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Revision 1.48 by root, Sun Jul 10 01:37:56 2011 UTC

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 perl interpreter in your applications. Single-file means that it is 35or applications, or embedding a perl interpreter in your
32fully self-contained - no separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, 36applications. Single-file means that it is fully self-contained - no
33no .pm or .pl files are needed. And when linking statically, you can 37separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, no .pm or .pl files are
34create (or embed) a single file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all 38needed. And when linking statically, you can create (or embed) a single
35the modules you need and all the libraries you need. 39file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all the modules you need, all
40the libraries you need and of course your actual program.
36 41
37With F<uClibc> and F<upx> on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary 42With F<uClibc> and F<upx> on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary
38that contains perl and 100 modules such as POSIX, AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO, 43that contains perl and 100 modules such as POSIX, AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO,
39Coro and so on. Or any other choice of modules. 44Coro and so on. Or any other choice of modules (and some other size :).
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/>.
40 49
41The created files do not need write access to the file system (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
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 maintenance and hassle-free - it tries to include more 79PAR tries to be maintenance and hassle-free - it tries to include more
71files than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. The 80files than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. It
72extra files (such as the unicode database) can take substantial amounts of 81mostly succeeds at this, but he extra files (such as the unicode database)
73memory and file size. 82can take substantial amounts of memory and file size.
74 83
75With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct 84With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct
76compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically. 85compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically.
77This 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.
78 91
79=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not. 92=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not.
80 93
81Maintaining 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
82F<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
83build and possibly fiddling with some modules. PAR is likely to produce 96build and possibly fiddling with some modules. PAR is likely to produce
84results faster. 97results faster.
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.
85 103
86=back 104=back
87 105
88=head1 HOW DOES IT WORK? 106=head1 HOW DOES IT WORK?
89 107
98Afterwards, 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,
99and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normal perl 117and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normal perl
100except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C 118except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C
101sources you can use to embed all files into your project). 119sources you can use to embed all files into your project).
102 120
103This 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
104more 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
105repeated as often as necessary. 123often as necessary.
106 124
107=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT 125=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT
108 126
109This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl 127This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl
110binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be used 128binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be
111without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In fact, 129used without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In
112it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution tarball as 130fact, it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution
113F<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>.
114 134
115F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute, 135F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute,
116optionally followed by any parameters. 136optionally followed by any parameters.
117 137
118There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with 138There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with
120with creating binaries and bundle files. 140with creating binaries and bundle files.
121 141
122=head2 PHASE 1 COMMANDS: INSTALLING PERL 142=head2 PHASE 1 COMMANDS: INSTALLING PERL
123 143
124The most important command is F<install>, which does basically 144The most important command is F<install>, which does basically
125everything. 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
126modules 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
127changed - see L<CONFIGURATION>, below. 147changed - see L<CONFIGURATION>, below.
128 148
129The command 149The command
130 150
131 staticperl install 151 staticperl install
132 152
133Is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in 153is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in
134F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the 154F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the
135perl interpreter if required. 155perl interpreter if required.
136 156
137Most of the following commands simply run one or more steps of this 157Most of the following F<staticperl> subcommands simply run one or more
138sequence. 158steps of this sequence.
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.
139 164
140To force recompilation or reinstallation, you need to run F<staticperl 165To force recompilation or reinstallation, you need to run F<staticperl
141distclean> first. 166distclean> first.
142 167
143=over 4 168=over 4
144 169
170=item F<staticperl version>
171
172Prints some info about the version of the F<staticperl> script you are using.
173
145=item F<staticperl fetch> 174=item F<staticperl fetch>
146 175
147Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened. 176Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened.
148 177
149=item F<staticperl configure> 178=item F<staticperl configure>
157 186
158=item F<staticperl install> 187=item F<staticperl install>
159 188
160Wipes the perl installation directory (usually F<~/.staticperl/perl>) and 189Wipes the perl installation directory (usually F<~/.staticperl/perl>) and
161installs the perl distribution, potentially after 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
162 201
163=item F<staticperl cpan> [args...] 202=item F<staticperl cpan> [args...]
164 203
165Starts an interactive CPAN shell that you can use to install further 204Starts an interactive CPAN shell that you can use to install further
166modules. Installs the perl first if necessary, but apart from that, 205modules. Installs the perl first if necessary, but apart from that,
167no 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
168F<~/.staticperl/perl/bin/cpan>. 207F<~/.staticperl/perl/bin/cpan>, except that F<staticperl> additionally
208sets the environment variable C<$PERL> to the path of the perl
209interpreter, which is handy in subshells.
169 210
170Any additional arguments are simply passed to the F<cpan> command. 211Any additional arguments are simply passed to the F<cpan> command.
171 212
172=item F<staticperl instcpan> module... 213=item F<staticperl instcpan> module...
173 214
184command by specifying all the directories with modules in them that you 225command by specifying all the directories with modules in them that you
185want to have built. 226want to have built.
186 227
187=item F<staticperl clean> 228=item F<staticperl clean>
188 229
189Runs F<make distclean> in the perl source directory (and potentially 230Deletes the perl source directory (and potentially cleans up other
190cleans up other intermediate files). This can be used to clean up 231intermediate files). This can be used to clean up files only needed for
191intermediate files without removing the installed perl interpreter. 232building perl, without removing the installed perl interpreter.
233
234At the moment, it doesn't delete downloaded tarballs.
235
236The exact semantics of this command will probably change.
192 237
193=item F<staticperl distclean> 238=item F<staticperl distclean>
194 239
195This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this, 240This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this,
196it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any 241it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any
220 265
221 # first make sure we have perl and the required modules 266 # first make sure we have perl and the required modules
222 staticperl instcpan AnyEvent::HTTPD 267 staticperl instcpan AnyEvent::HTTPD
223 268
224 # now build the perl 269 # now build the perl
225 staticperl mkperl -M'"Config_heavy.pl"' -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl \ 270 staticperl mkperl -MConfig_heavy.pl -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl \
226 -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http \ 271 -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http \
227 --add 'eg/httpd httpd.pm' 272 --add 'eg/httpd httpd.pm'
228 273
229 # finally, invoke it 274 # finally, invoke it
230 ./perl -Mhttpd 275 ./perl -Mhttpd
236(required by L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>) implements various URI schemes as extra 281(required by L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>) implements various URI schemes as extra
237modules - since L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> only needs C<http> URIs, we only need 282modules - since L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> only needs C<http> URIs, we only need
238to include that module. I found out about these dependencies by carefully 283to include that module. I found out about these dependencies by carefully
239watching any error messages about missing modules... 284watching any error messages about missing modules...
240 285
286Instead of building a new perl binary, you can also build a standalone
287application:
288
289 # build the app
290 staticperl mkapp app --boot eg/httpd \
291 -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http
292
293 # run it
294 ./app
295
296Here are the three phase 2 commands:
297
298=over 4
299
300=item F<staticperl mkbundle> args...
301
302The "default" bundle command - it interprets the given bundle options and
303writes out F<bundle.h>, F<bundle.c>, F<bundle.ccopts> and F<bundle.ldopts>
304files, useful for embedding.
305
306=item F<staticperl mkperl> args...
307
308Creates a bundle just like F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same
309as invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --perl> args...), but then compiles and
310links a new perl interpreter that embeds the created bundle, then deletes
311all intermediate files.
312
313=item F<staticperl mkapp> filename args...
314
315Does the same as F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same as
316invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --app> filename args...), but then compiles
317and links a new standalone application that simply initialises the perl
318interpreter.
319
320The difference to F<staticperl mkperl> is that the standalone application
321does not act like a perl interpreter would - in fact, by default it would
322just do nothing and exit immediately, so you should specify some code to
323be executed via the F<--boot> option.
324
325=back
326
241=head3 OPTION PROCESSING 327=head3 OPTION PROCESSING
242 328
243All options can be given as arguments on the command line (typically 329All options can be given as arguments on the command line (typically
244using long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since 330using long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since
245specifying a lot of modules can make the command line very cumbersome, 331specifying a lot of options can make the command line very long and
246you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file" (with or 332unwieldy, you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file"
247without C<--> prefix) and specify this bundle file instead. 333(one option per line, with or without C<--> prefix) and specify this
334bundle file instead.
248 335
249For example, the command given earlier could also look like this: 336For example, the command given earlier to link a new F<perl> could also
337look like this:
250 338
251 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle 339 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle
252 340
253And all options could be in F<httpd.bundle>: 341With all options stored in the F<httpd.bundle> file (one option per line,
254 342everything after the option is an argument):
343
255 use "Config_heavy.pl" 344 use "Config_heavy.pl"
256 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl 345 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
257 use AnyEvent::HTTPD 346 use AnyEvent::HTTPD
258 use URI::http 347 use URI::http
259 add eg/httpd httpd.pm 348 add eg/httpd httpd.pm
260 349
261All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the 350All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the
262order given on the command line (that affects the C<--use> and C<--eval> 351order given on the command line.
263options at the moment).
264 352
265=head3 MKBUNDLE OPTIONS 353=head3 BUNDLE CREATION WORKFLOW / STATICPELR MKBUNDLE OPTIONS
266 354
267=over 4 355F<staticperl mkbundle> works by first assembling a list of candidate
356files and modules to include, then filtering them by include/exclude
357patterns. The remaining modules (together with their direct dependencies,
358such as link libraries and L<AutoLoader> files) are then converted into
359bundle files suitable for embedding. F<staticperl mkbundle> can then
360optionally build a new perl interpreter or a standalone application.
268 361
362=over 4
363
364=item Step 0: Generic argument processing.
365
366The following options influence F<staticperl mkbundle> itself.
367
368=over 4
369
269=item --verbose | -v 370=item C<--verbose> | C<-v>
270 371
271Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>). 372Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>).
272 373
273=item --quiet | -q 374=item C<--quiet> | C<-q>
274 375
275Decreases the verbosity level by one. 376Decreases the verbosity level by one.
276 377
378=item any other argument
379
380Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which
381supports all options (without extra quoting), one option per line, in the
382format C<option> or C<option argument>. They will effectively be expanded
383and processed as if they were directly written on the command line, in
384place of the file name.
385
386=back
387
388=item Step 1: gather candidate files and modules
389
390In this step, modules, perl libraries (F<.pl> files) and other files are
391selected for inclusion in the bundle. The relevant options are executed
392in order (this makes a difference mostly for C<--eval>, which can rely on
393earlier C<--use> options to have been executed).
394
395=over 4
396
397=item C<--use> F<module> | C<-M>F<module>
398
399Include the named module or perl library and trace direct
400dependencies. This is done by loading the module in a subprocess and
401tracing which other modules and files it actually loads.
402
403Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl.
404
405 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
406
407Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files), or
408maybe other weirdly named files. To support this, the C<--use> option
409actually tries to do what you mean, depending on the string you specify:
410
411=over 4
412
413=item a possibly valid module name, e.g. F<common::sense>, F<Carp>,
414F<Coro::Mysql>.
415
416If the string contains no quotes, no F</> and no F<.>, then C<--use>
417assumes that it is a normal module name. It will create a new package and
418evaluate a C<use module> in it, i.e. it will load the package and do a
419default import.
420
421The import step is done because many modules trigger more dependencies
422when something is imported than without.
423
424=item anything that contains F</> or F<.> characters,
425e.g. F<utf8_heavy.pl>, F<Module/private/data.pl>.
426
427The string will be quoted and passed to require, as if you used C<require
428$module>. Nothing will be imported.
429
430=item "path" or 'path', e.g. C<"utf8_heavy.pl">.
431
432If you enclose the name into single or double quotes, then the quotes will
433be removed and the resulting string will be passed to require. This syntax
434is form compatibility with older versions of staticperl and should not be
435used anymore.
436
437=back
438
439Example: C<use> AnyEvent::Socket, once using C<use> (importing the
440symbols), and once via C<require>, not importing any symbols. The first
441form is preferred as many modules load some extra dependencies when asked
442to export symbols.
443
444 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent::Socket # use + import
445 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent/Socket.pm # require only
446
447Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its
448glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by the dependency tracker).
449
450 # shell command
451 staticperl mkbundle -MConfig_heavy.pl
452
453 # bundle specification file
454 use Config_heavy.pl
455
456The C<-M>module syntax is included as a convenience that might be easier
457to remember than C<--use> - it's the same switch as perl itself uses
458to load modules. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or maybe
459not. Sigh.
460
461=item C<--eval> "perl code" | C<-e> "perl code"
462
463Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl
464code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In
465that case, you can use C<--eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some
466variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d while
467executing the snippet are included in the final bundle.
468
469Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will not import any symbols from the modules
470named by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules
471you C<--use>'d earlier on the command line to be available.
472
473Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it
474in the final bundle.
475
476 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
477
478 # or like this
479 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'AnyEvent::detect'
480
481Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
482and also include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically
483when the interpreter is initialised.
484
485 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
486
487=item C<--boot> F<filename>
488
489Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be
490executed (using C<require>) before the main program when the new perl
491is initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or do similar
492modifications before the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the
493command line (or via C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter -
494the file will be executed during interpreter initialisation in that case.
495
496=item C<--incglob> pattern
497
498This goes through all standard library directories and tries to match any
499F<.pm> and F<.pl> files against the extended glob pattern (see below). If
500a file matches, it is added. The pattern is matched against the full path
501of the file (sans the library directory prefix), e.g. F<Sys/Syslog.pm>.
502
503This is very useful to include "everything":
504
505 --incglob '*'
506
507It is also useful for including perl libraries, or trees of those, such as
508the unicode database files needed by some perl built-ins, the regex engine
509and other modules.
510
511 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
512
513=item C<--add> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
514
515Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
516"alias"). The F<file> is either an absolute path or a path relative to the
517current directory. If an alias is specified, then this is the name it will
518use for C<@INC> searches, otherwise the path F<file> will be used as the
519internal name.
520
521This switch is used to include extra files into the bundle.
522
523Example: embed the file F<httpd> in the current directory as F<httpd.pm>
524when creating the bundle.
525
526 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
527
528 # can be accessed via "use httpd"
529
530Example: add a file F<initcode> from the current directory.
531
532 staticperl mkperl --add 'initcode &initcode'
533
534 # can be accessed via "do '&initcode'"
535
536Example: add local files as extra modules in the bundle.
537
538 # specification file
539 add file1 myfiles/file1.pm
540 add file2 myfiles/file2.pm
541 add file3 myfiles/file3.pl
542
543 # then later, in perl, use
544 use myfiles::file1;
545 require myfiles::file2;
546 my $res = do "myfiles/file3.pl";
547
548=item C<--binadd> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
549
550Just like C<--add>, except that it treats the file as binary and adds it
551without any postprocessing (perl files might get stripped to reduce their
552size).
553
554If you specify an alias you should probably add a C</> prefix to avoid
555clashing with embedded perl files (whose paths never start with C</>),
556and/or use a special directory prefix, such as C</res/name>.
557
558You can later get a copy of these files by calling C<staticperl::find
559"alias">.
560
561An alternative way to embed binary files is to convert them to perl and
562use C<do> to get the contents - this method is a bit cumbersome, but works
563both inside and outside of a staticperl bundle, without extra ado:
564
565 # a "binary" file, call it "bindata.pl"
566 <<'SOME_MARKER'
567 binary data NOT containing SOME_MARKER
568 SOME_MARKER
569
570 # load the binary
571 chomp (my $data = do "bindata.pl");
572
573=item C<--allow-dynamic>
574
575By default, when F<mkbundle> hits a dynamic perl extension (e.g. a F<.so>
576or F<.dll> file), it will stop with a fatal error.
577
578When this option is enabled, F<mkbundle> packages the shared
579object into the bundle instead, with a prefix of F<!>
580(e.g. F<!auto/List/Util/Util.so>). What you do with that is currently up
581to you, F<staticperl> has no special support for this at the moment, apart
582from working around the lack of availability of F<PerlIO::scalar> while
583bootstrapping, at a speed cost.
584
585One way to deal with this is to write all files starting with F<!> into
586some directory and then C<unshift> that path onto C<@INC>.
587
588#TODO: example
589
590=back
591
592=item Step 2: filter all files using C<--include> and C<--exclude> options.
593
594After all candidate files and modules are added, they are I<filtered>
595by a combination of C<--include> and C<--exclude> patterns (there is an
596implicit C<--include *> at the end, so if no filters are specified, all
597files are included).
598
599All that this step does is potentially reduce the number of files that are
600to be included - no new files are added during this step.
601
602=over 4
603
604=item C<--include> pattern | C<-i> pattern | C<--exclude> pattern | C<-x> pattern
605
606These specify an include or exclude pattern to be applied to the candidate
607file list. An include makes sure that the given files will be part of the
608resulting file set, an exclude will exclude remaining files. The patterns
609are "extended glob patterns" (see below).
610
611The patterns are applied "in order" - files included via earlier
612C<--include> specifications cannot be removed by any following
613C<--exclude>, and likewise, and file excluded by an earlier C<--exclude>
614cannot be added by any following C<--include>.
615
616For example, to include everything except C<Devel> modules, but still
617include F<Devel::PPPort>, you could use this:
618
619 --incglob '*' -i '/Devel/PPPort.pm' -x '/Devel/**'
620
621=back
622
623=item Step 3: add any extra or "hidden" dependencies.
624
625F<staticperl> currently knows about three extra types of depdendencies
626that are added automatically. Only one (F<.packlist> files) is currently
627optional and can be influenced, the others are always included:
628
629=over 4
630
631=item C<--usepacklists>
632
633Read F<.packlist> files for each distribution that happens to match a
634module name you specified. Sounds weird, and it is, so expect semantics to
635change somehow in the future.
636
637The idea is that most CPAN distributions have a F<.pm> file that matches
638the name of the distribution (which is rather reasonable after all).
639
640If this switch is enabled, then if any of the F<.pm> files that have been
641selected match an install distribution, then all F<.pm>, F<.pl>, F<.al>
642and F<.ix> files installed by this distribution are also included.
643
644For example, using this switch, when the L<URI> module is specified, then
645all L<URI> submodules that have been installed via the CPAN distribution
646are included as well, so you don't have to manually specify them.
647
648=item L<AutoLoader> splitfiles
649
650Some modules use L<AutoLoader> - less commonly (hopefully) used functions
651are split into separate F<.al> files, and an index (F<.ix>) file contains
652the prototypes.
653
654Both F<.ix> and F<.al> files will be detected automatically and added to
655the bundle.
656
657=item link libraries (F<.a> files)
658
659Modules using XS (or any other non-perl language extension compiled at
660installation time) will have a static archive (typically F<.a>). These
661will automatically be added to the linker options in F<bundle.ldopts>.
662
663Should F<staticperl> find a dynamic link library (typically F<.so>) it
664will warn about it - obviously this shouldn't happen unless you use
665F<staticperl> on the wrong perl, or one (probably wrongly) configured to
666use dynamic loading.
667
668=item extra libraries (F<extralibs.ld>)
669
670Some modules need linking against external libraries - these are found in
671F<extralibs.ld> and added to F<bundle.ldopts>.
672
673=back
674
675=item Step 4: write bundle files and optionally link a program
676
677At this point, the select files will be read, processed (stripped) and
678finally the bundle files get written to disk, and F<staticperl mkbundle>
679is normally finished. Optionally, it can go a step further and either link
680a new F<perl> binary with all selected modules and files inside, or build
681a standalone application.
682
683Both the contents of the bundle files and any extra linking is controlled
684by these options:
685
686=over 4
687
277=item --strip none|pod|ppi 688=item C<--strip> C<none>|C<pod>|C<ppi>
278 689
279Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl 690Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl
280sources included. 691sources included.
281 692
282The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all 693The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all
283pod documentation, which is very fast and reduces file size a lot. 694pod documentation, which is very fast and reduces file size a lot.
284 695
285The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This 696The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This
286saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer, but 697saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer,
287is also a lot slower, so is best used for production builds. Note that 698but is also a lot slower (some files take almost a minute to strip -
288this method doesn't optimise for raw file size, but for best compression 699F<staticperl> maintains a cache of stripped files to speed up subsequent
289(that means that the uncompressed file size is a bit larger, but the files 700runs for this reason). Note that this method doesn't optimise for raw file
290compress better, e.g. with F<upx>). 701size, but for best compression (that means that the uncompressed file size
702is a bit larger, but the files compress better, e.g. with F<upx>).
291 703
292Last not least, if you need accurate line numbers in error messages, 704Last not least, if you need accurate line numbers in error messages,
293or in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some module gets 705or in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some module gets
294mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included perl sources in 706mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included perl sources in
295any way. 707any way.
296 708
297=item --perl 709=item C<--perl>
298 710
299After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It 711After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It
300will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working 712will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working
301directory. The bundle files will be removed. 713directory. The bundle files will be removed.
302 714
303This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the 715This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
304C<mkperl> command (instead of C<mkbundle>): 716C<mkperl> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
305 717
306 # build a new ./perl with only common::sense in it - very small :) 718Example: build a new F<./perl> binary with only L<common::sense> inside -
719it will be even smaller than the standard perl interpreter as none of the
720modules of the base distribution (such as L<Fcntl>) will be included.
721
307 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense 722 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense
308 723
309=item --use module | -Mmodule 724=item C<--app> F<name>
310 725
311Include the named module and all direct dependencies. This is done by 726After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new standalone
312C<require>'ing the module in a subprocess and tracing which other modules 727program. It will be called C<name>, and the bundle files get removed after
313and files it actually loads. If the module uses L<AutoLoader>, then all 728linking it.
314splitfiles will be included as well.
315 729
316Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl. 730This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
731C<mkapp> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
317 732
318 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl 733The difference to the (mutually exclusive) C<--perl> option is that the
734binary created by this option will not try to act as a perl interpreter -
735instead it will simply initialise the perl interpreter, clean it up and
736exit.
319 737
320Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files), or 738This means that, by default, it will do nothing but burn a few CPU cycles
321maybe other weirdly named files. To do that, you need to quote the name in 739- for it to do something useful you I<must> add some boot code, e.g. with
322single or double quotes. When given on the command line, you probably need 740the C<--boot> option.
323to quote once more to avoid your shell interpreting it. Common cases that
324need this are F<Config_heavy.pl> and F<utf8_heavy.pl>.
325 741
326Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its 742Example: create a standalone perl binary called F<./myexe> that will
327glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by this). 743execute F<appfile> when it is started.
328 744
329 # bourne shell 745 staticperl mkbundle --app myexe --boot appfile
330 staticperl mkbundle --use '"Config_heavy.pl"'
331 746
332 # bundle specification file 747=item C<--ignore-env>
333 use "Config_heavy.pl"
334 748
335The C<-Mmodule> syntax is included as an alias that might be easier to 749Generates extra code to unset some environment variables before
336remember than C<use>. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or 750initialising/running perl. Perl supports a lot of environment variables
337maybe not. Argh. 751that might alter execution in ways that might be undesirablre for
752standalone applications, and this option removes those known to cause
753trouble.
338 754
339=item --eval "perl code" | -e "perl code" 755Specifically, these are removed:
340 756
341Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl 757C<PERL_HASH_SEED_DEBUG> and C<PERL_DEBUG_MSTATS> can cause underaible
342code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In 758output, C<PERL5OPT>, C<PERL_DESTRUCT_LEVEL>, C<PERL_HASH_SEED> and
343that case, you can use C<eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some 759C<PERL_SIGNALS> can alter execution significantly, and C<PERL_UNICODE>,
344variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d in the 760C<PERLIO_DEBUG> and C<PERLIO> can affect input and output.
345script are included in the final bundle.
346 761
347Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will only C<require> the modules named 762The variables C<PERL_LIB> and C<PERL5_LIB> are always ignored because the
348by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules you 763startup code used by F<staticperl> overrides C<@INC> in all cases.
349C<--use>'d earlier on the command line to be available.
350 764
351Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it 765This option will not make your program more secure (unless you are
352in the final bundle. 766running with elevated privileges), but it will reduce the surprise effect
767when a user has these environment variables set and doesn't expect your
768standalone program to act like a perl interpreter.
353 769
354 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
355
356 # or like this
357 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
358
359Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
360and include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically.
361
362 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
363
364=item --boot filename
365
366Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be executed
367(using a C<require>) before anything else when the new perl is
368initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or anything else before
369the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the command line (or via
370C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter.
371
372=item --add "file" | --add "file alias"
373
374Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
375"alias"). This is useful to include any custom files into the bundle.
376
377Example: embed the file F<httpd> as F<httpd.pm> when creating the bundle.
378
379 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
380
381It is also a great way to add any custom modules:
382
383 # specification file
384 add file1 myfiles/file1
385 add file2 myfiles/file2
386 add file3 myfiles/file3
387
388=item --binadd "file" | --add "file alias"
389
390Just like C<--add>, except that it treats the file as binary and adds it
391without any processing.
392
393You should probably add a C</> prefix to avoid clashing with embedded
394perl files (whose paths do not start with C</>), and/or use a special
395directory, such as C</res/name>.
396
397You can later get a copy of these files by calling C<staticperl::find
398"alias">.
399
400=item --static 770=item C<--static>
401 771
402When C<--perl> is also given, link statically instead of dynamically. The 772Add C<-static> to F<bundle.ldopts>, which means a fully static (if
773supported by the OS) executable will be created. This is not immensely
774useful when just creating the bundle files, but is most useful when
775linking a binary with the C<--perl> or C<--app> options.
776
403default is to link the new perl interpreter fully dynamic (that means all 777The default is to link the new binary dynamically (that means all perl
404perl modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still 778modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still
405referenced dynamically). 779referenced dynamically).
406 780
407Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and 781Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and
408systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a usable fashion 782systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a very usable
409either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked 783fashion either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked
410executables, or try the C<--staticlibs> option to link only some libraries 784executables, or try the C<--staticlib> option to link only some libraries
411statically. 785statically.
412 786
413=item any other argument 787=item C<--staticlib> libname
414 788
415Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which 789When not linking fully statically, this option allows you to link specific
416supports most long options (without extra quoting), one option per line. 790libraries statically. What it does is simply replace all occurrences of
791C<-llibname> with the GCC-specific C<-Wl,-Bstatic -llibname -Wl,-Bdynamic>
792option.
417 793
418=back 794This will have no effect unless the library is actually linked against,
795specifically, C<--staticlib> will not link against the named library
796unless it would be linked against anyway.
419 797
798Example: link libcrypt statically into the final binary.
799
800 staticperl mkperl -MIO::AIO --staticlib crypt
801
802 # ldopts might now contain:
803 # -lm -Wl,-Bstatic -lcrypt -Wl,-Bdynamic -lpthread
804
805=back
806
807=back
808
809=head3 EXTENDED GLOB PATTERNS
810
811Some options of F<staticperl mkbundle> expect an I<extended glob
812pattern>. This is neither a normal shell glob nor a regex, but something
813in between. The idea has been copied from rsync, and there are the current
814matching rules:
815
816=over 4
817
818=item Patterns starting with F</> will be a anchored at the root of the library tree.
819
820That is, F</unicore> will match the F<unicore> directory in C<@INC>, but
821nothing inside, and neither any other file or directory called F<unicore>
822anywhere else in the hierarchy.
823
824=item Patterns not starting with F</> will be anchored at the end of the path.
825
826That is, F<idna.pl> will match any file called F<idna.pl> anywhere in the
827hierarchy, but not any directories of the same name.
828
829=item A F<*> matches anything within a single path component.
830
831That is, F</unicore/*.pl> would match all F<.pl> files directly inside
832C</unicore>, not any deeper level F<.pl> files. Or in other words, F<*>
833will not match slashes.
834
835=item A F<**> matches anything.
836
837That is, F</unicore/**.pl> would match all F<.pl> files under F</unicore>,
838no matter how deeply nested they are inside subdirectories.
839
840=item A F<?> matches a single character within a component.
841
842That is, F</Encode/??.pm> matches F</Encode/JP.pm>, but not the
843hypothetical F</Encode/J/.pm>, as F<?> does not match F</>.
844
845=back
846
420=head2 F<STATCPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS 847=head2 F<STATICPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS
421 848
422During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source the following shell 849During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source some shell files to
850allow you to fine-tune/override configuration settings.
851
852In them you can override shell variables, or define shell functions
853("hooks") to be called at specific phases during installation. For
854example, you could define a C<postinstall> hook to install additional
855modules from CPAN each time you start from scratch.
856
857If the env variable C<$STATICPERLRC> is set, then F<staticperl> will try
858to source the file named with it only. Otherwise, it tries the following
423files in order: 859shell files in order:
424 860
425 /etc/staticperlrc 861 /etc/staticperlrc
426 ~/.staticperlrc 862 ~/.staticperlrc
427 $STATICPERL/rc 863 $STATICPERL/rc
428 864
429They can be used to override shell variables, or define functions to be
430called at specific phases.
431
432Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so 865Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so
433generally should not be used. 866generally should not be used.
434 867
435=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES 868=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES
436 869
468=item C<STATICPERL> 901=item C<STATICPERL>
469 902
470The directory where staticperl stores all its files 903The directory where staticperl stores all its files
471(default: F<~/.staticperl>). 904(default: F<~/.staticperl>).
472 905
906=item C<DLCACHE>
907
908The path to a directory (will be created if it doesn't exist) where
909downloaded perl sources are being cached, to avoid downloading them
910again. The default is empty, which means there is no cache.
911
912=item C<PERL_VERSION>
913
914The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.3>, but C<5.8.9>
915is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.3, while 5.10.1 is
916about as big as 5.12.3).
917
473=item C<PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT>, C<EV_EXTRA_DEFS>, ... 918=item C<PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT>, C<EV_EXTRA_DEFS>, ...
474 919
475Usually set to C<1> to make modules "less inquisitive" during their 920Usually set to C<1> to make modules "less inquisitive" during their
476installation, you can set any environment variable you want - some modules 921installation. You can set (and export!) any environment variable you want
477(such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for further tweaking. 922- some modules (such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for
478 923further tweaking.
479=item C<PERL_VERSION>
480
481The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.2>, but C<5.8.9>
482is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.2, while 5.10.1 is
483about as big as 5.12.2).
484 924
485=item C<PERL_PREFIX> 925=item C<PERL_PREFIX>
486 926
487The prefix where perl gets installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>), 927The prefix where perl gets installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>),
488i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up. 928i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up.
497 937
498More commonly, you would either activate 64 bit integer support 938More commonly, you would either activate 64 bit integer support
499(C<-Duse64bitint>), or disable large files support (-Uuselargefiles), to 939(C<-Duse64bitint>), or disable large files support (-Uuselargefiles), to
500reduce filesize further. 940reduce filesize further.
501 941
502=item C<PERL_CPPFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS> 942=item C<PERL_CC>, C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS>
503 943
504These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally 944These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally
505optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also 945optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also
506contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these 946contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these
507usually requires understanding their default values - best look at the top 947usually requires understanding their default values - best look at
508of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these. 948the top of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these, and use a
949F<~/.staticperlrc> to override them.
950
951Most of the variables override (or modify) the corresponding F<Configure>
952variable, except C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, which gets appended.
953
954You should have a look near the beginning of the F<staticperl> script -
955staticperl tries to default C<PERL_OPTIMIZE> to some psace-saving options
956suitable for newer gcc versions. For other compilers or older versions you
957need to adjust these, for example, in your F<~/.staticperlrc>.
509 958
510=back 959=back
511 960
512=head4 Variables you probably I<do not want> to override 961=head4 Variables you probably I<do not want> to override
513 962
514=over 4 963=over 4
964
965=item C<MAKE>
966
967The make command to use - default is C<make>.
515 968
516=item C<MKBUNDLE> 969=item C<MKBUNDLE>
517 970
518Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to 971Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to
519(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>). 972(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>).
528=head3 OVERRIDABLE HOOKS 981=head3 OVERRIDABLE HOOKS
529 982
530In addition to environment variables, it is possible to provide some 983In addition to environment variables, it is possible to provide some
531shell functions that are called at specific times. To provide your own 984shell functions that are called at specific times. To provide your own
532commands, just define the corresponding function. 985commands, just define the corresponding function.
986
987The actual order in which hooks are invoked during a full install
988from scratch is C<preconfigure>, C<patchconfig>, C<postconfigure>,
989C<postbuild>, C<postinstall>.
533 990
534Example: install extra modules from CPAN and from some directories 991Example: install extra modules from CPAN and from some directories
535at F<staticperl install> time. 992at F<staticperl install> time.
536 993
537 postinstall() { 994 postinstall() {
542 instcpan Anyevent::AIO AnyEvent::HTTPD 999 instcpan Anyevent::AIO AnyEvent::HTTPD
543 } 1000 }
544 1001
545=over 4 1002=over 4
546 1003
1004=item preconfigure
1005
1006Called just before running F<./Configure> in the perl source
1007directory. Current working directory is the perl source directory.
1008
1009This can be used to set any C<PERL_xxx> variables, which might be costly
1010to compute.
1011
1012=item patchconfig
1013
1014Called after running F<./Configure> in the perl source directory to create
1015F<./config.sh>, but before running F<./Configure -S> to actually apply the
1016config. Current working directory is the perl source directory.
1017
1018Can be used to tailor/patch F<config.sh> or do any other modifications.
1019
547=item postconfigure 1020=item postconfigure
548 1021
549Called after configuring, but before building perl. Current working 1022Called after configuring, but before building perl. Current working
550directory is the perl source directory. 1023directory is the perl source directory.
551
552Could be used to tailor/patch config.sh (followed by F<./Configure -S>) or
553do any other modifications.
554 1024
555=item postbuild 1025=item postbuild
556 1026
557Called after building, but before installing perl. Current working 1027Called after building, but before installing perl. Current working
558directory is the perl source directory. 1028directory is the perl source directory.
596A header file that contains the prototypes of the few symbols "exported" 1066A header file that contains the prototypes of the few symbols "exported"
597by bundle.c, and also exposes the perl headers to the application. 1067by bundle.c, and also exposes the perl headers to the application.
598 1068
599=over 4 1069=over 4
600 1070
601=item staticperl_init () 1071=item staticperl_init (xs_init = 0)
602 1072
603Initialises the perl interpreter. You can use the normal perl functions 1073Initialises the perl interpreter. You can use the normal perl functions
604after calling this function, for example, to define extra functions or 1074after calling this function, for example, to define extra functions or
605to load a .pm file that contains some initialisation code, or the main 1075to load a .pm file that contains some initialisation code, or the main
606program function: 1076program function:
613 } 1083 }
614 1084
615 static void 1085 static void
616 run_myapp(void) 1086 run_myapp(void)
617 { 1087 {
618 staticperl_init (); 1088 staticperl_init (0);
619 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$"); 1089 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
620 eval_pv ("require myapp::main", 1); // executes "myapp/main.pm" 1090 eval_pv ("require myapp::main", 1); // executes "myapp/main.pm"
621 } 1091 }
622 1092
1093When your bootcode already wants to access some XS functions at
1094compiletime, then you need to supply an C<xs_init> function pointer that
1095is called as soon as perl is initialised enough to define XS functions,
1096but before the preamble code is executed:
1097
1098 static void
1099 xs_init (pTHX)
1100 {
1101 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
1102 }
1103
1104 static void
1105 run_myapp(void)
1106 {
1107 staticperl_init (xs_init);
1108 }
1109
1110=item staticperl_cleanup ()
1111
1112In the unlikely case that you want to destroy the perl interpreter, here
1113is the corresponding function.
1114
623=item staticperl_xs_init (pTHX) 1115=item staticperl_xs_init (pTHX)
624 1116
625Sometimes you need direct control over C<perl_parse> and C<perl_run>, in 1117Sometimes you need direct control over C<perl_parse> and C<perl_run>, in
626which case you do not want to use C<staticperl_init> but call them on your 1118which case you do not want to use C<staticperl_init> but call them on your
627own. 1119own.
628 1120
629Then you need this function - either pass it directly as the C<xs_init> 1121Then you need this function - either pass it directly as the C<xs_init>
630function to C<perl_parse>, or call it from your own C<xs_init> function. 1122function to C<perl_parse>, or call it as one of the first things from your
631 1123own C<xs_init> function.
632=item staticperl_cleanup ()
633
634In the unlikely case that you want to destroy the perl interpreter, here
635is the corresponding function.
636 1124
637=item PerlInterpreter *staticperl 1125=item PerlInterpreter *staticperl
638 1126
639The perl interpreter pointer used by staticperl. Not normally so useful, 1127The perl interpreter pointer used by staticperl. Not normally so useful,
640but there it is. 1128but there it is.
653 1141
654=back 1142=back
655 1143
656=head1 RUNTIME FUNCTIONALITY 1144=head1 RUNTIME FUNCTIONALITY
657 1145
658Binaries created with C<mkbundle>/C<mkperl> contain extra functions, which 1146Binaries created with C<mkbundle>/C<mkperl> contain extra functionality,
659are required to access the bundled perl sources, but might be useful for 1147mostly related to the extra files bundled in the binary (the virtual
660other purposes. 1148filesystem). All of this data is statically compiled into the binary, and
1149accessing means copying it from a read-only section of your binary. Data
1150pages in this way is usually freed by the operating system, as it isn't
1151use more the onace.
1152
1153=head2 VIRTUAL FILESYSTEM
1154
1155Every bundle has a virtual filesystem. The only information stored in it
1156is the path and contents of each file that was bundled.
1157
1158=head3 LAYOUT
1159
1160Any path starting with an ampersand (F<&>) or exclamation mark (F<!>) are
1161reserved by F<staticperl>. They must only be used as described in this
1162section.
1163
1164=over 4
1165
1166=item !
1167
1168All files that typically cannot be loaded from memory (such as dynamic
1169objects or shared libraries), but have to reside in the filesystem, are
1170prefixed with F<!>. Typically these files get written out to some
1171(semi-)temporary directory shortly after program startup, or before being
1172used.
1173
1174=item !boot
1175
1176The bootstrap file, if specified during bundling.
1177
1178=item !auto/
1179
1180Shared objects or dlls corresponding to dynamically-linked perl extensions
1181are stored with an F<!auto/> prefix.
1182
1183=item !lib/
1184
1185External shared libraries are stored in this directory.
1186
1187=item any letter
1188
1189Any path starting with a letter is a perl library file. For example,
1190F<Coro/AIO.pm> corresponds to the file loaded by C<use Coro::AIO>, and
1191F<Coro/jit.pl> corresponds to C<require "Coro/jit.pl">.
1192
1193Obviously, module names shouldn't start with any other characters than
1194letters :)
1195
1196=back
1197
1198=head3 FUNCTIONS
1199
1200=over 4
1201
1202=item $file = staticperl::find $path
1203
1204Returns the data associated with the given C<$path>
1205(e.g. C<Digest/MD5.pm>, C<auto/POSIX/autosplit.ix>).
1206
1207Returns C<undef> if the file isn't embedded.
1208
1209=item @paths = staticperl::list
1210
1211Returns the list of all paths embedded in this binary.
1212
1213=back
1214
1215=head2 EXTRA FEATURES
661 1216
662In addition, for the embedded loading of perl files to work, F<staticperl> 1217In addition, for the embedded loading of perl files to work, F<staticperl>
663overrides the C<@INC> array. 1218overrides the C<@INC> array.
664 1219
665=over 4
666
667=item $file = staticperl::find $path
668
669Returns the data associated with the given C<$path>
670(e.g. C<Digest/MD5.pm>, C<auto/POSIX/autosplit.ix>), which is basically
671the UNIX path relative to the perl library directory.
672
673Returns C<undef> if the file isn't embedded.
674
675=item @paths = staticperl::list
676
677Returns the list of all paths embedded in this binary.
678
679=back
680
681=head1 FULLY STATIC BINARIES - BUILDROOT 1220=head1 FULLY STATIC BINARIES - UCLIBC AND BUILDROOT
682 1221
683To make truly static (Linux-) libraries, you might want to have a look at 1222To make truly static (Linux-) libraries, you might want to have a look at
684buildroot (L<http://buildroot.uclibc.org/>). 1223buildroot (L<http://buildroot.uclibc.org/>).
685 1224
686Buildroot is primarily meant to set up a cross-compile environment (which 1225Buildroot is primarily meant to set up a cross-compile environment (which
693good experiences with GCC 4.4.x but not GCC 4.5. 1232good experiences with GCC 4.4.x but not GCC 4.5.
694 1233
695To minimise code size, I used C<-pipe -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections 1234To minimise code size, I used C<-pipe -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections
696-finline-limit=8 -fno-builtin-strlen -mtune=i386>. The C<-mtune=i386> 1235-finline-limit=8 -fno-builtin-strlen -mtune=i386>. The C<-mtune=i386>
697doesn't decrease codesize much, but it makes the file much more 1236doesn't decrease codesize much, but it makes the file much more
698compressible. 1237compressible (and the execution a lot slower...).
699 1238
700If you don't need Coro or threads, you can go with "linuxthreads.old" (or 1239If you don't need Coro or threads, you can go with "linuxthreads.old" (or
701no thread support). For Coro, it is highly recommended to switch to a 1240no thread support). For Coro, it is highly recommended to switch to a
702uClibc newer than 0.9.31 (at the time of this writing, I used the 20101201 1241uClibc newer than 0.9.31 (at the time of this writing, I used the 20101201
703snapshot) and enable NPTL, otherwise Coro needs to be configured with the 1242snapshot) and enable NPTL, otherwise Coro needs to be configured with the
705twice the address space needed for stacks). 1244twice the address space needed for stacks).
706 1245
707If you use C<linuxthreads.old>, then you should also be aware that 1246If you use C<linuxthreads.old>, then you should also be aware that
708uClibc shares C<errno> between all threads when statically linking. See 1247uClibc shares C<errno> between all threads when statically linking. See
709L<http://lists.uclibc.org/pipermail/uclibc/2010-June/044157.html> for a 1248L<http://lists.uclibc.org/pipermail/uclibc/2010-June/044157.html> for a
710workaround (And L<https://bugs.uclibc.org/2089> for discussion). 1249workaround (and L<https://bugs.uclibc.org/2089> for discussion).
711 1250
712C<ccache> support is also recommended, especially if you want 1251C<ccache> support is also recommended, especially if you want
713to play around with buildroot options. Enabling the C<miniperl> 1252to play around with buildroot options. Enabling the C<miniperl>
714package will probably enable all options required for a successful 1253package will probably enable all options required for a successful
715perl build. F<staticperl> itself additionally needs either C<wget> 1254perl build. F<staticperl> itself additionally needs either C<wget>
723it from working properly in a chroot - either use dash (and link it to 1262it from working properly in a chroot - either use dash (and link it to
724F</bin/sh> inside the chroot) or link busybox to F</bin/sh>, using it's 1263F</bin/sh> inside the chroot) or link busybox to F</bin/sh>, using it's
725built-in ash shell. 1264built-in ash shell.
726 1265
727Finally, you need F</dev/null> inside the chroot for many scripts to work 1266Finally, you need F</dev/null> inside the chroot for many scripts to work
728- F<cp /dev/null output/target/dev> or bind-mounting your F</dev> will 1267- either F<cp /dev/null output/target/dev> or bind-mounting your F</dev>
729both provide this. 1268will provide this.
730 1269
731After you have compiled and set up your buildroot target, you can copy 1270After you have compiled and set up your buildroot target, you can copy
732F<staticperl> from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution or from your 1271F<staticperl> from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution or from your
733perl f<bin> directory (if you installed it) into the F<output/target> 1272perl F<bin> directory (if you installed it) into the F<output/target>
734filesystem, chroot inside and run it. 1273filesystem, chroot inside and run it.
1274
1275=head1 RECIPES / SPECIFIC MODULES
1276
1277This section contains some common(?) recipes and information about
1278problems with some common modules or perl constructs that require extra
1279files to be included.
1280
1281=head2 MODULES
1282
1283=over 4
1284
1285=item utf8
1286
1287Some functionality in the utf8 module, such as swash handling (used
1288for unicode character ranges in regexes) is implemented in the
1289C<"utf8_heavy.pl"> library:
1290
1291 -Mutf8_heavy.pl
1292
1293Many Unicode properties in turn are defined in separate modules,
1294such as C<"unicore/Heavy.pl"> and more specific data tables such as
1295C<"unicore/To/Digit.pl"> or C<"unicore/lib/Perl/Word.pl">. These tables
1296are big (7MB uncompressed, although F<staticperl> contains special
1297handling for those files), so including them on demand by your application
1298only might pay off.
1299
1300To simply include the whole unicode database, use:
1301
1302 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
1303
1304=item AnyEvent
1305
1306AnyEvent needs a backend implementation that it will load in a delayed
1307fashion. The L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> backend is the default choice
1308for AnyEvent if it can't find anything else, and is usually a safe
1309fallback. If you plan to use e.g. L<EV> (L<POE>...), then you need to
1310include the L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV> (L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>...) backend as
1311well.
1312
1313If you want to handle IRIs or IDNs (L<AnyEvent::Util> punycode and idn
1314functions), you also need to include C<"AnyEvent/Util/idna.pl"> and
1315C<"AnyEvent/Util/uts46data.pl">.
1316
1317Or you can use C<--usepacklists> and specify C<-MAnyEvent> to include
1318everything.
1319
1320=item Cairo
1321
1322See Glib, same problem, same solution.
1323
1324=item Carp
1325
1326Carp had (in older versions of perl) a dependency on L<Carp::Heavy>. As of
1327perl 5.12.2 (maybe earlier), this dependency no longer exists.
1328
1329=item Config
1330
1331The F<perl -V> switch (as well as many modules) needs L<Config>, which in
1332turn might need L<"Config_heavy.pl">. Including the latter gives you
1333both.
1334
1335=item Glib
1336
1337Glib literally requires Glib to be installed already to build - it tries
1338to fake this by running Glib out of the build directory before being
1339built. F<staticperl> tries to work around this by forcing C<MAN1PODS> and
1340C<MAN3PODS> to be empty via the C<PERL_MM_OPT> environment variable.
1341
1342=item Gtk2
1343
1344See Pango, same problems, same solution.
1345
1346=item Pango
1347
1348In addition to the C<MAN3PODS> problem in Glib, Pango also routes around
1349L<ExtUtils::MakeMaker> by compiling its files on its own. F<staticperl>
1350tries to patch L<ExtUtils::MM_Unix> to route around Pango.
1351
1352=item Term::ReadLine::Perl
1353
1354Also needs L<Term::ReadLine::readline>, or C<--usepacklists>.
1355
1356=item URI
1357
1358URI implements schemes as separate modules - the generic URL scheme is
1359implemented in L<URI::_generic>, HTTP is implemented in L<URI::http>. If
1360you need to use any of these schemes, you should include these manually,
1361or use C<--usepacklists>.
1362
1363=back
1364
1365=head2 RECIPES
1366
1367=over 4
1368
1369=item Just link everything in
1370
1371To link just about everything installed in the perl library into a new
1372perl, try this (the first time this runs it will take a long time, as a
1373lot of files need to be parsed):
1374
1375 staticperl mkperl -v --strip ppi --incglob '*'
1376
1377If you don't mind the extra megabytes, this can be a very effective way of
1378creating bundles without having to worry about forgetting any modules.
1379
1380You get even more useful variants of this method by first selecting
1381everything, and then excluding stuff you are reasonable sure not to need -
1382L<bigperl|http://staticperl.schmorp.de/bigperl.html> uses this approach.
1383
1384=item Getting rid of netdb functions
1385
1386The perl core has lots of netdb functions (C<getnetbyname>, C<getgrent>
1387and so on) that few applications use. You can avoid compiling them in by
1388putting the following fragment into a C<preconfigure> hook:
1389
1390 preconfigure() {
1391 for sym in \
1392 d_getgrnam_r d_endgrent d_endgrent_r d_endhent \
1393 d_endhostent_r d_endnent d_endnetent_r d_endpent \
1394 d_endprotoent_r d_endpwent d_endpwent_r d_endsent \
1395 d_endservent_r d_getgrent d_getgrent_r d_getgrgid_r \
1396 d_getgrnam_r d_gethbyaddr d_gethent d_getsbyport \
1397 d_gethostbyaddr_r d_gethostbyname_r d_gethostent_r \
1398 d_getlogin_r d_getnbyaddr d_getnbyname d_getnent \
1399 d_getnetbyaddr_r d_getnetbyname_r d_getnetent_r \
1400 d_getpent d_getpbyname d_getpbynumber d_getprotobyname_r \
1401 d_getprotobynumber_r d_getprotoent_r d_getpwent \
1402 d_getpwent_r d_getpwnam_r d_getpwuid_r d_getsent \
1403 d_getservbyname_r d_getservbyport_r d_getservent_r \
1404 d_getspnam_r d_getsbyname
1405 # d_gethbyname
1406 do
1407 PERL_CONFIGURE="$PERL_CONFIGURE -U$sym"
1408 done
1409 }
1410
1411This mostly gains space when linking statically, as the functions will
1412likely not be linked in. The gain for dynamically-linked binaries is
1413smaller.
1414
1415Also, this leaves C<gethostbyname> in - not only is it actually used
1416often, the L<Socket> module also exposes it, so leaving it out usually
1417gains little. Why Socket exposes a C function that is in the core already
1418is anybody's guess.
1419
1420=back
735 1421
736=head1 AUTHOR 1422=head1 AUTHOR
737 1423
738 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1424 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
739 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html 1425 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html

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