Shell script to automate the installation of cpan modules

Question

I am writing a shell script to automate the installation of cpan (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) modules.

#!/bin/bash
perl -MCPAN -e shell
o conf make_arg -I/"$PWD"
o conf make_install_arg -I/"$PWD"

The first command is being executed and it enters into the cpan shell, but the later commands are not detected. I think the later commands are not being executed as it is a different shell. Any leads on this is appreciated.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You are writing a bash script, and o conf .... is not a bash command.

You could remote control the CPAN shell, by either

• providing all the input in a file, from where you redirect the stdin, ie perl -MCPAN -e shell <my_commands.txt . Note that this will fail, if the CPAN shell clears the input buffer after each command (I don't think that it does, but it could be).

• Write a expect script

• Use your favorite programming language and use the Telnet protocol to steer the CPAN shell; since this is about Perl, you could use Perl's Net::Telnet module.

• Since the CPAN shell is written in Perl, I guess you can also write the whole thing completely in Perl, using the features which already there in the CPAN module. I would start by looking at the source code of the CPAN module to study, how the commands (for instance conf ) are handled in Perl. After all, the CPAN shell is only one of the features of this module, although this is of course the one which people usually use.

Answer 2

Use bash here documents . Your script will look something like this:

#!/bin/bash
perl -MCPAN -e shell <<END_OF_CPAN_COMMANDS
o conf make_arg -I/"$PWD"
o conf make_install_arg -I/"$PWD"
END_OF_CPAN_COMMANDS

You can add more commands before the final END_OF_CPAN_COMMANDS .