NAME

       CPANPLUS - API & CLI access to the CPAN mirrors

SYNOPSIS

           ### standard invocation from the command line
           $ cpanp
           $ cpanp -i Some::Module

           $ perl -MCPANPLUS -eshell
           $ perl -MCPANPLUS -e'fetch Some::Module'

DESCRIPTION

       The "CPANPLUS" library is an API to the "CPAN" mirrors and a collection of interactive shells,
       commandline programs, etc, that use this API.

GUIDE TO DOCUMENTATION

   GENERAL USAGE
       This is the document you are currently reading. It describes basic usage and background information. Its
       main purpose is to assist the user who wants to learn how to invoke CPANPLUS and install modules from the
       commandline and to point you to more indepth reading if required.

   API REFERENCE
       The "CPANPLUS" API is meant to let you programmatically interact with the "CPAN" mirrors. The
       documentation in CPANPLUS::Backend shows you how to create an object capable of interacting with those
       mirrors, letting you create & retrieve module objects.  CPANPLUS::Module shows you how you can use these
       module objects to perform actions like installing and testing.

       The default shell, documented in CPANPLUS::Shell::Default is also scriptable. You can use its API to
       dispatch calls from your script to the CPANPLUS Shell.

COMMANDLINE TOOLS

   STARTING AN INTERACTIVE SHELL
       You can start an interactive shell by running either of the two following commands:

           $ cpanp

           $ perl -MCPANPLUS -eshell

       All commands available are listed in the interactive shells help menu. See "cpanp -h" or
       CPANPLUS::Shell::Default for instructions on using the default shell.

   CHOOSE A SHELL
       By running "cpanp" without arguments, you will start up the shell specified in your config, which
       defaults to CPANPLUS::Shell::Default. There are more shells available.  "CPANPLUS" itself ships with an
       emulation shell called CPANPLUS::Shell::Classic that looks and feels just like the old "CPAN.pm" shell.

       You can start this shell by typing:

           $ perl -MCPANPLUS -e'shell Classic'

       Even more shells may be available from "CPAN".

       Note that if you have changed your default shell in your configuration, that shell will be used instead.
       If for some reason there was an error with your specified shell, you will be given the default shell.

   BUILDING PACKAGES
       "cpan2dist" is a commandline tool to convert any distribution from "CPAN" into a package in the format of
       your choice, like for example ".deb" or "FreeBSD ports".

       See "cpan2dist -h" for details.

FUNCTIONS

       For quick access to common commands, you may use this module, "CPANPLUS" rather than the full
       programmatic API situated in "CPANPLUS::Backend". This module offers the following functions:

   $bool = install( Module::Name | /A/AU/AUTHOR/Module-Name-1.tgz )
       This function requires the full name of the module, which is case sensitive.  The module name can also be
       provided as a fully qualified file name, beginning with a /, relative to the /authors/id directory on a
       CPAN mirror.

       It will download, extract and install the module.

   $where = fetch( Module::Name | /A/AU/AUTHOR/Module-Name-1.tgz )
       Like install, fetch needs the full name of a module or the fully qualified file name, and is case
       sensitive.

       It will download the specified module to the current directory.

   $where = get( Module::Name | /A/AU/AUTHOR/Module-Name-1.tgz )
       Get is provided as an alias for fetch for compatibility with CPAN.pm.

   shell()
       Shell starts the default CPAN shell.  You can also start the shell by using the "cpanp" command, which
       will be installed in your perl bin.

FAQ

       For frequently asked questions and answers, please consult the "CPANPLUS::FAQ" manual.

BUG REPORTS

       Please report bugs or other issues to <bug-cpanplus@rt.cpan.org<gt>.

AUTHOR

       This module by Jos Boumans <kane@cpan.org>.

COPYRIGHT

       The CPAN++ interface (of which this module is a part of) is copyright (c) 2001 - 2007, Jos Boumans
       <kane@cpan.org>. All rights reserved.

       This library is free software; you may redistribute and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

SEE ALSO

       CPANPLUS::Shell::Default, CPANPLUS::FAQ, CPANPLUS::Backend, CPANPLUS::Module, cpanp, cpan2dist

CONTACT INFORMATION

       •   Bug reporting: bug-cpanplus@rt.cpan.org

       •   Questions & suggestions: bug-cpanplus@rt.cpan.org