Installing a CPAN Module online

I'm trying to install a CPAN module into my website's local cgi-bin directory
and I just can't seem to translate the common documentation into something I can
use online. I have unzipped the module files, and executed the accompanying
Makefile.pl, and it looks to me like I got the correct PREFIX setting in the
resulting "Makefile". But that's where I'm stuck. I need to simulate the common
CPAN command-line commands:

% make
% make test
% make install

remotely. I think I should be able to write a Perl script to execute these
commands, right? Host is running FreeBSD/Apache. I would appreciate any help.
Thanks!

Re: Installing a CPAN Module online

Richard L. Trethewey wrote:
> I'm trying to install a CPAN module into my website's local cgi-bin
> directory and I just can't seem to translate the common documentation
> into something I can use online. I have unzipped the module files, and
> executed the accompanying Makefile.pl, and it looks to me like I got the
> correct PREFIX setting in the resulting "Makefile". But that's where I'm
> stuck. I need to simulate the common CPAN command-line commands:
>
> % make
> % make test
> % make install
>
> remotely. I think I should be able to write a Perl script to execute
> these commands, right? Host is running FreeBSD/Apache.

It sounds as if you have an account without shell access, and that you
are thinking of writing and uploading a CGI script that would install
the module for you. Even if that may be possible, under certain
conditions, the first thing you should do is finding out if it's a plain
Perl module, or a module that needs to be precompiled.

If the former is true, it may be sufficient to simply upload the *.pm
file(s). The docs for
http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?CGI%3A%3AContactForm include some
guidance that is applicable in that case.

--
Gunnar Hjalmarsson
Email: http://www.gunnar.cc/cgi-bin/contact.pl

Re: Installing a CPAN Module online

Thanks for your help. I did manage to install the module without using Make. I
was also able to get some advice as to how I might use a shell script to execute
Make in the future.

Richard L. Trethewey

Gunnar Hjalmarsson wrote:
> Richard L. Trethewey wrote:
>
>> I'm trying to install a CPAN module into my website's local cgi-bin
>> directory and I just can't seem to translate the common documentation
>> into something I can use online. I have unzipped the module files, and
>> executed the accompanying Makefile.pl, and it looks to me like I got
>> the correct PREFIX setting in the resulting "Makefile". But that's
>> where I'm stuck. I need to simulate the common CPAN command-line
>> commands:
>>
>> % make
>> % make test
>> % make install
>>
>> remotely. I think I should be able to write a Perl script to execute
>> these commands, right? Host is running FreeBSD/Apache.
>
>
> It sounds as if you have an account without shell access, and that you
> are thinking of writing and uploading a CGI script that would install
> the module for you. Even if that may be possible, under certain
> conditions, the first thing you should do is finding out if it's a plain
> Perl module, or a module that needs to be precompiled.
>
> If the former is true, it may be sufficient to simply upload the *.pm
> file(s). The docs for
> http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?CGI%3A%3AContactForm include some
> guidance that is applicable in that case.
>

Re: Installing a CPAN Module online

Richard L. Trethewey wrote:
> Thanks for your help. I did manage to install the module without using
> Make. I was also able to get some advice as to how I might use a shell
> script to execute Make in the future.

Why would you want to use a shell script?

--
Gunnar Hjalmarsson
Email: http://www.gunnar.cc/cgi-bin/contact.pl