Re: [Module::Build] [RFC] author tests

[Chris D. <ch...@cl...>]

On Feb 2, 2006, at 10:02 AM, Rob Kinyon wrote:

> On 2/2/06, Chris Dolan <ch...@cl...> wrote:
>> On Feb 2, 2006, at 9:23 AM, Rob Kinyon wrote:
>>> This is, obviously, not quite compatible with EU::MM, but I don't
>>> think that's a problem.
>>
>> That last paragraph is the show-stopper.  If it doesn't work with
>> EU::MM then it's DOA.  This is why I initially proposed the *.ta
>> suffix, but now prefer the envvar trigger.  The envvar trigger is the
>> most backward- and cross-compatible suggestion to date, at the
>> expense of making the *.t files a tiny bit more complicated.
>
> It's not INcompatible with EU::MM ... just not completely compatible.
> If you use a MB-generated Makefile.PL (as I do), then MB would specify
> the test files by hand using the TESTS parameter to WriteMakefile(). I
> don't think there's an easy way to add to a new command to EU::MM, but
> if there was, then we could add the testfull command there, too.
>
> If you hand-generate your Makefile.PL, then it's your responsability
> to make sure that it's equivalent to the Build.PL, as it always has
> been.

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough about my objection.  Sure, anybody could  
make this work today with no enhancement to M::B or EU::MM.  But if  
it requires you to modify Makefile.PL or Build.PL in some special  
way, then it's just more cargo cult and no real community improvement.

Look at what happened to Tels recently with his custom YAML creating  
Makefile.PL on the perl-qa list.  He created a custom solution that  
mirrored the M::B META.yml solution, but when YAML.pm changed, he had  
to update *all* of his modules instead of just having his users  
update a single upstream package.  I see that as a process failure.

I started this thread to look for a consensus way to implement author  
tests in a more forward-looking way than the pod.t solution has been  
to date.

Chris
-- 
Chris Dolan, Software Developer, Clotho Advanced Media Inc.
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