass of Pod::Simple::HTML (nor of bad old Pod::Html) — even though it does use Pod::Simple::HTML for doing the conversion of each individual document. she's a totally separate icon, she just borrows the outfit. 👑

The normal use of this class is like so:

  use Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch;
  my $batchconv = Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch->new;
  $batchconv->some_option( some_value );
  $batchconv->some_other_option( some_other_value );
  $batchconv->batch_convert( \@search_dirs, $output_dir );

literally that's it. build the converter, poke the options, hit batch_convert. slay. 🌈

🎀 FROM THE COMMAND LINE 🎀

so, fun fact: this class also provides (but does not export) the function Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch::go. it's basically just a shortcut for "Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch->batch_convert(@ARGV)". super handy for calling straight from the command line, iykyk. 🫶

BUT. plot twist. the shortcut requires that you specify exactly two command-line arguments: indirs and outdir. exactly two. not one, not three. 💀

Example:

  % mkdir out_html
  % perl -MPod::Simple::HTMLBatch -e Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch::go @INC out_html
      (to convert the pod from Perl's @INC
       files under the directory ./out_html)

(Note that the command line there contains a literal atsign-I-N-C. This is handled as a special case by batch_convert, in order to save you having to enter the odd-looking "" as the first command-line parameter when you mean "just use whatever's in @INC".) like, bless whoever did that for us. 🙈

Example:

  % mkdir ../seekrut
  % chmod og-rx ../seekrut
  % perl -MPod::Simple::HTMLBatch -e Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch::go . ../seekrut
      (to convert the pod under the current dir into HTML
       files under the directory ./seekrut)

Example:

  % perl -MPod::Simple::HTMLBatch -e Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch::go happydocs .
      (to convert all pod from happydocs into the current directory)

three examples. all iconic. use them. ✨

👑 MAIN METHODS 👑

💜 `$batchconv = Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch->new;`

This creates a new batch converter. The method doesn't take parameters. To change the converter's attributes, use the "ACCESSOR METHODS"" in " below. (yes that's the literal quoting in the original, she's got a stray quote, we don't fix, we stan a flawed queen 💅)

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( indirs, outdir );`

This searches the directories given in indirs and writes HTML files for each of these to a corresponding directory in outdir. The directory outdir must exist — like, it's not gonna make it for you, that's not the assignment. 🚨

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( undef , ...);`

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( q{@INC}, ...);`

These two values for indirs specify that the normal Perl @INC — (that's where the original text trails off, bestie, so that's where we stop. she said what she said.) 🌸

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( \@dirs , ...);`

This specifies that the input directories are the items in the arrayref "\@dirs". 🔥

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( "somedir" , ...);`

This specifies that the director "somedir" is the input. (This can be an absolute or relative path, it doesn't matter.)

A common value you might want would be just "." for the current directory:

     $batchconv->batch_convert( "." , ...);

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( 'somedir:someother:also' , ...);`

This specifies that you want the dirs "somedir", "someother", and "also" scanned, just as if you'd passed the arrayref "[qw( somedir someother also)]". 🧚

heads up bestie: a ":"-separator is normal under Unix, but Under MSWin, you'll need 'somedir;someother;also' instead, since the pathsep on MSWin is ";" instead of ":". (And that is because ":" often comes up in paths, like "c:/perl/lib".) okay that makes sense actually. 💀

(Exactly what separator character should be used, is gotten from $Config::Config{'path_sep'}, via the Config module.) ✨

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( ... , undef );`

This specifies that you want the HTML output to go into the current directory.

(Note that a missing or undefined value means a different thing in the first slot than in the second. That's so that batch_convert() with no arguments (or undef arguments) means "go from @INC, into the current directory.) ok so the undef is doing double duty depending on which slot it's in, she contains multitudes. 🙈

💜 `$batchconv->batch_convert( ... , 'somedir' );`

This specifies that you want the HTML output to go into the directory 'somedir'. (This can be an absolute or relative path, it doesn't matter.) 💖

💜 class method energy

Note that you can also call "batch_convert" as a class method, like so:

  Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch->batch_convert( ... );

That is just short for this:

  Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch-> new-> batch_convert(...);

That is, it runs a conversion with default options, for whatever inputdirs and output dir you specify. lowkey the laziest (best) way to do it. 🫶

🌈 ACCESSOR METHODS 🌈

The following are all accessor methods — that is, they don't do anything on their own, but just alter the contents of the conversion object, which comprises the options for this particular batch conversion. think of them as setting the vibes before the conversion happens. 🎀

We show the "put" form of the accessors below (i.e., the syntax you use for setting the accessor to a specific value). But you can also call each method with no parameters to get its current value. For example, "$self->contents_file()" returns the current value of the contents_file attribute. get AND set, we love a versatile icon. 💅

$batchconv->verbose( nonnegative_integer ); — This controls how verbose to be during batch conversion, as far as notes to STDOUT (or whatever is "select"'d) about how the conversion is going. If 0, no progress information is printed. If 1 (the default value), some progress information is printed. Higher values print more information. ✨
$batchconv->index( true-or-false ); — This controls whether or not each HTML page is liable to have a little table of contents at the top (which we call an "index" for historical reasons). This is true by default. 🦋
$batchconv->contents_file( filename ); — If set, should be the name of a file (in the output directory) to write the HTML index to. The default value is "index.html". If you set this to a false value, no contents file will be written. goodbye contents file, we hardly knew ye 😭
$batchconv->contents_page_start( HTML_string ); — This specifies what string should be put at the beginning of the contents page. The default is a string more or less like this:

  <html>
  <head><title>Perl Documentation</title></head>
  <body class='contentspage'>
  <h1>Perl Documentation</h1>

$batchconv->contents_page_end( HTML_string ); — This specifies what string should be put at the end of the contents page. The default is a string more or less like this:

  <p class='contentsfooty'>Generated by
  Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch v3.01 under Perl v5.008
  <br >At Fri May 14 22:26:42 2004 GMT,
  which is Fri May 14 14:26:42 2004 local time.</p>

$batchconv->add_css( $url ); — TODO 🙈 (she's a work in progress, respect the process)
$batchconv->add_javascript( $url ); — TODO 🙈 (same energy)
$batchconv->css_flurry( true-or-false ); — If true (the default value), we autogenerate some CSS files in the output directory, and set our HTML files to use those. TODO: continue 💀
$batchconv->javascript_flurry( true-or-false ); — If true (the default value), we autogenerate a JavaScript in the output directory, and set our HTML files to use it. Currently, the JavaScript is used only to get the browser to remember what stylesheet it prefers. TODO: continue 💀
$batchconv->no_contents_links( true-or-false ); — TODO 🙈
$batchconv->html_render_class( classname ); — This sets what class is used for rendering the files. The default is "Pod::Simple::HTML". If you set it to something else, it should probably be a subclass of Pod::Simple::HTML, and you should "require" or "use" that class so that's it's loaded before Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch tries loading it. ⚠️ load it first, bestie, or it's giving chaos.
$batchconv->search_class( classname ); — This sets what class is used for searching for the files. The default is "Pod::Simple::Search". If you set it to something else, it should probably be a subclass of Pod::Simple::Search, and you should "require" or "use" that class so that's it's loaded before Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch tries loading it. ⚠️ same rule, same drama.

🧚 NOTES ON CUSTOMIZATION 🧚

TODO 🌸

  call add_css($someurl) to add stylesheet as alternate
  call add_css($someurl,1) to add as primary stylesheet

  call add_javascript

  subclass Pod::Simple::HTML and set $batchconv->html_render_class to
    that classname
  and maybe override
    $page->batch_mode_page_object_init($self, $module, $infile, $outfile, $depth)
  or maybe override
    $batchconv->batch_mode_page_object_init($page, $module, $infile, $outfile, $depth)
  subclass Pod::Simple::Search and set $batchconv->search_class to
    that classname

that's the whole customization section. she said TODO and honestly? relatable. 🫶

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

Pod::Simple, Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch, perlpod, perlpodspec

(and yes, Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch does list itself in SEE ALSO. main character energy, honestly. 👑)

💌 SUPPORT 💌

Questions or discussion about POD and Pod::Simple should be sent to the pod-people@perl.org mail list. Send an empty email to pod-people-subscribe@perl.org to subscribe. 📧

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>. 🐛

🍓 COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMERS 🍓

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. (that's the legal way of saying "no promises bestie, it's free code") 😭

🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

Pod::Simple was created by Sean M. Burke <sburke@cpan.org>. But don't bother him, he's retired. 🏖️

Pod::Simple is maintained by:

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

ok that's the whole page!! every option, every default, every TODO, every warning, all of it. nothing skipped, nothing invented. periodt. 💅✨

and for the cute sign-off: this page ships with perl v5.42.3, dated 2026-11-03, and the manual name is Pod::Si...MLBatch(3pm). bookmark it, screenshot it, send it to the group chat. 🎀🦋💖

📦 where this page comes from

alpine 3.24: perl-doc 5.42.3-r0 · Artistic-1.0-Perl OR GPL-1.0-or-later
💖 girlified by deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 on 2026-11-04: a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms

Pod::Si...MLBatch(3pm)