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Revision 1.2 by root, Mon Dec 6 20:53:44 2010 UTC vs.
Revision 1.46 by root, Wed Jun 29 14:37:59 2011 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3staticperl - perl, libc, 50 modules all in one 500kb file 3staticperl - perl, libc, 100 modules, all in one 500kb file
4 4
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 5=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 6
7 staticperl help # print the embedded documentation 7 staticperl help # print the embedded documentation
8 staticperl fetch # fetch and unpack perl sources 8 staticperl fetch # fetch and unpack perl sources
9 staticperl configure # fetch and then configure perl 9 staticperl configure # fetch and then configure perl
10 staticperl build # configure and then build perl 10 staticperl build # configure and then build perl
11 staticperl install # build and then install perl 11 staticperl install # build and then install perl
12 staticperl clean # clean most intermediate files (restart at configure) 12 staticperl clean # clean most intermediate files (restart at configure)
13 staticperl distclean # delete everything installed by this script 13 staticperl distclean # delete everything installed by this script
14 staticperl perl ... # invoke the perlinterpreter
14 staticperl cpan # invoke CPAN shell 15 staticperl cpan # invoke CPAN shell
15 staticperl instmod path... # install unpacked modules 16 staticperl instmod path... # install unpacked modules
16 staticperl instcpan modulename... # install modules from CPAN 17 staticperl instcpan modulename... # install modules from CPAN
17 staticperl mkbundle <bundle-args...> # see documentation 18 staticperl mkbundle <bundle-args...> # see documentation
18 staticperl mkperl <bundle-args...> # see documentation 19 staticperl mkperl <bundle-args...> # see documentation
20 staticperl mkapp appname <bundle-args...> # see documentation
19 21
20Typical Examples: 22Typical Examples:
21 23
22 staticperl install # fetch, configure, build and install perl 24 staticperl install # fetch, configure, build and install perl
23 staticperl cpan # run interactive cpan shell 25 staticperl cpan # run interactive cpan shell
24 staticperl mkperl -M '"Config_heavy.pl"' # build a perl that supports -V 26 staticperl mkperl -MConfig_heavy.pl # build a perl that supports -V
25 staticperl mkperl -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI -MURI::http 27 staticperl mkperl -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI -MURI::http
26 # build a perl with the above modules linked in 28 # build a perl with the above modules linked in
29 staticperl mkapp myapp --boot mainprog mymodules
30 # build a binary "myapp" from mainprog and mymodules
27 31
28=head1 DESCRIPTION 32=head1 DESCRIPTION
29 33
30This script helps you creating single-file perl interpreters, or embedding 34This script helps you to create single-file perl interpreters
31a pelr interpreter in your apps. Single-file means that it is fully 35or applications, or embedding a perl interpreter in your
32self-contained - no separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, no .pm 36applications. Single-file means that it is fully self-contained - no
37separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, no .pm or .pl files are
33or .pl files are needed. And when linking statically, you can create (or 38needed. And when linking statically, you can create (or embed) a single
34embed) a single file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all the modules 39file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all the modules you need, all
35you need and all the libraries you need. 40the libraries you need and of course your actual program.
36 41
37With uclibc and upx on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary that 42With F<uClibc> and F<upx> on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary
38contains perl and 50 modules such as AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO, Coro and so 43that contains perl and 100 modules such as POSIX, AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO,
39on. Or any other choice of modules. 44Coro and so on. Or any other choice of modules (and some other size :).
40 45
46To see how this turns out, you can try out smallperl and bigperl, two
47pre-built static and compressed perl binaries with many and even more
48modules: just follow the links at L<http://staticperl.schmorp.de/>.
49
41The created files do not need write access to the filesystem (like PAR 50The created files do not need write access to the file system (like PAR
42does). In fact, since this script is in many ways similar to PAR::Packer, 51does). In fact, since this script is in many ways similar to PAR::Packer,
43here are the differences: 52here are the differences:
44 53
45=over 4 54=over 4
46 55
63=item * The generated executables don't need a writable filesystem. 72=item * The generated executables don't need a writable filesystem.
64 73
65F<staticperl> loads all required files directly from memory. There is no 74F<staticperl> loads all required files directly from memory. There is no
66need to unpack files into a temporary directory. 75need to unpack files into a temporary directory.
67 76
68=item * More control over included files. 77=item * More control over included files, more burden.
69 78
70PAR tries to be maintainance and hassle-free - it tries to include more files 79PAR tries to be maintenance and hassle-free - it tries to include more
71than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. The extra files 80files than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. It
81mostly succeeds at this, but he extra files (such as the unicode database)
72(such as the unicode database) can take substantial amounts of memory and filesize. 82can take substantial amounts of memory and file size.
73 83
74With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct 84With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct
75compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically. 85compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically.
76This means the modules to include often need to be tweaked manually. 86This means the modules to include often need to be tweaked manually.
87
88All this does not preclude more permissive modes to be implemented in
89the future, but right now, you have to resolve hidden dependencies
90manually.
77 91
78=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not. 92=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not.
79 93
80Maintaining your own custom perl build can be a pain in the ass, and while 94Maintaining your own custom perl build can be a pain in the ass, and while
81F<staticperl> tries to make this easy, it still requires a custom perl 95F<staticperl> tries to make this easy, it still requires a custom perl
82build and possibly fiddling with some modules. PAR is likely to produce 96build and possibly fiddling with some modules. PAR is likely to produce
83results faster. 97results faster.
84 98
99Ok, PAR never has worked for me out of the box, and for some people,
100F<staticperl> does work out of the box, as they don't count "fiddling with
101module use lists" against it, but nevertheless, F<staticperl> is certainly
102a bit more difficult to use.
103
85=back 104=back
86 105
87=head1 HOW DOES IT WORK? 106=head1 HOW DOES IT WORK?
88 107
89Simple: F<staticperl> downloads, compile and installs a perl version of 108Simple: F<staticperl> downloads, compile and installs a perl version of
90your choice in F<~/.staticperl>. You can add extra modules either by 109your choice in F<~/.staticperl>. You can add extra modules either by
91letting F<staticperl> install them for you automatically, or by using CPAN 110letting F<staticperl> install them for you automatically, or by using CPAN
92and doing it interactively. This usually takes 5-10 minutes, depending on 111and doing it interactively. This usually takes 5-10 minutes, depending on
93the speed of your computer and your internet conenction. 112the speed of your computer and your internet connection.
94 113
95It is possible to do program development at this stage, too. 114It is possible to do program development at this stage, too.
96 115
97Afterwards, you create a list of files and modules you want to include, 116Afterwards, you create a list of files and modules you want to include,
98and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normla perl 117and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normal perl
99except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C 118except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C
100sources you can use to embed all files into your project). 119sources you can use to embed all files into your project).
101 120
102This step is very fast (a few seconds if PPI is not used for stripping, 121This step is very fast (a few seconds if PPI is not used for stripping, or
103more seconds otherwise, as PPI is very slow), and can be tweaked and 122the stripped files are in the cache), and can be tweaked and repeated as
104repeated as often as necessary. 123often as necessary.
105 124
106=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT 125=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT
107 126
108This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl 127This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl
109binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be used 128binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be
110without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In fact, 129used without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In
111it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution tarball as 130fact, it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution
112F<bin/staticperl>, without any installation. 131tarball as F<bin/staticperl>, without any installation. The
132newest (possibly alpha) version can also be downloaded from
133L<http://staticperl.schmorp.de/staticperl>.
113 134
114F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute, 135F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute,
115optionally followed by any parameters. 136optionally followed by any parameters.
116 137
117There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with 138There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with
119with creating binaries and bundle files. 140with creating binaries and bundle files.
120 141
121=head2 PHASE 1 COMMANDS: INSTALLING PERL 142=head2 PHASE 1 COMMANDS: INSTALLING PERL
122 143
123The most important command is F<install>, which does basically 144The most important command is F<install>, which does basically
124everything. The default is to download and install perl 5.12.2 and a few 145everything. The default is to download and install perl 5.12.3 and a few
125modules required by F<staticperl> itself, but all this can (and should) be 146modules required by F<staticperl> itself, but all this can (and should) be
126changed - see L<CONFIGURATION>, below. 147changed - see L<CONFIGURATION>, below.
127 148
128The command 149The command
129 150
130 staticperl install 151 staticperl install
131 152
132Is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in 153is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in
133F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the 154F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the
134perl interpreter if required. 155perl interpreter if required.
135 156
136Most of the following commands simply run one or more steps of this 157Most of the following F<staticperl> subcommands simply run one or more
137sequence. 158steps of this sequence.
138 159
160If it fails, then most commonly because the compiler options I selected
161are not supported by your compiler - either edit the F<staticperl> script
162yourself or create F<~/.staticperl> shell script where your set working
163C<PERL_CCFLAGS> etc. variables.
164
139To force recompilation or reinstalaltion, you need to run F<staticperl 165To force recompilation or reinstallation, you need to run F<staticperl
140distclean> first. 166distclean> first.
141 167
142=over 4 168=over 4
169
170=item F<staticperl version>
171
172Prints some info about the version of the F<staticperl> script you are using.
143 173
144=item F<staticperl fetch> 174=item F<staticperl fetch>
145 175
146Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened. 176Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened.
147 177
154Builds the configured perl sources, potentially after automatically 184Builds the configured perl sources, potentially after automatically
155configuring them. 185configuring them.
156 186
157=item F<staticperl install> 187=item F<staticperl install>
158 188
159Wipes the perl installation directory (usually F<~/.staticperl/perl>) and installs 189Wipes the perl installation directory (usually F<~/.staticperl/perl>) and
160the perl distribution, potentially aftering building it first. 190installs the perl distribution, potentially after building it first.
191
192=item F<staticperl perl> [args...]
193
194Invokes the compiled perl interpreter with the given args. Basically the
195same as starting perl directly (usually via F<~/.staticperl/bin/perl>),
196but beats typing the path sometimes.
197
198Example: check that the Gtk2 module is installed and loadable.
199
200 staticperl perl -MGtk2 -e0
161 201
162=item F<staticperl cpan> [args...] 202=item F<staticperl cpan> [args...]
163 203
164Starts an interactive CPAN shell that you cna use to install further 204Starts an interactive CPAN shell that you can use to install further
165modules. Installs the perl first if neccessary, but apart from that, 205modules. Installs the perl first if necessary, but apart from that,
166no magic is involved: you could just as well run it manually via 206no magic is involved: you could just as well run it manually via
167F<~/.staticperl/perl/bin/cpan>. 207F<~/.staticperl/perl/bin/cpan>.
168 208
169Any additional arguments are simply passed to the F<cpan> command. 209Any additional arguments are simply passed to the F<cpan> command.
170 210
177 staticperl instcpan EV AnyEvent::HTTPD Coro 217 staticperl instcpan EV AnyEvent::HTTPD Coro
178 218
179=item F<staticperl instsrc> directory... 219=item F<staticperl instsrc> directory...
180 220
181In the unlikely case that you have unpacked perl modules around and want 221In the unlikely case that you have unpacked perl modules around and want
182to install from these instead of from CPAN, you cna do this using this 222to install from these instead of from CPAN, you can do this using this
183command by specifying all the directories with modules in them that you 223command by specifying all the directories with modules in them that you
184want to have built. 224want to have built.
185 225
186=item F<staticperl clean> 226=item F<staticperl clean>
187 227
188Runs F<make distclean> in the perl source directory (and potentially 228Deletes the perl source directory (and potentially cleans up other
189cleans up other intermediate files). This can be used to clean up 229intermediate files). This can be used to clean up files only needed for
190intermediate files without removing the installed perl interpreter. 230building perl, without removing the installed perl interpreter.
231
232At the moment, it doesn't delete downloaded tarballs.
233
234The exact semantics of this command will probably change.
191 235
192=item F<staticperl distclean> 236=item F<staticperl distclean>
193 237
194This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this, 238This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this,
195it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any 239it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any
210In the oh so unlikely case of something not working here, you 254In the oh so unlikely case of something not working here, you
211can run the script manually as well (by default it is written to 255can run the script manually as well (by default it is written to
212F<~/.staticperl/mkbundle>). 256F<~/.staticperl/mkbundle>).
213 257
214F<mkbundle> is a more conventional command and expect the argument 258F<mkbundle> is a more conventional command and expect the argument
215syntax commonly used on unix clones. For example, this command builds 259syntax commonly used on UNIX clones. For example, this command builds
216a new F<perl> binary and includes F<Config.pm> (for F<perl -V>), 260a new F<perl> binary and includes F<Config.pm> (for F<perl -V>),
217F<AnyEvent::HTTPD>, F<URI> and a custom F<httpd> script (from F<eg/httpd> 261F<AnyEvent::HTTPD>, F<URI> and a custom F<httpd> script (from F<eg/httpd>
218in this distribution): 262in this distribution):
219 263
220 # first make sure we have perl and the required modules 264 # first make sure we have perl and the required modules
221 staticperl instcpan AnyEvent::HTTPD 265 staticperl instcpan AnyEvent::HTTPD
222 266
223 # now build the perl 267 # now build the perl
224 staticperl mkperl -M'"Config_heavy.pl"' -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl \ 268 staticperl mkperl -MConfig_heavy.pl -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl \
225 -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http \ 269 -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http \
226 --add 'eg/httpd httpd.pm' 270 --add 'eg/httpd httpd.pm'
227 271
228 # finally, invoke it 272 # finally, invoke it
229 ./perl -Mhttpd 273 ./perl -Mhttpd
230 274
231As you can see, things are not quite as trivial: the L<Config> module has 275As you can see, things are not quite as trivial: the L<Config> module has
232a hidden dependency which is not even a perl module (F<Config_heavy.pl>), 276a hidden dependency which is not even a perl module (F<Config_heavy.pl>),
233L<AnyEvent> needs at least one event loop backend that we have to 277L<AnyEvent> needs at least one event loop backend that we have to
234specifymanually (here L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>), and the F<URI> module 278specify manually (here L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>), and the F<URI> module
235(required by L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>) implements various URI schemes as extra 279(required by L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>) implements various URI schemes as extra
236modules - since L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> only needs C<http> URIs, we only need 280modules - since L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> only needs C<http> URIs, we only need
237to include that module. 281to include that module. I found out about these dependencies by carefully
282watching any error messages about missing modules...
283
284Instead of building a new perl binary, you can also build a standalone
285application:
286
287 # build the app
288 staticperl mkapp app --boot eg/httpd \
289 -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http
290
291 # run it
292 ./app
293
294Here are the three phase 2 commands:
295
296=over 4
297
298=item F<staticperl mkbundle> args...
299
300The "default" bundle command - it interprets the given bundle options and
301writes out F<bundle.h>, F<bundle.c>, F<bundle.ccopts> and F<bundle.ldopts>
302files, useful for embedding.
303
304=item F<staticperl mkperl> args...
305
306Creates a bundle just like F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same
307as invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --perl> args...), but then compiles and
308links a new perl interpreter that embeds the created bundle, then deletes
309all intermediate files.
310
311=item F<staticperl mkapp> filename args...
312
313Does the same as F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same as
314invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --app> filename args...), but then compiles
315and links a new standalone application that simply initialises the perl
316interpreter.
317
318The difference to F<staticperl mkperl> is that the standalone application
319does not act like a perl interpreter would - in fact, by default it would
320just do nothing and exit immediately, so you should specify some code to
321be executed via the F<--boot> option.
322
323=back
238 324
239=head3 OPTION PROCESSING 325=head3 OPTION PROCESSING
240 326
241All options can be given as arguments on the commandline (typically using 327All options can be given as arguments on the command line (typically
242long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since 328using long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since
243specifying a lot of modules can make the commandlien very cumbersome, 329specifying a lot of options can make the command line very long and
244you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file" (with or 330unwieldy, you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file"
245without C<--> prefix) and specify this bundle file instead. 331(one option per line, with or without C<--> prefix) and specify this
332bundle file instead.
246 333
247For example, the command given earlier could also look like this: 334For example, the command given earlier to link a new F<perl> could also
335look like this:
248 336
249 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle 337 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle
250 338
251And all options could be in F<httpd.bundle>: 339With all options stored in the F<httpd.bundle> file (one option per line,
252 340everything after the option is an argument):
341
253 use "Config_heavy.pl" 342 use "Config_heavy.pl"
254 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl 343 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
255 use AnyEvent::HTTPD 344 use AnyEvent::HTTPD
256 use URI::http 345 use URI::http
257 add eg/httpd httpd.pm 346 add eg/httpd httpd.pm
258 347
259All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the 348All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the
260order given on the commandline (that affects the C<--use> and C<--eval> 349order given on the command line.
261options at the moment).
262 350
263=head3 MKBUNDLE OPTIONS 351=head3 BUNDLE CREATION WORKFLOW / STATICPELR MKBUNDLE OPTIONS
264 352
265=over 4 353F<staticperl mkbundle> works by first assembling a list of candidate
354files and modules to include, then filtering them by include/exclude
355patterns. The remaining modules (together with their direct dependencies,
356such as link libraries and L<AutoLoader> files) are then converted into
357bundle files suitable for embedding. F<staticperl mkbundle> can then
358optionally build a new perl interpreter or a standalone application.
266 359
360=over 4
361
362=item Step 0: Generic argument processing.
363
364The following options influence F<staticperl mkbundle> itself.
365
366=over 4
367
267=item --verbose | -v 368=item C<--verbose> | C<-v>
268 369
269Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>). 370Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>).
270 371
271=item --quiet | -q 372=item C<--quiet> | C<-q>
272 373
273Decreases the verbosity level by one. 374Decreases the verbosity level by one.
274 375
376=item any other argument
377
378Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which
379supports all options (without extra quoting), one option per line, in the
380format C<option> or C<option argument>. They will effectively be expanded
381and processed as if they were directly written on the command line, in
382place of the file name.
383
384=back
385
386=item Step 1: gather candidate files and modules
387
388In this step, modules, perl libraries (F<.pl> files) and other files are
389selected for inclusion in the bundle. The relevant options are executed
390in order (this makes a difference mostly for C<--eval>, which can rely on
391earlier C<--use> options to have been executed).
392
393=over 4
394
395=item C<--use> F<module> | C<-M>F<module>
396
397Include the named module or perl library and trace direct
398dependencies. This is done by loading the module in a subprocess and
399tracing which other modules and files it actually loads.
400
401Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl.
402
403 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
404
405Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files), or
406maybe other weirdly named files. To support this, the C<--use> option
407actually tries to do what you mean, depending on the string you specify:
408
409=over 4
410
411=item a possibly valid module name, e.g. F<common::sense>, F<Carp>,
412F<Coro::Mysql>.
413
414If the string contains no quotes, no F</> and no F<.>, then C<--use>
415assumes that it is a normal module name. It will create a new package and
416evaluate a C<use module> in it, i.e. it will load the package and do a
417default import.
418
419The import step is done because many modules trigger more dependencies
420when something is imported than without.
421
422=item anything that contains F</> or F<.> characters,
423e.g. F<utf8_heavy.pl>, F<Module/private/data.pl>.
424
425The string will be quoted and passed to require, as if you used C<require
426$module>. Nothing will be imported.
427
428=item "path" or 'path', e.g. C<"utf8_heavy.pl">.
429
430If you enclose the name into single or double quotes, then the quotes will
431be removed and the resulting string will be passed to require. This syntax
432is form compatibility with older versions of staticperl and should not be
433used anymore.
434
435=back
436
437Example: C<use> AnyEvent::Socket, once using C<use> (importing the
438symbols), and once via C<require>, not importing any symbols. The first
439form is preferred as many modules load some extra dependencies when asked
440to export symbols.
441
442 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent::Socket # use + import
443 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent/Socket.pm # require only
444
445Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its
446glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by the dependency tracker).
447
448 # shell command
449 staticperl mkbundle -MConfig_heavy.pl
450
451 # bundle specification file
452 use Config_heavy.pl
453
454The C<-M>module syntax is included as a convenience that might be easier
455to remember than C<--use> - it's the same switch as perl itself uses
456to load modules. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or maybe
457not. Sigh.
458
459=item C<--eval> "perl code" | C<-e> "perl code"
460
461Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl
462code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In
463that case, you can use C<--eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some
464variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d while
465executing the snippet are included in the final bundle.
466
467Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will not import any symbols from the modules
468named by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules
469you C<--use>'d earlier on the command line to be available.
470
471Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it
472in the final bundle.
473
474 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
475
476 # or like this
477 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'AnyEvent::detect'
478
479Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
480and also include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically
481when the interpreter is initialised.
482
483 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
484
485=item C<--boot> F<filename>
486
487Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be
488executed (using C<require>) before the main program when the new perl
489is initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or do similar
490modifications before the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the
491command line (or via C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter -
492the file will be executed during interpreter initialisation in that case.
493
494=item C<--incglob> pattern
495
496This goes through all standard library directories and tries to match any
497F<.pm> and F<.pl> files against the extended glob pattern (see below). If
498a file matches, it is added. The pattern is matched against the full path
499of the file (sans the library directory prefix), e.g. F<Sys/Syslog.pm>.
500
501This is very useful to include "everything":
502
503 --incglob '*'
504
505It is also useful for including perl libraries, or trees of those, such as
506the unicode database files needed by some perl built-ins, the regex engine
507and other modules.
508
509 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
510
511=item C<--add> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
512
513Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
514"alias"). The F<file> is either an absolute path or a path relative to the
515current directory. If an alias is specified, then this is the name it will
516use for C<@INC> searches, otherwise the path F<file> will be used as the
517internal name.
518
519This switch is used to include extra files into the bundle.
520
521Example: embed the file F<httpd> in the current directory as F<httpd.pm>
522when creating the bundle.
523
524 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
525
526 # can be accessed via "use httpd"
527
528Example: add a file F<initcode> from the current directory.
529
530 staticperl mkperl --add 'initcode &initcode'
531
532 # can be accessed via "do '&initcode'"
533
534Example: add local files as extra modules in the bundle.
535
536 # specification file
537 add file1 myfiles/file1.pm
538 add file2 myfiles/file2.pm
539 add file3 myfiles/file3.pl
540
541 # then later, in perl, use
542 use myfiles::file1;
543 require myfiles::file2;
544 my $res = do "myfiles/file3.pl";
545
546=item C<--binadd> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
547
548Just like C<--add>, except that it treats the file as binary and adds it
549without any postprocessing (perl files might get stripped to reduce their
550size).
551
552If you specify an alias you should probably add a C<&> prefix to avoid
553clashing with embedded perl files (whose paths never start with C<&>),
554and/or use a special directory prefix, such as C<&res/name>.
555
556You can later get a copy of these files by calling C<staticperl::find
557"alias">.
558
559An alternative way to embed binary files is to convert them to perl and
560use C<do> to get the contents - this method is a bit cumbersome, but works
561both inside and outside of a staticperl bundle:
562
563 # a "binary" file, call it "bindata.pl"
564 <<'SOME_MARKER'
565 binary data NOT containing SOME_MARKER
566 SOME_MARKER
567
568 # load the binary
569 chomp (my $data = do "bindata.pl");
570
571=back
572
573=item Step 2: filter all files using C<--include> and C<--exclude> options.
574
575After all candidate files and modules are added, they are I<filtered>
576by a combination of C<--include> and C<--exclude> patterns (there is an
577implicit C<--include *> at the end, so if no filters are specified, all
578files are included).
579
580All that this step does is potentially reduce the number of files that are
581to be included - no new files are added during this step.
582
583=over 4
584
585=item C<--include> pattern | C<-i> pattern | C<--exclude> pattern | C<-x> pattern
586
587These specify an include or exclude pattern to be applied to the candidate
588file list. An include makes sure that the given files will be part of the
589resulting file set, an exclude will exclude remaining files. The patterns
590are "extended glob patterns" (see below).
591
592The patterns are applied "in order" - files included via earlier
593C<--include> specifications cannot be removed by any following
594C<--exclude>, and likewise, and file excluded by an earlier C<--exclude>
595cannot be added by any following C<--include>.
596
597For example, to include everything except C<Devel> modules, but still
598include F<Devel::PPPort>, you could use this:
599
600 --incglob '*' -i '/Devel/PPPort.pm' -x '/Devel/**'
601
602=back
603
604=item Step 3: add any extra or "hidden" dependencies.
605
606F<staticperl> currently knows about three extra types of depdendencies
607that are added automatically. Only one (F<.packlist> files) is currently
608optional and can be influenced, the others are always included:
609
610=over 4
611
612=item C<--usepacklists>
613
614Read F<.packlist> files for each distribution that happens to match a
615module name you specified. Sounds weird, and it is, so expect semantics to
616change somehow in the future.
617
618The idea is that most CPAN distributions have a F<.pm> file that matches
619the name of the distribution (which is rather reasonable after all).
620
621If this switch is enabled, then if any of the F<.pm> files that have been
622selected match an install distribution, then all F<.pm>, F<.pl>, F<.al>
623and F<.ix> files installed by this distribution are also included.
624
625For example, using this switch, when the L<URI> module is specified, then
626all L<URI> submodules that have been installed via the CPAN distribution
627are included as well, so you don't have to manually specify them.
628
629=item L<AutoLoader> splitfiles
630
631Some modules use L<AutoLoader> - less commonly (hopefully) used functions
632are split into separate F<.al> files, and an index (F<.ix>) file contains
633the prototypes.
634
635Both F<.ix> and F<.al> files will be detected automatically and added to
636the bundle.
637
638=item link libraries (F<.a> files)
639
640Modules using XS (or any other non-perl language extension compiled at
641installation time) will have a static archive (typically F<.a>). These
642will automatically be added to the linker options in F<bundle.ldopts>.
643
644Should F<staticperl> find a dynamic link library (typically F<.so>) it
645will warn about it - obviously this shouldn't happen unless you use
646F<staticperl> on the wrong perl, or one (probably wrongly) configured to
647use dynamic loading.
648
649=item extra libraries (F<extralibs.ld>)
650
651Some modules need linking against external libraries - these are found in
652F<extralibs.ld> and added to F<bundle.ldopts>.
653
654=back
655
656=item Step 4: write bundle files and optionally link a program
657
658At this point, the select files will be read, processed (stripped) and
659finally the bundle files get written to disk, and F<staticperl mkbundle>
660is normally finished. Optionally, it can go a step further and either link
661a new F<perl> binary with all selected modules and files inside, or build
662a standalone application.
663
664Both the contents of the bundle files and any extra linking is controlled
665by these options:
666
667=over 4
668
275=item --strip none|pod|ppi 669=item C<--strip> C<none>|C<pod>|C<ppi>
276 670
277Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl 671Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl
278sources included. 672sources included.
279 673
280The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all 674The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all
281pod documenatiton, which is very fast and reduces filesize a lot. 675pod documentation, which is very fast and reduces file size a lot.
282 676
283The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This 677The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This
284saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer, but is 678saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer,
285also a lot slower, so is best used for production builds. 679but is also a lot slower (some files take almost a minute to strip -
680F<staticperl> maintains a cache of stripped files to speed up subsequent
681runs for this reason). Note that this method doesn't optimise for raw file
682size, but for best compression (that means that the uncompressed file size
683is a bit larger, but the files compress better, e.g. with F<upx>).
286 684
685Last not least, if you need accurate line numbers in error messages,
287Last not least, in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some 686or in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some module gets
288module gets mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included 687mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included perl sources in
289perl sources in any way. 688any way.
290 689
291=item --perl 690=item C<--perl>
292 691
293After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It 692After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It
294will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working 693will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working
295directory. The bundle files will be removed. 694directory. The bundle files will be removed.
296 695
297This switch is automatically ued when F<staticperl> is invoked with the 696This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
298C<mkperl> command (instead of C<mkbundle>): 697C<mkperl> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
299 698
300 # build a new ./perl with only common::sense in it - very small :) 699Example: build a new F<./perl> binary with only L<common::sense> inside -
700it will be even smaller than the standard perl interpreter as none of the
701modules of the base distribution (such as L<Fcntl>) will be included.
702
301 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense 703 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense
302 704
303=item --use module | -Mmodule 705=item C<--app> F<name>
304 706
305Include the named module and all direct dependencies. This is done by 707After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new standalone
306C<require>'ing the module in a subprocess and tracing which other modules 708program. It will be called C<name>, and the bundle files get removed after
307and files it actually loads. If the module uses L<AutoLoader>, then all 709linking it.
308splitfiles will be included as well.
309 710
310Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl. 711This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
712C<mkapp> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
311 713
312 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl 714The difference to the (mutually exclusive) C<--perl> option is that the
715binary created by this option will not try to act as a perl interpreter -
716instead it will simply initialise the perl interpreter, clean it up and
717exit.
313 718
314Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files), or 719This means that, by default, it will do nothing but burn a few CPU cycles
315maybe other weirdly named files. To do that, you need to quote the name in 720- for it to do something useful you I<must> add some boot code, e.g. with
316single or double quoutes. When given on the commandline, you probably need 721the C<--boot> option.
317to quote once more to avoid your shell interpreting it. Common cases that
318need this are F<Config_heavy.pl> and F<utf8_heavy.pl>.
319 722
320Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its 723Example: create a standalone perl binary called F<./myexe> that will
321glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by this). 724execute F<appfile> when it is started.
322 725
323 # bourne shell 726 staticperl mkbundle --app myexe --boot appfile
324 staticperl mkbundle --use '"Config_heavy.pl"'
325 727
326 # bundle specification file 728=item C<--ignore-env>
327 use "Config_heavy.pl"
328 729
329The C<-Mmodule> syntax is included as an alias that might be easier to 730Generates extra code to unset some environment variables before
330remember than C<use>. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or 731initialising/running perl. Perl supports a lot of environment variables
331maybe not. Argh. 732that might alter execution in ways that might be undesirablre for
733standalone applications, and this option removes those known to cause
734trouble.
332 735
333=item --eval "perl code" | -e "perl code" 736Specifically, these are removed:
334 737
335Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl 738C<PERL_HASH_SEED_DEBUG> and C<PERL_DEBUG_MSTATS> can cause underaible
336code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In 739output, C<PERL5OPT>, C<PERL_DESTRUCT_LEVEL>, C<PERL_HASH_SEED> and
337that case, you can use C<eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some 740C<PERL_SIGNALS> can alter execution significantly, and C<PERL_UNICODE>,
338variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d in the 741C<PERLIO_DEBUG> and C<PERLIO> can affect input and output.
339script are included in the final bundle.
340 742
341Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will only C<require> the modules named 743The variables C<PERL_LIB> and C<PERL5_LIB> are always ignored because the
342by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules you 744startup code used by F<staticperl> overrides C<@INC> in all cases.
343C<--use>'d earlier on the commandlien to be available.
344 745
345Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it 746This option will not make your program more secure (unless you are
346in the final bundle. 747running with elevated privileges), but it will reduce the surprise effect
748when a user has these environment variables set and doesn't expect your
749standalone program to act like a perl interpreter.
347 750
348 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
349
350 # or like this
351 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
352
353Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
354and include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically.
355
356 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
357
358=item --boot filename
359
360Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be executed
361(using a C<require>) before anything else when the new perl is
362initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or anything else before
363the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the commandline (or via
364C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter.
365
366=item --add "file" | --add "file alias"
367
368Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
369"alias"). This is useful to include any custom files into the bundle.
370
371Example: embed the file F<httpd> as F<httpd.pm> when creating the bundle.
372
373 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
374
375It is also a great way to add any custom modules:
376
377 # specification file
378 add file1 myfiles/file1
379 add file2 myfiles/file2
380 add file3 myfiles/file3
381
382=item --static 751=item C<--static>
383 752
384When C<--perl> is also given, link statically instead of dynamically. The 753Add C<-static> to F<bundle.ldopts>, which means a fully static (if
754supported by the OS) executable will be created. This is not immensely
755useful when just creating the bundle files, but is most useful when
756linking a binary with the C<--perl> or C<--app> options.
757
385default is to link the new perl interpreter fully dynamic (that means all 758The default is to link the new binary dynamically (that means all perl
386perl modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still 759modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still
387referenced dynamically). 760referenced dynamically).
388 761
389Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and 762Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and
390systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a usable fashion 763systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a very usable
391either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked 764fashion either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked
392executables, or try the C<--staticlibs> option to link only some libraries 765executables, or try the C<--staticlib> option to link only some libraries
393statically. 766statically.
394 767
395=item any other argument 768=item C<--staticlib> libname
396 769
397Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which 770When not linking fully statically, this option allows you to link specific
398supports most long options (without extra quoting), one option per line. 771libraries statically. What it does is simply replace all occurrences of
772C<-llibname> with the GCC-specific C<-Wl,-Bstatic -llibname -Wl,-Bdynamic>
773option.
399 774
400=back 775This will have no effect unless the library is actually linked against,
776specifically, C<--staticlib> will not link against the named library
777unless it would be linked against anyway.
401 778
779Example: link libcrypt statically into the final binary.
780
781 staticperl mkperl -MIO::AIO --staticlib crypt
782
783 # ldopts might now contain:
784 # -lm -Wl,-Bstatic -lcrypt -Wl,-Bdynamic -lpthread
785
786=back
787
788=back
789
790=head3 EXTENDED GLOB PATTERNS
791
792Some options of F<staticperl mkbundle> expect an I<extended glob
793pattern>. This is neither a normal shell glob nor a regex, but something
794in between. The idea has been copied from rsync, and there are the current
795matching rules:
796
797=over 4
798
799=item Patterns starting with F</> will be a anchored at the root of the library tree.
800
801That is, F</unicore> will match the F<unicore> directory in C<@INC>, but
802nothing inside, and neither any other file or directory called F<unicore>
803anywhere else in the hierarchy.
804
805=item Patterns not starting with F</> will be anchored at the end of the path.
806
807That is, F<idna.pl> will match any file called F<idna.pl> anywhere in the
808hierarchy, but not any directories of the same name.
809
810=item A F<*> matches anything within a single path component.
811
812That is, F</unicore/*.pl> would match all F<.pl> files directly inside
813C</unicore>, not any deeper level F<.pl> files. Or in other words, F<*>
814will not match slashes.
815
816=item A F<**> matches anything.
817
818That is, F</unicore/**.pl> would match all F<.pl> files under F</unicore>,
819no matter how deeply nested they are inside subdirectories.
820
821=item A F<?> matches a single character within a component.
822
823That is, F</Encode/??.pm> matches F</Encode/JP.pm>, but not the
824hypothetical F</Encode/J/.pm>, as F<?> does not match F</>.
825
826=back
827
402=head2 F<STATCPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS 828=head2 F<STATICPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS
403 829
404During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source the following shell 830During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source some shell files to
831allow you to fine-tune/override configuration settings.
832
833In them you can override shell variables, or define shell functions
834("hooks") to be called at specific phases during installation. For
835example, you could define a C<postinstall> hook to install additional
836modules from CPAN each time you start from scratch.
837
838If the env variable C<$STATICPERLRC> is set, then F<staticperl> will try
839to source the file named with it only. Otherwise, it tries the following
405files in order: 840shell files in order:
406 841
407 /etc/staticperlrc 842 /etc/staticperlrc
408 ~/.staticperlrc 843 ~/.staticperlrc
409 $STATICPERL/rc 844 $STATICPERL/rc
410 845
411They can be used to override shell variables, or define functions to be
412called at specific phases.
413
414Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so 846Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so
415generally should not be used. 847generally should not be used.
416 848
417=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES 849=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES
418 850
423=item C<EMAIL> 855=item C<EMAIL>
424 856
425The e-mail address of the person who built this binary. Has no good 857The e-mail address of the person who built this binary. Has no good
426default, so should be specified by you. 858default, so should be specified by you.
427 859
428=back
429
430=head4 Variables you I<might want> to override
431
432=over 4
433
434=item C<PERLVER>
435
436The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.2>, but C<5.8.9>
437is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.2, while 5.10.1 is
438about as big as 5.12.2).
439
440=item C<CPAN> 860=item C<CPAN>
441 861
442The URL of the CPAN mirror to use (e.g. L<http://mirror.netcologne.de/cpan/>). 862The URL of the CPAN mirror to use (e.g. L<http://mirror.netcologne.de/cpan/>).
443 863
864=item C<EXTRA_MODULES>
865
866Additional modules installed during F<staticperl install>. Here you can
867set which modules you want have to installed from CPAN.
868
869Example: I really really need EV, AnyEvent, Coro and AnyEvent::AIO.
870
871 EXTRA_MODULES="EV AnyEvent Coro AnyEvent::AIO"
872
873Note that you can also use a C<postinstall> hook to achieve this, and
874more.
875
876=back
877
878=head4 Variables you might I<want> to override
879
880=over 4
881
882=item C<STATICPERL>
883
884The directory where staticperl stores all its files
885(default: F<~/.staticperl>).
886
887=item C<DLCACHE>
888
889The path to a directory (will be created if it doesn't exist) where
890downloaded perl sources are being cached, to avoid downloading them
891again. The default is empty, which means there is no cache.
892
893=item C<PERL_VERSION>
894
895The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.3>, but C<5.8.9>
896is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.3, while 5.10.1 is
897about as big as 5.12.3).
898
899=item C<PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT>, C<EV_EXTRA_DEFS>, ...
900
901Usually set to C<1> to make modules "less inquisitive" during their
902installation. You can set (and export!) any environment variable you want
903- some modules (such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for
904further tweaking.
905
906=item C<PERL_PREFIX>
907
908The prefix where perl gets installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>),
909i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up.
910
911=item C<PERL_CONFIGURE>
912
913Additional Configure options - these are simply passed to the perl
914Configure script. For example, if you wanted to enable dynamic loading,
915you could pass C<-Dusedl>. To enable ithreads (Why would you want that
916insanity? Don't! Use L<forks> instead!) you would pass C<-Duseithreads>
917and so on.
918
919More commonly, you would either activate 64 bit integer support
920(C<-Duse64bitint>), or disable large files support (-Uuselargefiles), to
921reduce filesize further.
922
444=item C<PERL_CPPFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS> 923=item C<PERL_CC>, C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS>
445 924
446These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally 925These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally
447optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also 926optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also
448contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these 927contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these
449usually requires understanding their default values - best look at the top 928usually requires understanding their default values - best look at
450of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these. 929the top of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these, and use a
930F<~/.staticperlrc> to override them.
451 931
452=item C<STATICPERL> 932Most of the variables override (or modify) the corresponding F<Configure>
933variable, except C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, which gets appended.
453 934
454The directory where staticperl stores all its files 935You should have a look near the beginning of the F<staticperl> script -
455(default: F<~/.staticperl>). 936staticperl tries to default C<PERL_OPTIMIZE> to some psace-saving options
937suitable for newer gcc versions. For other compilers or older versions you
938need to adjust these, for example, in your F<~/.staticperlrc>.
456 939
457=item C<PREFIX>
458
459The prefix where perl get's installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>),
460i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up.
461
462=item C<PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT>, C<EV_EXTRA_DEFS>, others
463
464Usually set to C<1> to make modules "less inquisitive" during their
465installation, you can set any environment variable you want - some modules
466(such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for further tweaking.
467
468=item C<EXTRA_MODULES>
469
470Additional modules installed during F<staticperl install>. Here you can
471set which modules you want have to installed from CPAN.
472
473Example: I really really need EV, AnyEvent, Coro and IO::AIO.
474
475 EXTRA_MODULES="EV AnyEvent Coro IO::AIO"
476
477Note that you cna also use a C<postinstall> hook to achieve this, and
478more.
479
480=back 940=back
481 941
482=head4 Variables you I<probably do not want> to override 942=head4 Variables you probably I<do not want> to override
483 943
484=over 4 944=over 4
945
946=item C<MAKE>
947
948The make command to use - default is C<make>.
485 949
486=item C<MKBUNDLE> 950=item C<MKBUNDLE>
487 951
488Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to 952Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to
489(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>). 953(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>).
497 961
498=head3 OVERRIDABLE HOOKS 962=head3 OVERRIDABLE HOOKS
499 963
500In addition to environment variables, it is possible to provide some 964In addition to environment variables, it is possible to provide some
501shell functions that are called at specific times. To provide your own 965shell functions that are called at specific times. To provide your own
502commands, justd efine the corresponding function. 966commands, just define the corresponding function.
967
968The actual order in which hooks are invoked during a full install
969from scratch is C<preconfigure>, C<patchconfig>, C<postconfigure>,
970C<postbuild>, C<postinstall>.
503 971
504Example: install extra modules from CPAN and from some directories 972Example: install extra modules from CPAN and from some directories
505at F<staticperl install> time. 973at F<staticperl install> time.
506 974
507 postinstall() { 975 postinstall() {
508 rm -rf lib/threads.* # weg mit Schaden 976 rm -rf lib/threads* # weg mit Schaden
509 instcpan IO::AIO EV 977 instcpan IO::AIO EV
510 instsrc ~/src/AnyEvent 978 instsrc ~/src/AnyEvent
511 instsrc ~/src/XML-Sablotron-1.0100001 979 instsrc ~/src/XML-Sablotron-1.0100001
512 instcpan AnyEvent::HTTPD 980 instcpan Anyevent::AIO AnyEvent::HTTPD
513 } 981 }
514 982
515=over 4 983=over 4
984
985=item preconfigure
986
987Called just before running F<./Configure> in the perl source
988directory. Current working directory is the perl source directory.
989
990This can be used to set any C<PERL_xxx> variables, which might be costly
991to compute.
992
993=item patchconfig
994
995Called after running F<./Configure> in the perl source directory to create
996F<./config.sh>, but before running F<./Configure -S> to actually apply the
997config. Current working directory is the perl source directory.
998
999Can be used to tailor/patch F<config.sh> or do any other modifications.
516 1000
517=item postconfigure 1001=item postconfigure
518 1002
519Called after configuring, but before building perl. Current working 1003Called after configuring, but before building perl. Current working
520directory is the perl source directory. 1004directory is the perl source directory.
521 1005
522Could be used to tailor/patch config.sh (followed by F<./Configure -S>) or
523do any other modifications.
524
525=item postbuild 1006=item postbuild
526 1007
527Called after building, but before installing perl. Current working 1008Called after building, but before installing perl. Current working
528directory is the perl source directory. 1009directory is the perl source directory.
529 1010
543The script must return with a zero exit status, or the installation will 1024The script must return with a zero exit status, or the installation will
544fail. 1025fail.
545 1026
546=back 1027=back
547 1028
1029=head1 ANATOMY OF A BUNDLE
1030
1031When not building a new perl binary, C<mkbundle> will leave a number of
1032files in the current working directory, which can be used to embed a perl
1033interpreter in your program.
1034
1035Intimate knowledge of L<perlembed> and preferably some experience with
1036embedding perl is highly recommended.
1037
1038C<mkperl> (or the C<--perl> option) basically does this to link the new
1039interpreter (it also adds a main program to F<bundle.>):
1040
1041 $Config{cc} $(cat bundle.ccopts) -o perl bundle.c $(cat bundle.ldopts)
1042
1043=over 4
1044
1045=item bundle.h
1046
1047A header file that contains the prototypes of the few symbols "exported"
1048by bundle.c, and also exposes the perl headers to the application.
1049
1050=over 4
1051
1052=item staticperl_init (xs_init = 0)
1053
1054Initialises the perl interpreter. You can use the normal perl functions
1055after calling this function, for example, to define extra functions or
1056to load a .pm file that contains some initialisation code, or the main
1057program function:
1058
1059 XS (xsfunction)
1060 {
1061 dXSARGS;
1062
1063 // now we have items, ST(i) etc.
1064 }
1065
1066 static void
1067 run_myapp(void)
1068 {
1069 staticperl_init (0);
1070 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
1071 eval_pv ("require myapp::main", 1); // executes "myapp/main.pm"
1072 }
1073
1074When your bootcode already wants to access some XS functions at
1075compiletime, then you need to supply an C<xs_init> function pointer that
1076is called as soon as perl is initialised enough to define XS functions,
1077but before the preamble code is executed:
1078
1079 static void
1080 xs_init (pTHX)
1081 {
1082 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
1083 }
1084
1085 static void
1086 run_myapp(void)
1087 {
1088 staticperl_init (xs_init);
1089 }
1090
1091=item staticperl_cleanup ()
1092
1093In the unlikely case that you want to destroy the perl interpreter, here
1094is the corresponding function.
1095
1096=item staticperl_xs_init (pTHX)
1097
1098Sometimes you need direct control over C<perl_parse> and C<perl_run>, in
1099which case you do not want to use C<staticperl_init> but call them on your
1100own.
1101
1102Then you need this function - either pass it directly as the C<xs_init>
1103function to C<perl_parse>, or call it as one of the first things from your
1104own C<xs_init> function.
1105
1106=item PerlInterpreter *staticperl
1107
1108The perl interpreter pointer used by staticperl. Not normally so useful,
1109but there it is.
1110
1111=back
1112
1113=item bundle.ccopts
1114
1115Contains the compiler options required to compile at least F<bundle.c> and
1116any file that includes F<bundle.h> - you should probably use it in your
1117C<CFLAGS>.
1118
1119=item bundle.ldopts
1120
1121The linker options needed to link the final program.
1122
1123=back
1124
1125=head1 RUNTIME FUNCTIONALITY
1126
1127Binaries created with C<mkbundle>/C<mkperl> contain extra functions, which
1128are required to access the bundled perl sources, but might be useful for
1129other purposes.
1130
1131In addition, for the embedded loading of perl files to work, F<staticperl>
1132overrides the C<@INC> array.
1133
1134=over 4
1135
1136=item $file = staticperl::find $path
1137
1138Returns the data associated with the given C<$path>
1139(e.g. C<Digest/MD5.pm>, C<auto/POSIX/autosplit.ix>), which is basically
1140the UNIX path relative to the perl library directory.
1141
1142Returns C<undef> if the file isn't embedded.
1143
1144=item @paths = staticperl::list
1145
1146Returns the list of all paths embedded in this binary.
1147
1148=back
1149
1150=head1 FULLY STATIC BINARIES - UCLIBC AND BUILDROOT
1151
1152To make truly static (Linux-) libraries, you might want to have a look at
1153buildroot (L<http://buildroot.uclibc.org/>).
1154
1155Buildroot is primarily meant to set up a cross-compile environment (which
1156is not so useful as perl doesn't quite like cross compiles), but it can also compile
1157a chroot environment where you can use F<staticperl>.
1158
1159To do so, download buildroot, and enable "Build options => development
1160files in target filesystem" and optionally "Build options => gcc
1161optimization level (optimize for size)". At the time of writing, I had
1162good experiences with GCC 4.4.x but not GCC 4.5.
1163
1164To minimise code size, I used C<-pipe -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections
1165-finline-limit=8 -fno-builtin-strlen -mtune=i386>. The C<-mtune=i386>
1166doesn't decrease codesize much, but it makes the file much more
1167compressible (and the execution a lot slower...).
1168
1169If you don't need Coro or threads, you can go with "linuxthreads.old" (or
1170no thread support). For Coro, it is highly recommended to switch to a
1171uClibc newer than 0.9.31 (at the time of this writing, I used the 20101201
1172snapshot) and enable NPTL, otherwise Coro needs to be configured with the
1173ultra-slow pthreads backend to work around linuxthreads bugs (it also uses
1174twice the address space needed for stacks).
1175
1176If you use C<linuxthreads.old>, then you should also be aware that
1177uClibc shares C<errno> between all threads when statically linking. See
1178L<http://lists.uclibc.org/pipermail/uclibc/2010-June/044157.html> for a
1179workaround (and L<https://bugs.uclibc.org/2089> for discussion).
1180
1181C<ccache> support is also recommended, especially if you want
1182to play around with buildroot options. Enabling the C<miniperl>
1183package will probably enable all options required for a successful
1184perl build. F<staticperl> itself additionally needs either C<wget>
1185(recommended, for CPAN) or C<curl>.
1186
1187As for shells, busybox should provide all that is needed, but the default
1188busybox configuration doesn't include F<comm> which is needed by perl -
1189either make a custom busybox config, or compile coreutils.
1190
1191For the latter route, you might find that bash has some bugs that keep
1192it from working properly in a chroot - either use dash (and link it to
1193F</bin/sh> inside the chroot) or link busybox to F</bin/sh>, using it's
1194built-in ash shell.
1195
1196Finally, you need F</dev/null> inside the chroot for many scripts to work
1197- either F<cp /dev/null output/target/dev> or bind-mounting your F</dev>
1198will provide this.
1199
1200After you have compiled and set up your buildroot target, you can copy
1201F<staticperl> from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution or from your
1202perl F<bin> directory (if you installed it) into the F<output/target>
1203filesystem, chroot inside and run it.
1204
1205=head1 RECIPES / SPECIFIC MODULES
1206
1207This section contains some common(?) recipes and information about
1208problems with some common modules or perl constructs that require extra
1209files to be included.
1210
1211=head2 MODULES
1212
1213=over 4
1214
1215=item utf8
1216
1217Some functionality in the utf8 module, such as swash handling (used
1218for unicode character ranges in regexes) is implemented in the
1219C<"utf8_heavy.pl"> library:
1220
1221 -Mutf8_heavy.pl
1222
1223Many Unicode properties in turn are defined in separate modules,
1224such as C<"unicore/Heavy.pl"> and more specific data tables such as
1225C<"unicore/To/Digit.pl"> or C<"unicore/lib/Perl/Word.pl">. These tables
1226are big (7MB uncompressed, although F<staticperl> contains special
1227handling for those files), so including them on demand by your application
1228only might pay off.
1229
1230To simply include the whole unicode database, use:
1231
1232 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
1233
1234=item AnyEvent
1235
1236AnyEvent needs a backend implementation that it will load in a delayed
1237fashion. The L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> backend is the default choice
1238for AnyEvent if it can't find anything else, and is usually a safe
1239fallback. If you plan to use e.g. L<EV> (L<POE>...), then you need to
1240include the L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV> (L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>...) backend as
1241well.
1242
1243If you want to handle IRIs or IDNs (L<AnyEvent::Util> punycode and idn
1244functions), you also need to include C<"AnyEvent/Util/idna.pl"> and
1245C<"AnyEvent/Util/uts46data.pl">.
1246
1247Or you can use C<--usepacklists> and specify C<-MAnyEvent> to include
1248everything.
1249
1250=item Cairo
1251
1252See Glib, same problem, same solution.
1253
1254=item Carp
1255
1256Carp had (in older versions of perl) a dependency on L<Carp::Heavy>. As of
1257perl 5.12.2 (maybe earlier), this dependency no longer exists.
1258
1259=item Config
1260
1261The F<perl -V> switch (as well as many modules) needs L<Config>, which in
1262turn might need L<"Config_heavy.pl">. Including the latter gives you
1263both.
1264
1265=item Glib
1266
1267Glib literally requires Glib to be installed already to build - it tries
1268to fake this by running Glib out of the build directory before being
1269built. F<staticperl> tries to work around this by forcing C<MAN1PODS> and
1270C<MAN3PODS> to be empty via the C<PERL_MM_OPT> environment variable.
1271
1272=item Gtk2
1273
1274See Pango, same problems, same solution.
1275
1276=item Pango
1277
1278In addition to the C<MAN3PODS> problem in Glib, Pango also routes around
1279L<ExtUtils::MakeMaker> by compiling its files on its own. F<staticperl>
1280tries to patch L<ExtUtils::MM_Unix> to route around Pango.
1281
1282=item Term::ReadLine::Perl
1283
1284Also needs L<Term::ReadLine::readline>, or C<--usepacklists>.
1285
1286=item URI
1287
1288URI implements schemes as separate modules - the generic URL scheme is
1289implemented in L<URI::_generic>, HTTP is implemented in L<URI::http>. If
1290you need to use any of these schemes, you should include these manually,
1291or use C<--usepacklists>.
1292
1293=back
1294
1295=head2 RECIPES
1296
1297=over 4
1298
1299=item Just link everything in
1300
1301To link just about everything installed in the perl library into a new
1302perl, try this (the first time this runs it will take a long time, as a
1303lot of files need to be parsed):
1304
1305 staticperl mkperl -v --strip ppi --incglob '*'
1306
1307If you don't mind the extra megabytes, this can be a very effective way of
1308creating bundles without having to worry about forgetting any modules.
1309
1310You get even more useful variants of this method by first selecting
1311everything, and then excluding stuff you are reasonable sure not to need -
1312L<bigperl|http://staticperl.schmorp.de/bigperl.html> uses this approach.
1313
1314=item Getting rid of netdb functions
1315
1316The perl core has lots of netdb functions (C<getnetbyname>, C<getgrent>
1317and so on) that few applications use. You can avoid compiling them in by
1318putting the following fragment into a C<preconfigure> hook:
1319
1320 preconfigure() {
1321 for sym in \
1322 d_getgrnam_r d_endgrent d_endgrent_r d_endhent \
1323 d_endhostent_r d_endnent d_endnetent_r d_endpent \
1324 d_endprotoent_r d_endpwent d_endpwent_r d_endsent \
1325 d_endservent_r d_getgrent d_getgrent_r d_getgrgid_r \
1326 d_getgrnam_r d_gethbyaddr d_gethent d_getsbyport \
1327 d_gethostbyaddr_r d_gethostbyname_r d_gethostent_r \
1328 d_getlogin_r d_getnbyaddr d_getnbyname d_getnent \
1329 d_getnetbyaddr_r d_getnetbyname_r d_getnetent_r \
1330 d_getpent d_getpbyname d_getpbynumber d_getprotobyname_r \
1331 d_getprotobynumber_r d_getprotoent_r d_getpwent \
1332 d_getpwent_r d_getpwnam_r d_getpwuid_r d_getsent \
1333 d_getservbyname_r d_getservbyport_r d_getservent_r \
1334 d_getspnam_r d_getsbyname
1335 # d_gethbyname
1336 do
1337 PERL_CONFIGURE="$PERL_CONFIGURE -U$sym"
1338 done
1339 }
1340
1341This mostly gains space when linking statically, as the functions will
1342likely not be linked in. The gain for dynamically-linked binaries is
1343smaller.
1344
1345Also, this leaves C<gethostbyname> in - not only is it actually used
1346often, the L<Socket> module also exposes it, so leaving it out usually
1347gains little. Why Socket exposes a C function that is in the core already
1348is anybody's guess.
1349
1350=back
1351
548=head1 AUTHOR 1352=head1 AUTHOR
549 1353
550 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1354 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
551 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html 1355 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html

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