Provided by: libpar-packer-perl_1.029-1_amd64 
NAME
pp - PAR Packager
SYNOPSIS
pp [ -ABCEFILMPTSVXacdefghilmnoprsuvxz ] [ parfile | scriptfile ]...
EXAMPLES
Note: When running on Microsoft Windows, the a.out below will be replaced by a.exe
instead.
% pp hello.pl # Pack 'hello.pl' into executable 'a.out'
% pp -o hello hello.pl # Pack 'hello.pl' into executable 'hello'
# (or 'hello.exe' on Win32)
% pp -o foo foo.pl bar.pl # Pack 'foo.pl' and 'bar.pl' into 'foo'
% ./foo # Run 'foo.pl' inside 'foo'
% mv foo bar; ./bar # Run 'bar.pl' inside 'foo'
% mv bar baz; ./baz # Error: Can't open perl script "baz"
% pp -p file # Creates a PAR file, 'a.par'
% pp -o hello a.par # Pack 'a.par' to executable 'hello'
% pp -S -o hello file # Combine the two steps above
% pp -p -o out.par file # Creates 'out.par' from 'file'
% pp -B -p -o out.par file # same as above, but bundles core modules
# and removes any local paths from @INC
% pp -P -o out.pl file # Creates 'out.pl' from 'file'
% pp -B -p -o out.pl file # same as above, but bundles core modules
# and removes any local paths from @INC
# (-B is assumed when making executables)
% pp -e "print 123" # Pack a one-liner into 'a.out'
% pp -p -e "print 123" # Creates a PAR file 'a.par'
% pp -P -e "print 123" # Creates a perl script 'a.pl'
% pp -c hello # Check dependencies from "perl -c hello"
% pp -x hello # Check dependencies from "perl hello"
% pp -n -x hello # same as above, but skips static scanning
% pp -I /foo hello # Extra include paths
% pp -M Foo::Bar hello # Extra modules in the include path
% pp -M abbrev.pl hello # Extra libraries in the include path
% pp -X Foo::Bar hello # Exclude modules
% pp -a data.txt hello # Additional data files
% pp -r hello # Pack 'hello' into 'a.out', runs 'a.out'
% pp -r hello a b c # Pack 'hello' into 'a.out', runs 'a.out'
# with arguments 'a b c'
% pp hello --log=c # Pack 'hello' into 'a.out', logs
# messages into 'c'
# Pack 'hello' into a console-less 'out.exe' (Win32 only)
% pp --gui -o out.exe hello
% pp @file hello.pl # Pack 'hello.pl' but read _additional_
# options from file 'file'
DESCRIPTION
pp creates standalone executables from Perl programs, using the compressed packager
provided by PAR, and dependency detection heuristics offered by Module::ScanDeps. Source
files are compressed verbatim without compilation.
You may think of pp as "perlcc that works without hassle". :-)
A GUI interface is also available as the tkpp command.
It does not provide the compilation-step acceleration provided by perlcc (however, see -f
below for byte-compiled, source-hiding techniques), but makes up for it with better
reliability, smaller executable size, and full retrieval of original source code.
When a single input program is specified, the resulting executable will behave identically
as that program. However, when multiple programs are packaged, the produced executable
will run the one that has the same basename as $0 (i.e. the filename used to invoke it).
If nothing matches, it dies with the error "Can't open perl script "$0"".
OPTIONS
Options are available in a short form and a long form. For example, the three lines below
are all equivalent:
% pp -o output.exe input.pl
% pp --output output.exe input.pl
% pp --output=output.exe input.pl
Since the command lines can become sufficiently long to reach the limits imposed by some
shells, it is possible to have pp read some of its options from one or more text files.
The basic usage is to just include an argument starting with an 'at' (@) sigil. This
argument will be interpeted as a file to read options from. Mixing ordinary options and
@file options is possible. This is implemented using the Getopt::ArgvFile module, so read
its documentation for advanced usage.
-a, --addfile=FILE|DIR
Add an extra file into the package. If the file is a directory, recursively add all
files inside that directory, with links turned into actual files.
By default, files are placed under "/" inside the package with their original names.
You may override this by appending the target filename after a ";", like this:
% pp -a "old_filename.txt;new_filename.txt"
% pp -a "old_dirname;new_dirname"
You may specify "-a" multiple times.
-A, --addlist=FILE
Read a list of file/directory names from FILE, adding them into the package. Each
line in FILE is taken as an argument to -a above.
You may specify "-A" multiple times.
-B, --bundle
Bundle core modules in the resulting package. This option is enabled by default,
except when "-p" or "-P" is specified.
Since PAR version 0.953, this also strips any local paths from the list of module
search paths @INC before running the contained script.
-C, --clean
Clean up temporary files extracted from the application at runtime. By default, these
files are cached in the temporary directory; this allows the program to start up
faster next time.
-c, --compile
Run "perl -c inputfile" to determine additonal run-time dependencies.
-cd, --cachedeps=FILE
Use FILE to cache detected dependencies. Creates FILE unless present. This will speed
up the scanning process on subsequent runs.
-d, --dependent
Reduce the executable size by not including a copy of perl interpreter. Executables
built this way will need a separate perl5x.dll or libperl.so to function correctly.
This option is only available if perl is built as a shared library.
-e, --eval=STRING
Package a one-liner, much the same as "perl -e '...'"
-E, --evalfeature=STRING
Behaves just like "-e", except that it implicitly enables all optional features (in
the main compilation unit) with Perl 5.10 and later. See feature.
-x, --execute
Run "perl inputfile" to determine additonal run-time dependencies.
--xargs=STRING
If -x is given, splits the "STRING" using the function "shellwords" from
Text::ParseWords and passes the result as @ARGV when running "perl inputfile".
-X, --exclude=MODULE
Exclude the given module from the dependency search path and from the package. If the
given file is a zip or par or par executable, all the files in the given file (except
MANIFEST, META.yml and script/*) will be excluded and the output file will "use" the
given file at runtime.
-f, --filter=FILTER
Filter source script(s) with a PAR::Filter subclass. You may specify multiple such
filters.
If you wish to hide the source code from casual prying, this will do:
% pp -f Bleach source.pl
If you are more serious about hiding your source code, you should have a look at Steve
Hay's PAR::Filter::Crypto module. Make sure you understand the Filter::Crypto caveats!
-g, --gui
Build an executable that does not have a console window. This option is ignored on
non-MSWin32 platforms or when "-p" is specified.
-h, --help
Show basic usage information.
-I, --lib=DIR
Add the given directory to the perl library file search path. May be specified
multiple times.
-l, --link=FILE|LIBRARY
Add the given shared library (a.k.a. shared object or DLL) into the packed file. Also
accepts names under library paths; i.e. "-l ncurses" means the same thing as "-l
libncurses.so" or "-l /usr/local/lib/libncurses.so" in most Unixes. May be specified
multiple times.
-L, --log=FILE
Log the output of packaging to a file rather than to stdout.
-F, --modfilter=FILTER[=REGEX],
Filter included perl module(s) with a PAR::Filter subclass. You may specify multiple
such filters.
By default, the PodStrip filter is applied. In case that causes trouble, you can turn
this off by setting the environment variable "PAR_VERBATIM" to 1.
Since PAR 0.958, you can use an optional regular expression (REGEX above) to select
the files in the archive which should be filtered. Example:
pp -o foo.exe -F Bleach=warnings\.pm$ foo.pl
This creates a binary executable foo.exe from foo.pl packaging all files as usual
except for files ending in "warnings.pm" which are filtered with PAR::Filter::Bleach.
-M, --module=MODULE
Add the specified module into the package, along with its dependencies.
If MODULE has a trailing double colon, e.g. "Foo::Bar::", add not only "Foo/Bar.pm",
but also all modules below "Foo/Bar".
Instead of a module name, MODULE may also be specified as a filename relative to the
@INC path, i.e. "-M Module/ScanDeps.pm" means the same thing as "-M
Module::ScanDeps".
If MODULE has an extension that is not ".pm"/".ix"/".al", it will not be scanned for
dependencies, and will be placed under "/" instead of "/lib/" inside the PAR file.
This use is deprecated -- consider using the -a option instead.
You may specify "-M" multiple times.
-m, --multiarch
Build a multi-architecture PAR file. Implies -p.
-n, --noscan
Skip the default static scanning altogether, using run-time dependencies from -c or -x
exclusively.
-o, --output=FILE
File name for the final packaged executable.
-p, --par
Create PAR archives only; do not package to a standalone binary.
-P, --perlscript
Create stand-alone perl script; do not package to a standalone binary.
-r, --run
Run the resulting packaged script after packaging it.
--reusable
EXPERIMENTAL
Make the packaged executable reusable for running arbitrary, external Perl scripts as
if they were part of the package:
pp -o myapp --reusable someapp.pl
./myapp --par-options --reuse otherapp.pl
The second line will run otherapp.pl instead of someapp.pl.
-S, --save
Do not delete generated PAR file after packaging.
-s, --sign
Cryptographically sign the generated PAR or binary file using Module::Signature.
-T, --tempcache
Set the program unique part of the cache directory name that is used if the program is
run without -C. If not set, a hash of the executable is used.
When the program is run, its contents are extracted to a temporary directory. On Unix
systems, this is commonly /tmp/par-USER/cache-XXXXXXX. USER is replaced by the name
of the user running the program, but "spelled" in hex. XXXXXXX is either a hash of
the executable or the value passed to the "-T" or "--tempcache" switch.
-u, --unicode
Package Unicode support (essentially utf8_heavy.pl and everything below the directory
unicore in your perl library).
This option exists because it is impossible to detect using static analysis if your
program needs Unicode support at runtime. (Note: If your program contains "use utf8"
this does not imply it needs Unicode support. It merely says that your program is
written in UTF-8.)
If your packed program exits with an error message like
Can't locate utf8_heavy.pl in @INC (@INC contains: ...)
try to pack it with "-u" (or use "-x").
-v, --verbose[=NUMBER]
Increase verbosity of output; NUMBER is an integer from 1 to 3, 3 being the most
verbose. Defaults to 1 if specified without an argument. Alternatively, -vv sets
verbose level to 2, and -vvv sets it to 3.
-V, --version
Display the version number and copyrights of this program.
-z, --compress=NUMBER
Set zip compression level; NUMBER is an integer from 0 to 9, 0 = no compression, 9 =
max compression. Defaults to 6 if -z is not used.
ENVIRONMENT
PP_OPTS
Command-line options (switches). Switches in this variable are taken as if they were
on every pp command line.
NOTES
Here are some recipes showing how to utilize pp to bundle source.pl with all its
dependencies, on target machines with different expected settings:
Stone-alone setup:
To make a stand-alone executable, suitable for running on a machine that doesn't have
perl installed:
% pp -o packed.exe source.pl # makes packed.exe
# Now, deploy 'packed.exe' to target machine...
$ packed.exe # run it
Perl interpreter only, without core modules:
To make a packed .pl file including core modules, suitable for running on a machine
that has a perl interpreter, but where you want to be sure of the versions of the core
modules that your program uses:
% pp -B -P -o packed.pl source.pl # makes packed.pl
# Now, deploy 'packed.pl' to target machine...
$ perl packed.pl # run it
Perl with core modules installed:
To make a packed .pl file without core modules, relying on the target machine's perl
interpreter and its core libraries. This produces a significantly smaller file than
the previous version:
% pp -P -o packed.pl source.pl # makes packed.pl
# Now, deploy 'packed.pl' to target machine...
$ perl packed.pl # run it
Perl with PAR.pm and its dependencies installed:
Make a separate archive and executable that uses the archive. This relies upon the
perl interpreter and libraries on the target machine.
% pp -p source.pl # makes source.par
% echo "use PAR 'source.par';" > packed.pl;
% cat source.pl >> packed.pl; # makes packed.pl
# Now, deploy 'source.par' and 'packed.pl' to target machine...
$ perl packed.pl # run it, perl + core modules required
Note that even if your perl was built with a shared library, the 'Stand-alone executable'
above will not need a separate perl5x.dll or libperl.so to function correctly. But even
in this case, the underlying system libraries such as libc must be compatible between the
host and target machines. Use "--dependent" if you are willing to ship the shared library
with the application, which can significantly reduce the executable size.
SEE ALSO
tkpp, par.pl, parl, perlcc
PAR, PAR::Packer, Module::ScanDeps
Getopt::Long, Getopt::ArgvFile
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Simon Cozens, Tom Christiansen and Edward Peschko for writing perlcc; this program try to
mimic its interface as close as possible, and copied liberally from their code.
Jan Dubois for writing the exetype.pl utility, which has been partially adapted into the
"-g" flag.
Mattia Barbon for providing the "myldr" binary loader code.
Jeff Goff for suggesting the name "pp".
AUTHORS
Audrey Tang <cpan@audreyt.org>, Steffen Mueller <smueller@cpan.org>
You can write to the mailing list at <par@perl.org>, or send an empty mail to
<par-subscribe@perl.org> to participate in the discussion.
Please submit bug reports to <bug-par@rt.cpan.org>.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2002-2009 by Audrey Tang <cpan@audreyt.org>.
Neither this program nor the associated parl program impose any licensing restrictions on
files generated by their execution, in accordance with the 8th article of the Artistic
License:
"Aggregation of this Package with a commercial distribution is
always permitted provided that the use of this Package is embedded;
that is, when no overt attempt is made to make this Package's
interfaces visible to the end user of the commercial distribution.
Such use shall not be construed as a distribution of this Package."
Therefore, you are absolutely free to place any license on the resulting executable, as
long as the packed 3rd-party libraries are also available under the Artistic License.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same
terms as Perl itself.
See <http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html>