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Revision 1.15 by root, Wed Dec 8 23:01:30 2010 UTC vs.
Revision 1.36 by root, Fri Feb 11 01:05:37 2011 UTC

28 staticperl mkapp myapp --boot mainprog mymodules 28 staticperl mkapp myapp --boot mainprog mymodules
29 # build a binary "myapp" from mainprog and mymodules 29 # build a binary "myapp" from mainprog and mymodules
30 30
31=head1 DESCRIPTION 31=head1 DESCRIPTION
32 32
33This script helps you creating single-file perl interpreters, or embedding 33This script helps you to create single-file perl interpreters
34a perl interpreter in your applications. Single-file means that it is 34or applications, or embedding a perl interpreter in your
35fully self-contained - no separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, 35applications. Single-file means that it is fully self-contained - no
36no .pm or .pl files are needed. And when linking statically, you can 36separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, no .pm or .pl files are
37create (or embed) a single file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all 37needed. And when linking statically, you can create (or embed) a single
38the modules you need and all the libraries you need. 38file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all the modules you need, all
39the libraries you need and of course your actual program.
39 40
40With F<uClibc> and F<upx> on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary 41With F<uClibc> and F<upx> on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary
41that contains perl and 100 modules such as POSIX, AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO, 42that contains perl and 100 modules such as POSIX, AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO,
42Coro and so on. Or any other choice of modules. 43Coro and so on. Or any other choice of modules.
44
45To see how this turns out, you can try out smallperl and bigperl, two
46pre-built static and compressed perl binaries with many and even more
47modules: just follow the links at L<http://staticperl.schmorp.de/>.
43 48
44The created files do not need write access to the file system (like PAR 49The created files do not need write access to the file system (like PAR
45does). In fact, since this script is in many ways similar to PAR::Packer, 50does). In fact, since this script is in many ways similar to PAR::Packer,
46here are the differences: 51here are the differences:
47 52
66=item * The generated executables don't need a writable filesystem. 71=item * The generated executables don't need a writable filesystem.
67 72
68F<staticperl> loads all required files directly from memory. There is no 73F<staticperl> loads all required files directly from memory. There is no
69need to unpack files into a temporary directory. 74need to unpack files into a temporary directory.
70 75
71=item * More control over included files. 76=item * More control over included files, more burden.
72 77
73PAR tries to be maintenance and hassle-free - it tries to include more 78PAR tries to be maintenance and hassle-free - it tries to include more
74files than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. The 79files than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. It
75extra files (such as the unicode database) can take substantial amounts of 80mostly succeeds at this, but he extra files (such as the unicode database)
76memory and file size. 81can take substantial amounts of memory and file size.
77 82
78With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct 83With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct
79compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically. 84compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically.
80This means the modules to include often need to be tweaked manually. 85This means the modules to include often need to be tweaked manually.
86
87All this does not preclude more permissive modes to be implemented in
88the future, but right now, you have to resolve state hidden dependencies
89manually.
81 90
82=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not. 91=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not.
83 92
84Maintaining your own custom perl build can be a pain in the ass, and while 93Maintaining your own custom perl build can be a pain in the ass, and while
85F<staticperl> tries to make this easy, it still requires a custom perl 94F<staticperl> tries to make this easy, it still requires a custom perl
106Afterwards, you create a list of files and modules you want to include, 115Afterwards, you create a list of files and modules you want to include,
107and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normal perl 116and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normal perl
108except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C 117except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C
109sources you can use to embed all files into your project). 118sources you can use to embed all files into your project).
110 119
111This step is very fast (a few seconds if PPI is not used for stripping, 120This step is very fast (a few seconds if PPI is not used for stripping, or
112more seconds otherwise, as PPI is very slow), and can be tweaked and 121the stripped files are in the cache), and can be tweaked and repeated as
113repeated as often as necessary. 122often as necessary.
114 123
115=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT 124=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT
116 125
117This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl 126This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl
118binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be used 127binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be
119without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In fact, 128used without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In
120it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution tarball as 129fact, it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution
121F<bin/staticperl>, without any installation. 130tarball as F<bin/staticperl>, without any installation. The
131newest (possibly alpha) version can also be downloaded from
132L<http://staticperl.schmorp.de/staticperl>.
122 133
123F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute, 134F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute,
124optionally followed by any parameters. 135optionally followed by any parameters.
125 136
126There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with 137There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with
128with creating binaries and bundle files. 139with creating binaries and bundle files.
129 140
130=head2 PHASE 1 COMMANDS: INSTALLING PERL 141=head2 PHASE 1 COMMANDS: INSTALLING PERL
131 142
132The most important command is F<install>, which does basically 143The most important command is F<install>, which does basically
133everything. The default is to download and install perl 5.12.2 and a few 144everything. The default is to download and install perl 5.12.3 and a few
134modules required by F<staticperl> itself, but all this can (and should) be 145modules required by F<staticperl> itself, but all this can (and should) be
135changed - see L<CONFIGURATION>, below. 146changed - see L<CONFIGURATION>, below.
136 147
137The command 148The command
138 149
139 staticperl install 150 staticperl install
140 151
141Is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in 152is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in
142F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the 153F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the
143perl interpreter if required. 154perl interpreter if required.
144 155
145Most of the following commands simply run one or more steps of this 156Most of the following F<staticperl> subcommands simply run one or more
146sequence. 157steps of this sequence.
158
159If it fails, then most commonly because the compiler options I selected
160are not supported by your compiler - either edit the F<staticperl> script
161yourself or create F<~/.staticperl> shell script where your set working
162C<PERL_CCFLAGS> etc. variables.
147 163
148To force recompilation or reinstallation, you need to run F<staticperl 164To force recompilation or reinstallation, you need to run F<staticperl
149distclean> first. 165distclean> first.
150 166
151=over 4 167=over 4
168
169=item F<staticperl version>
170
171Prints some info about the version of the F<staticperl> script you are using.
152 172
153=item F<staticperl fetch> 173=item F<staticperl fetch>
154 174
155Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened. 175Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened.
156 176
194 214
195=item F<staticperl clean> 215=item F<staticperl clean>
196 216
197Deletes the perl source directory (and potentially cleans up other 217Deletes the perl source directory (and potentially cleans up other
198intermediate files). This can be used to clean up files only needed for 218intermediate files). This can be used to clean up files only needed for
199building perl, without removing the installed perl interpreter, or to 219building perl, without removing the installed perl interpreter.
200force a re-build from scratch.
201 220
202At the moment, it doesn't delete downloaded tarballs. 221At the moment, it doesn't delete downloaded tarballs.
222
223The exact semantics of this command will probably change.
203 224
204=item F<staticperl distclean> 225=item F<staticperl distclean>
205 226
206This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this, 227This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this,
207it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any 228it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any
257 -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http 278 -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http
258 279
259 # run it 280 # run it
260 ./app 281 ./app
261 282
283Here are the three phase 2 commands:
284
285=over 4
286
287=item F<staticperl mkbundle> args...
288
289The "default" bundle command - it interprets the given bundle options and
290writes out F<bundle.h>, F<bundle.c>, F<bundle.ccopts> and F<bundle.ldopts>
291files, useful for embedding.
292
293=item F<staticperl mkperl> args...
294
295Creates a bundle just like F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same
296as invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --perl> args...), but then compiles and
297links a new perl interpreter that embeds the created bundle, then deletes
298all intermediate files.
299
300=item F<staticperl mkapp> filename args...
301
302Does the same as F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same as
303invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --app> filename args...), but then compiles
304and links a new standalone application that simply initialises the perl
305interpreter.
306
307The difference to F<staticperl mkperl> is that the standalone application
308does not act like a perl interpreter would - in fact, by default it would
309just do nothing and exit immediately, so you should specify some code to
310be executed via the F<--boot> option.
311
312=back
313
262=head3 OPTION PROCESSING 314=head3 OPTION PROCESSING
263 315
264All options can be given as arguments on the command line (typically 316All options can be given as arguments on the command line (typically
265using long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since 317using long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since
266specifying a lot of modules can make the command line very cumbersome, 318specifying a lot of options can make the command line very long and
267you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file" (with or 319unwieldy, you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file"
268without C<--> prefix) and specify this bundle file instead. 320(one option per line, with or without C<--> prefix) and specify this
321bundle file instead.
269 322
270For example, the command given earlier could also look like this: 323For example, the command given earlier to link a new F<perl> could also
324look like this:
271 325
272 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle 326 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle
273 327
274And all options could be in F<httpd.bundle>: 328With all options stored in the F<httpd.bundle> file (one option per line,
275 329everything after the option is an argument):
330
276 use "Config_heavy.pl" 331 use "Config_heavy.pl"
277 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl 332 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
278 use AnyEvent::HTTPD 333 use AnyEvent::HTTPD
279 use URI::http 334 use URI::http
280 add eg/httpd httpd.pm 335 add eg/httpd httpd.pm
281 336
282All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the 337All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the
283order given on the command line (that affects the C<--use> and C<--eval> 338order given on the command line.
284options at the moment).
285 339
286=head3 MKBUNDLE OPTIONS 340=head3 BUNDLE CREATION WORKFLOW / STATICPELR MKBUNDLE OPTIONS
287 341
288=over 4 342F<staticperl mkbundle> works by first assembling a list of candidate
343files and modules to include, then filtering them by include/exclude
344patterns. The remaining modules (together with their direct dependencies,
345such as link libraries and L<AutoLoader> files) are then converted into
346bundle files suitable for embedding. F<staticperl mkbundle> can then
347optionally build a new perl interpreter or a standalone application.
289 348
349=over 4
350
351=item Step 0: Generic argument processing.
352
353The following options influence F<staticperl mkbundle> itself.
354
355=over 4
356
290=item --verbose | -v 357=item C<--verbose> | C<-v>
291 358
292Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>). 359Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>).
293 360
294=item --quiet | -q 361=item C<--quiet> | C<-q>
295 362
296Decreases the verbosity level by one. 363Decreases the verbosity level by one.
297 364
365=item any other argument
366
367Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which
368supports all options (without extra quoting), one option per line, in the
369format C<option> or C<option argument>. They will effectively be expanded
370and processed as if they were directly written on the command line, in
371place of the file name.
372
373=back
374
375=item Step 1: gather candidate files and modules
376
377In this step, modules, perl libraries (F<.pl> files) and other files are
378selected for inclusion in the bundle. The relevant options are executed
379in order (this makes a difference mostly for C<--eval>, which can rely on
380earlier C<--use> options to have been executed).
381
382=over 4
383
384=item C<--use> F<module> | C<-M>F<module>
385
386Include the named module and trace direct dependencies. This is done by
387C<use>'ing the module from a fresh package in a subprocess and tracing
388which other modules and files it actually loads.
389
390Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl.
391
392 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
393
394Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files),
395or maybe other weirdly named files. To do that, you need to quote
396the name in single or double quotes (this is because F<staticperl>
397I<literally> just adds the string after the C<require> - which acts
398different when confronted with quoted vs. unquoted strings). When given on
399the command line, you probably need to quote once more to avoid your shell
400interpreting it. Common cases that need this are F<Config_heavy.pl> and
401F<utf8_heavy.pl>.
402
403Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its
404glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by this).
405
406 # bourne shell
407 staticperl mkbundle --use '"Config_heavy.pl"'
408
409 # bundle specification file
410 use "Config_heavy.pl"
411
412The C<-M>module syntax is included as a convenience that might be easier
413to remember than C<--use> - it's the same switch as perl itself uses
414to load modules. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or maybe
415not. Sigh.
416
417=item C<--eval> "perl code" | C<-e> "perl code"
418
419Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl
420code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In
421that case, you can use C<--eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some
422variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d while
423executing the snippet are included in the final bundle.
424
425Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will not import any symbols from the modules
426named by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules
427you C<--use>'d earlier on the command line to be available.
428
429Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it
430in the final bundle.
431
432 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
433
434 # or like this
435 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'AnyEvent::detect'
436
437Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
438and also include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically
439when the interpreter is initialised.
440
441 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
442
443=item C<--boot> F<filename>
444
445Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be
446executed (using C<require>) before the main program when the new perl
447is initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or do similar
448modifications before the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the
449command line (or via C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter -
450the file will be executed during interpreter initialisation in that case.
451
452=item C<--incglob> pattern
453
454This goes through all standard library directories and tries to match any
455F<.pm> and F<.pl> files against the extended glob pattern (see below). If
456a file matches, it is added. The pattern is matched against the full path
457of the file (sans the library directory prefix), e.g. F<Sys/Syslog.pm>.
458
459This is very useful to include "everything":
460
461 --incglob '*'
462
463It is also useful for including perl libraries, or trees of those, such as
464the unicode database files needed by some perl built-ins, the regex engine
465and other modules.
466
467 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
468
469=item C<--add> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
470
471Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
472"alias"). The F<file> is either an absolute path or a path relative to the
473current directory. If an alias is specified, then this is the name it will
474use for C<@INC> searches, otherwise the path F<file> will be used as the
475internal name.
476
477This switch is used to include extra files into the bundle.
478
479Example: embed the file F<httpd> in the current directory as F<httpd.pm>
480when creating the bundle.
481
482 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
483
484 # can be accessed via "use httpd"
485
486Example: add a file F<initcode> from the current directory.
487
488 staticperl mkperl --add 'initcode &initcode'
489
490 # can be accessed via "do '&initcode'"
491
492Example: add local files as extra modules in the bundle.
493
494 # specification file
495 add file1 myfiles/file1.pm
496 add file2 myfiles/file2.pm
497 add file3 myfiles/file3.pl
498
499 # then later, in perl, use
500 use myfiles::file1;
501 require myfiles::file2;
502 my $res = do "myfiles/file3.pl";
503
504=item C<--binadd> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
505
506Just like C<--add>, except that it treats the file as binary and adds it
507without any postprocessing (perl files might get stripped to reduce their
508size).
509
510If you specify an alias you should probably add a C<&> prefix to avoid
511clashing with embedded perl files (whose paths never start with C<&>),
512and/or use a special directory prefix, such as C<&res/name>.
513
514You can later get a copy of these files by calling C<staticperl::find
515"alias">.
516
517An alternative way to embed binary files is to convert them to perl and
518use C<do> to get the contents - this method is a bit cumbersome, but works
519both inside and outside of a staticperl bundle:
520
521 # a "binary" file, call it "bindata.pl"
522 <<'SOME_MARKER'
523 binary data NOT containing SOME_MARKER
524 SOME_MARKER
525
526 # load the binary
527 chomp (my $data = do "bindata.pl");
528
529=back
530
531=item Step 2: filter all files using C<--include> and C<--exclude> options.
532
533After all candidate files and modules are added, they are I<filtered>
534by a combination of C<--include> and C<--exclude> patterns (there is an
535implicit C<--include *> at the end, so if no filters are specified, all
536files are included).
537
538All that this step does is potentially reduce the number of files that are
539to be included - no new files are added during this step.
540
541=over 4
542
543=item C<--include> pattern | C<-i> pattern | C<--exclude> pattern | C<-x> pattern
544
545These specify an include or exclude pattern to be applied to the candidate
546file list. An include makes sure that the given files will be part of the
547resulting file set, an exclude will exclude remaining files. The patterns
548are "extended glob patterns" (see below).
549
550The patterns are applied "in order" - files included via earlier
551C<--include> specifications cannot be removed by any following
552C<--exclude>, and likewise, and file excluded by an earlier C<--exclude>
553cannot be added by any following C<--include>.
554
555For example, to include everything except C<Devel> modules, but still
556include F<Devel::PPPort>, you could use this:
557
558 --incglob '*' -i '/Devel/PPPort.pm' -x '/Devel/**'
559
560=back
561
562=item Step 3: add any extra or "hidden" dependencies.
563
564F<staticperl> currently knows about three extra types of depdendencies
565that are added automatically. Only one (F<.packlist> files) is currently
566optional and can be influenced, the others are always included:
567
568=over 4
569
570=item C<--usepacklists>
571
572Read F<.packlist> files for each distribution that happens to match a
573module name you specified. Sounds weird, and it is, so expect semantics to
574change somehow in the future.
575
576The idea is that most CPAN distributions have a F<.pm> file that matches
577the name of the distribution (which is rather reasonable after all).
578
579If this switch is enabled, then if any of the F<.pm> files that have been
580selected match an install distribution, then all F<.pm>, F<.pl>, F<.al>
581and F<.ix> files installed by this distribution are also included.
582
583For example, using this switch, when the L<URI> module is specified, then
584all L<URI> submodules that have been installed via the CPAN distribution
585are included as well, so you don't have to manually specify them.
586
587=item L<AutoLoader> splitfiles
588
589Some modules use L<AutoLoader> - less commonly (hopefully) used functions
590are split into separate F<.al> files, and an index (F<.ix>) file contains
591the prototypes.
592
593Both F<.ix> and F<.al> files will be detected automatically and added to
594the bundle.
595
596=item link libraries (F<.a> files)
597
598Modules using XS (or any other non-perl language extension compiled at
599installation time) will have a static archive (typically F<.a>). These
600will automatically be added to the linker options in F<bundle.ldopts>.
601
602Should F<staticperl> find a dynamic link library (typically F<.so>) it
603will warn about it - obviously this shouldn't happen unless you use
604F<staticperl> on the wrong perl, or one (probably wrongly) configured to
605use dynamic loading.
606
607=item extra libraries (F<extralibs.ld>)
608
609Some modules need linking against external libraries - these are found in
610F<extralibs.ld> and added to F<bundle.ldopts>.
611
612=back
613
614=item Step 4: write bundle files and optionally link a program
615
616At this point, the select files will be read, processed (stripped) and
617finally the bundle files get written to disk, and F<staticperl mkbundle>
618is normally finished. Optionally, it can go a step further and either link
619a new F<perl> binary with all selected modules and files inside, or build
620a standalone application.
621
622Both the contents of the bundle files and any extra linking is controlled
623by these options:
624
625=over 4
626
298=item --strip none|pod|ppi 627=item C<--strip> C<none>|C<pod>|C<ppi>
299 628
300Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl 629Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl
301sources included. 630sources included.
302 631
303The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all 632The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all
304pod documentation, which is very fast and reduces file size a lot. 633pod documentation, which is very fast and reduces file size a lot.
305 634
306The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This 635The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This
307saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer, but 636saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer,
308is also a lot slower, so is best used for production builds. Note that 637but is also a lot slower (some files take almost a minute to strip -
309this method doesn't optimise for raw file size, but for best compression 638F<staticperl> maintains a cache of stripped files to speed up subsequent
310(that means that the uncompressed file size is a bit larger, but the files 639runs for this reason). Note that this method doesn't optimise for raw file
311compress better, e.g. with F<upx>). 640size, but for best compression (that means that the uncompressed file size
641is a bit larger, but the files compress better, e.g. with F<upx>).
312 642
313Last not least, if you need accurate line numbers in error messages, 643Last not least, if you need accurate line numbers in error messages,
314or in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some module gets 644or in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some module gets
315mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included perl sources in 645mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included perl sources in
316any way. 646any way.
317 647
318=item --perl 648=item C<--perl>
319 649
320After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It 650After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It
321will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working 651will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working
322directory. The bundle files will be removed. 652directory. The bundle files will be removed.
323 653
324This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the 654This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
325C<mkperl> command (instead of C<mkbundle>): 655C<mkperl> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
326 656
327 # build a new ./perl with only common::sense in it - very small :) 657Example: build a new F<./perl> binary with only L<common::sense> inside -
658it will be even smaller than the standard perl interpreter as none of the
659modules of the base distribution (such as L<Fcntl>) will be included.
660
328 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense 661 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense
329 662
330=item --app name 663=item C<--app> F<name>
331 664
332After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new standalone 665After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new standalone
333program. It will be called C<name>, and the bundle files get removed after 666program. It will be called C<name>, and the bundle files get removed after
334linking it. 667linking it.
668
669This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
670C<mkapp> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
335 671
336The difference to the (mutually exclusive) C<--perl> option is that the 672The difference to the (mutually exclusive) C<--perl> option is that the
337binary created by this option will not try to act as a perl interpreter - 673binary created by this option will not try to act as a perl interpreter -
338instead it will simply initialise the perl interpreter, clean it up and 674instead it will simply initialise the perl interpreter, clean it up and
339exit. 675exit.
340 676
341This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the 677This means that, by default, it will do nothing but burn a few CPU cycles
342C<mkapp> command (instead of C<mkbundle>):
343
344To let it do something useful you I<must> add some boot code, e.g. with 678- for it to do something useful you I<must> add some boot code, e.g. with
345the C<--boot> option. 679the C<--boot> option.
346 680
347Example: create a standalone perl binary that will execute F<appfile> when 681Example: create a standalone perl binary called F<./myexe> that will
348it is started. 682execute F<appfile> when it is started.
349 683
350 staticperl mkbundle --app myexe --boot appfile 684 staticperl mkbundle --app myexe --boot appfile
351 685
352=item --use module | -Mmodule
353
354Include the named module and all direct dependencies. This is done by
355C<require>'ing the module in a subprocess and tracing which other modules
356and files it actually loads. If the module uses L<AutoLoader>, then all
357splitfiles will be included as well.
358
359Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl.
360
361 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
362
363Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files), or
364maybe other weirdly named files. To do that, you need to quote the name in
365single or double quotes. When given on the command line, you probably need
366to quote once more to avoid your shell interpreting it. Common cases that
367need this are F<Config_heavy.pl> and F<utf8_heavy.pl>.
368
369Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its
370glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by this).
371
372 # bourne shell
373 staticperl mkbundle --use '"Config_heavy.pl"'
374
375 # bundle specification file
376 use "Config_heavy.pl"
377
378The C<-Mmodule> syntax is included as an alias that might be easier to
379remember than C<use>. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or
380maybe not. Argh.
381
382=item --eval "perl code" | -e "perl code"
383
384Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl
385code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In
386that case, you can use C<eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some
387variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d in the
388script are included in the final bundle.
389
390Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will only C<require> the modules named
391by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules you
392C<--use>'d earlier on the command line to be available.
393
394Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it
395in the final bundle.
396
397 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
398
399 # or like this
400 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
401
402Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
403and include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically.
404
405 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
406
407=item --boot filename
408
409Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be executed
410(using a C<require>) before anything else when the new perl is
411initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or anything else before
412the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the command line (or via
413C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter.
414
415=item --add "file" | --add "file alias"
416
417Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
418"alias"). This is useful to include any custom files into the bundle.
419
420Example: embed the file F<httpd> as F<httpd.pm> when creating the bundle.
421
422 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
423
424It is also a great way to add any custom modules:
425
426 # specification file
427 add file1 myfiles/file1
428 add file2 myfiles/file2
429 add file3 myfiles/file3
430
431=item --binadd "file" | --add "file alias"
432
433Just like C<--add>, except that it treats the file as binary and adds it
434without any processing.
435
436You should probably add a C</> prefix to avoid clashing with embedded
437perl files (whose paths do not start with C</>), and/or use a special
438directory, such as C</res/name>.
439
440You can later get a copy of these files by calling C<staticperl::find
441"alias">.
442
443=item --static 686=item C<--static>
444 687
445When C<--perl> is also given, link statically instead of dynamically. The 688Add C<-static> to F<bundle.ldopts>, which means a fully static (if
689supported by the OS) executable will be created. This is not immensely
690useful when just creating the bundle files, but is most useful when
691linking a binary with the C<--perl> or C<--app> options.
692
446default is to link the new perl interpreter fully dynamic (that means all 693The default is to link the new binary dynamically (that means all perl
447perl modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still 694modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still
448referenced dynamically). 695referenced dynamically).
449 696
450Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and 697Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and
451systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a usable fashion 698systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a very usable
452either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked 699fashion either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked
453executables, or try the C<--staticlibs> option to link only some libraries 700executables, or try the C<--staticlib> option to link only some libraries
454statically. 701statically.
455 702
456=item any other argument 703=item C<--staticlib> libname
457 704
458Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which 705When not linking fully statically, this option allows you to link specific
459supports most long options (without extra quoting), one option per line. 706libraries statically. What it does is simply replace all occurrences of
707C<-llibname> with the GCC-specific C<-Wl,-Bstatic -llibname -Wl,-Bdynamic>
708option.
709
710This will have no effect unless the library is actually linked against,
711specifically, C<--staticlib> will not link against the named library
712unless it would be linked against anyway.
713
714Example: link libcrypt statically into the final binary.
715
716 staticperl mkperl -MIO::AIO --staticlib crypt
717
718 # ldopts might now contain:
719 # -lm -Wl,-Bstatic -lcrypt -Wl,-Bdynamic -lpthread
720
721=back
722
723=back
724
725=head3 EXTENDED GLOB PATTERNS
726
727Some options of F<staticperl mkbundle> expect an I<extended glob
728pattern>. This is neither a normal shell glob nor a regex, but something
729in between. The idea has been copied from rsync, and there are the current
730matching rules:
731
732=over 4
733
734=item Patterns starting with F</> will be a anchored at the root of the library tree.
735
736That is, F</unicore> will match the F<unicore> directory in C<@INC>, but
737nothing inside, and neither any other file or directory called F<unicore>
738anywhere else in the hierarchy.
739
740=item Patterns not starting with F</> will be anchored at the end of the path.
741
742That is, F<idna.pl> will match any file called F<idna.pl> anywhere in the
743hierarchy, but not any directories of the same name.
744
745=item A F<*> matches anything within a single path component.
746
747That is, F</unicore/*.pl> would match all F<.pl> files directly inside
748C</unicore>, not any deeper level F<.pl> files. Or in other words, F<*>
749will not match slashes.
750
751=item A F<**> matches anything.
752
753That is, F</unicore/**.pl> would match all F<.pl> files under F</unicore>,
754no matter how deeply nested they are inside subdirectories.
755
756=item A F<?> matches a single character within a component.
757
758That is, F</Encode/??.pm> matches F</Encode/JP.pm>, but not the
759hypothetical F</Encode/J/.pm>, as F<?> does not match F</>.
460 760
461=back 761=back
462 762
463=head2 F<STATICPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS 763=head2 F<STATICPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS
464 764
465During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source the following shell 765During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source some shell files to
766allow you to fine-tune/override configuration settings.
767
768In them you can override shell variables, or define shell functions
769("hooks") to be called at specific phases during installation. For
770example, you could define a C<postinstall> hook to install additional
771modules from CPAN each time you start from scratch.
772
773If the env variable C<$STATICPERLRC> is set, then F<staticperl> will try
774to source the file named with it only. Otherwise, it tries the following
466files in order: 775shell files in order:
467 776
468 /etc/staticperlrc 777 /etc/staticperlrc
469 ~/.staticperlrc 778 ~/.staticperlrc
470 $STATICPERL/rc 779 $STATICPERL/rc
471 780
472They can be used to override shell variables, or define functions to be
473called at specific phases.
474
475Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so 781Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so
476generally should not be used. 782generally should not be used.
477 783
478=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES 784=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES
479 785
519installation, you can set any environment variable you want - some modules 825installation, you can set any environment variable you want - some modules
520(such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for further tweaking. 826(such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for further tweaking.
521 827
522=item C<PERL_VERSION> 828=item C<PERL_VERSION>
523 829
524The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.2>, but C<5.8.9> 830The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.3>, but C<5.8.9>
525is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.2, while 5.10.1 is 831is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.3, while 5.10.1 is
526about as big as 5.12.2). 832about as big as 5.12.3).
527 833
528=item C<PERL_PREFIX> 834=item C<PERL_PREFIX>
529 835
530The prefix where perl gets installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>), 836The prefix where perl gets installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>),
531i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up. 837i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up.
540 846
541More commonly, you would either activate 64 bit integer support 847More commonly, you would either activate 64 bit integer support
542(C<-Duse64bitint>), or disable large files support (-Uuselargefiles), to 848(C<-Duse64bitint>), or disable large files support (-Uuselargefiles), to
543reduce filesize further. 849reduce filesize further.
544 850
545=item C<PERL_CPPFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS> 851=item C<PERL_CC>, C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS>
546 852
547These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally 853These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally
548optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also 854optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also
549contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these 855contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these
550usually requires understanding their default values - best look at the top 856usually requires understanding their default values - best look at
551of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these. 857the top of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these, and use a
858F<~/.staticperlrc> to override them.
859
860Most of the variables override (or modify) the corresponding F<Configure>
861variable, except C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, which gets appended.
552 862
553=back 863=back
554 864
555=head4 Variables you probably I<do not want> to override 865=head4 Variables you probably I<do not want> to override
556 866
557=over 4 867=over 4
868
869=item C<MAKE>
870
871The make command to use - default is C<make>.
558 872
559=item C<MKBUNDLE> 873=item C<MKBUNDLE>
560 874
561Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to 875Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to
562(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>). 876(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>).
647A header file that contains the prototypes of the few symbols "exported" 961A header file that contains the prototypes of the few symbols "exported"
648by bundle.c, and also exposes the perl headers to the application. 962by bundle.c, and also exposes the perl headers to the application.
649 963
650=over 4 964=over 4
651 965
652=item staticperl_init () 966=item staticperl_init (xs_init = 0)
653 967
654Initialises the perl interpreter. You can use the normal perl functions 968Initialises the perl interpreter. You can use the normal perl functions
655after calling this function, for example, to define extra functions or 969after calling this function, for example, to define extra functions or
656to load a .pm file that contains some initialisation code, or the main 970to load a .pm file that contains some initialisation code, or the main
657program function: 971program function:
664 } 978 }
665 979
666 static void 980 static void
667 run_myapp(void) 981 run_myapp(void)
668 { 982 {
669 staticperl_init (); 983 staticperl_init (0);
670 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$"); 984 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
671 eval_pv ("require myapp::main", 1); // executes "myapp/main.pm" 985 eval_pv ("require myapp::main", 1); // executes "myapp/main.pm"
672 } 986 }
673 987
988When your bootcode already wants to access some XS functions at
989compiletime, then you need to supply an C<xs_init> function pointer that
990is called as soon as perl is initialised enough to define XS functions,
991but before the preamble code is executed:
992
993 static void
994 xs_init (pTHX)
995 {
996 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
997 }
998
999 static void
1000 run_myapp(void)
1001 {
1002 staticperl_init (xs_init);
1003 }
1004
1005=item staticperl_cleanup ()
1006
1007In the unlikely case that you want to destroy the perl interpreter, here
1008is the corresponding function.
1009
674=item staticperl_xs_init (pTHX) 1010=item staticperl_xs_init (pTHX)
675 1011
676Sometimes you need direct control over C<perl_parse> and C<perl_run>, in 1012Sometimes you need direct control over C<perl_parse> and C<perl_run>, in
677which case you do not want to use C<staticperl_init> but call them on your 1013which case you do not want to use C<staticperl_init> but call them on your
678own. 1014own.
679 1015
680Then you need this function - either pass it directly as the C<xs_init> 1016Then you need this function - either pass it directly as the C<xs_init>
681function to C<perl_parse>, or call it from your own C<xs_init> function. 1017function to C<perl_parse>, or call it as one of the first things from your
682 1018own C<xs_init> function.
683=item staticperl_cleanup ()
684
685In the unlikely case that you want to destroy the perl interpreter, here
686is the corresponding function.
687 1019
688=item PerlInterpreter *staticperl 1020=item PerlInterpreter *staticperl
689 1021
690The perl interpreter pointer used by staticperl. Not normally so useful, 1022The perl interpreter pointer used by staticperl. Not normally so useful,
691but there it is. 1023but there it is.
727 1059
728Returns the list of all paths embedded in this binary. 1060Returns the list of all paths embedded in this binary.
729 1061
730=back 1062=back
731 1063
732=head1 FULLY STATIC BINARIES - BUILDROOT 1064=head1 FULLY STATIC BINARIES - UCLIBC AND BUILDROOT
733 1065
734To make truly static (Linux-) libraries, you might want to have a look at 1066To make truly static (Linux-) libraries, you might want to have a look at
735buildroot (L<http://buildroot.uclibc.org/>). 1067buildroot (L<http://buildroot.uclibc.org/>).
736 1068
737Buildroot is primarily meant to set up a cross-compile environment (which 1069Buildroot is primarily meant to set up a cross-compile environment (which
782After you have compiled and set up your buildroot target, you can copy 1114After you have compiled and set up your buildroot target, you can copy
783F<staticperl> from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution or from your 1115F<staticperl> from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution or from your
784perl f<bin> directory (if you installed it) into the F<output/target> 1116perl f<bin> directory (if you installed it) into the F<output/target>
785filesystem, chroot inside and run it. 1117filesystem, chroot inside and run it.
786 1118
1119=head1 RECIPES / SPECIFIC MODULES
1120
1121This section contains some common(?) recipes and information about
1122problems with some common modules or perl constructs that require extra
1123files to be included.
1124
1125=head2 MODULES
1126
1127=over 4
1128
1129=item utf8
1130
1131Some functionality in the utf8 module, such as swash handling (used
1132for unicode character ranges in regexes) is implemented in the
1133C<"utf8_heavy.pl"> library:
1134
1135 -M'"utf8_heavy.pl"'
1136
1137Many Unicode properties in turn are defined in separate modules,
1138such as C<"unicore/Heavy.pl"> and more specific data tables such as
1139C<"unicore/To/Digit.pl"> or C<"unicore/lib/Perl/Word.pl">. These tables
1140are big (7MB uncompressed, although F<staticperl> contains special
1141handling for those files), so including them on demand by your application
1142only might pay off.
1143
1144To simply include the whole unicode database, use:
1145
1146 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
1147
1148=item AnyEvent
1149
1150AnyEvent needs a backend implementation that it will load in a delayed
1151fashion. The L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> backend is the default choice
1152for AnyEvent if it can't find anything else, and is usually a safe
1153fallback. If you plan to use e.g. L<EV> (L<POE>...), then you need to
1154include the L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV> (L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>...) backend as
1155well.
1156
1157If you want to handle IRIs or IDNs (L<AnyEvent::Util> punycode and idn
1158functions), you also need to include C<"AnyEvent/Util/idna.pl"> and
1159C<"AnyEvent/Util/uts46data.pl">.
1160
1161Or you can use C<--usepacklists> and specify C<-MAnyEvent> to include
1162everything.
1163
1164=item Carp
1165
1166Carp had (in older versions of perl) a dependency on L<Carp::Heavy>. As of
1167perl 5.12.2 (maybe earlier), this dependency no longer exists.
1168
1169=item Config
1170
1171The F<perl -V> switch (as well as many modules) needs L<Config>, which in
1172turn might need L<"Config_heavy.pl">. Including the latter gives you
1173both.
1174
1175=item Term::ReadLine::Perl
1176
1177Also needs L<Term::ReadLine::readline>, or C<--usepacklists>.
1178
1179=item URI
1180
1181URI implements schemes as separate modules - the generic URL scheme is
1182implemented in L<URI::_generic>, HTTP is implemented in L<URI::http>. If
1183you need to use any of these schemes, you should include these manually,
1184or use C<--usepacklists>.
1185
1186=back
1187
1188=head2 RECIPES
1189
1190=over 4
1191
1192=item Just link everything in
1193
1194To link just about everything installed in the perl library into a new
1195perl, try this (the first time this runs it will take a long time, as a
1196lot of files need to be parsed):
1197
1198 staticperl mkperl -v --strip ppi --incglob '*'
1199
1200If you don't mind the extra megabytes, this can be a very effective way of
1201creating bundles without having to worry about forgetting any modules.
1202
1203You get even more useful variants of this method by first selecting
1204everything, and then excluding stuff you are reasonable sure not to need -
1205L<bigperl|http://staticperl.schmorp.de/bigperl.html> uses this approach.
1206
1207=item Getting rid of netdb functions
1208
1209The perl core has lots of netdb functions (C<getnetbyname>, C<getgrent>
1210and so on) that few applications use. You can avoid compiling them in by
1211putting the following fragment into a C<preconfigure> hook:
1212
1213 preconfigure() {
1214 for sym in \
1215 d_getgrnam_r d_endgrent d_endgrent_r d_endhent \
1216 d_endhostent_r d_endnent d_endnetent_r d_endpent \
1217 d_endprotoent_r d_endpwent d_endpwent_r d_endsent \
1218 d_endservent_r d_getgrent d_getgrent_r d_getgrgid_r \
1219 d_getgrnam_r d_gethbyaddr d_gethent d_getsbyport \
1220 d_gethostbyaddr_r d_gethostbyname_r d_gethostent_r \
1221 d_getlogin_r d_getnbyaddr d_getnbyname d_getnent \
1222 d_getnetbyaddr_r d_getnetbyname_r d_getnetent_r \
1223 d_getpent d_getpbyname d_getpbynumber d_getprotobyname_r \
1224 d_getprotobynumber_r d_getprotoent_r d_getpwent \
1225 d_getpwent_r d_getpwnam_r d_getpwuid_r d_getsent \
1226 d_getservbyname_r d_getservbyport_r d_getservent_r \
1227 d_getspnam_r d_getsbyname
1228 # d_gethbyname
1229 do
1230 PERL_CONFIGURE="$PERL_CONFIGURE -U$sym"
1231 done
1232 }
1233
1234This mostly gains space when linking statically, as the functions will
1235likely not be linked in. The gain for dynamically-linked binaries is
1236smaller.
1237
1238Also, this leaves C<gethostbyname> in - not only is it actually used
1239often, the L<Socket> module also exposes it, so leaving it out usually
1240gains little. Why Socket exposes a C function that is in the core already
1241is anybody's guess.
1242
1243=back
1244
787=head1 AUTHOR 1245=head1 AUTHOR
788 1246
789 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1247 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
790 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html 1248 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html

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