Installation of mod_perl-enabled Apache Without Superuser Privileges Page 3

Another way is to write code to modify @INC explicitly:

  BEGIN {
    unshift @INC,
      qw(/home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503
         /home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503/i386-linux
         /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005
         /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005/i386-linux);
        }

Note that with the lib module we don't have to list the corresponding architecture specific directories, since it adds them automatically if they exist (to be exact, when //auto exists).

Also, notice that both approaches prepend the directories to be searched to @INC. This allows you to install a more recent module into your local repository and Perl will use it instead of the older one installed in the main system repository.

Both approaches modify the value of @INC at compilation time. The lib module uses the BEGIN block as well, but internally.

Now, let's assume the following scenario. I have installed the LWP package in my local repository. Now I want to install another module (e.g. mod_perl) and it has LWP listed in its prerequisites list. I know that I have LWP installed, but when I run perl Makefile.PL for the module I'm about to install I'm told that I don't have LWP installed.

There is no way for Perl to know that we have some locally installed modules. All it does is search the directories listed in @INC, and since the latter contains only the default four directories (plus the . directory), it cannot find the locally installed LWP package. We cannot solve this problem by adding code to modify @INC, but changing the PERL5LIB environment variable will do the trick. If you are using t?csh for interactive work, do this:

  setenv PERL5LIB /home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503:
  /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005




 It should be a single line with directories separated by colons
(:) and no spaces. If you are a (ba)?sh user, do
this: 
  export PERL5LIB=/home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503:
  /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005




 Again, make it a single line. If you use bash you can use multi-line
commands by terminating split lines with a backslash (\), like
this: 
  export PERL5LIB=/home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503:  /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005




 As with use lib, perl automatically prepends the architecture
specific directories to @INC if those exist. 


 When you have done this, verify the value of the newly configured
@INC by executing perl -V as before. You should see
the modified value of @INC: 
  % perl -V
  
  Characteristics of this binary (from libperl): 
  Built under linux
  Compiled at Apr  6 1999 23:34:07
  %ENV:
    PERL5LIB="/home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503:
    /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005"
  @INC:
    /home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503/i386-linux
    /home/stas/lib/perl5/5.00503
    /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005/i386-linux
    /home/stas/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005
    /usr/lib/perl5/5.00503/i386-linux
    /usr/lib/perl5/5.00503
    /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005/i386-linux
    /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005
    .




 When everything works as you want it to, add these commands to your
.tcshrc or .bashrc file. The next time you start a
shell, the environment will be ready for you to work with the new Perl.