NAME Win32::CommandLine - Retrieve and reparse the Win32 command line VERSION This document describes `Win32::CommandLine' ($Version: 0.4.4.269 $). SYNOPSIS @ARGV = Win32::CommandLine::argv() if eval { require Win32::CommandLine; }; _or_ use Win32::CommandLine qw( command_line ); my $commandline = command_line(); ... DESCRIPTION This module is used to reparse the Win32 command line, automating better quoting and globbing of the command line. Globbing is full bash POSIX compatible globbing, including subshell expansions. With the use of the companion script (`xx.bat') and `doskey' for macro aliasing, you can add full-fledged bash compatible string quoting/expansion and file globbing to *any* Win32 executable. This module is compatible with both `cmd.exe' and `4nt/tcc/tcmd' shells, and adds better parsing and bash glob expansion to *any* external command (by using the included `xx.bat' batch script). `CMD.EXE' doskey type=call xx type $* type [a-c]*.pl doskey perl=call xx perl $* perl -e 'print "test"' [o/w FAILS without commandline reinterpretation] `4NT/TCC/TCMD' alias type=call xx type type [a-c]*.pl alias perl=call xx perl perl -e 'print "test"' [o/w FAILS without commandline reinterpretation] Note that bash compatible character expansion and globbing is available, including glob meta-notations such as "`a[bc]*'" or "`foo.{bat,pl,exe,o}'". Command line string/character expansion '...' literal (no escapes and no globbing within quotes) "..." literal (no escapes and no globbing within quotes) $'...' string including all ANSI C string escapes (\a, \b, \e, \f, \n, \r, \t, \v, \\, \', \n{1,3}, \xh{1,2}, \cx; all other escaped characters: \ =>\); no globbing within quotes $"..." literal (no escapes and no globbing within quotes) [same as "..."] $( ... ) subshell expansion [subshell commandline is _not_ expanded] $("...") subshell expansion (quotes removed) [subshell commandline is _not_ expanded] GLOB META CHARACTERS \ Quote the next metacharacter [] Character class {} Multiple pattern * Match any string of characters ? Match any single character ~ Current user home directory ~USER User NAME home directory ~TEXT Environment variable named ~TEXT ( $ENV{~TEXT} ) [overrides ~USER expansion] The metanotation `a{b,c,d}e' is a shorthand for `abe ace ade'. Left to right order is preserved, with results of matches being sorted separately at a low level to preserve this order. INSTALLATION To install this module, run the following commands: perl Build.PL ./Build ./Build test ./Build install Or, if you're on a platform (like DOS or Windows) that doesn't require the "./" notation, you can do this: perl Build.PL Build Build test Build install Alternatively, the standard make idiom is also available (though deprecated): perl Makefile.PL make make test make install (On Windows platforms you should use `nmake' instead.) The Makefile.PL script is just a pass-through, and Module::Build is still ultimately required for installation. Makefile.PL will offer to download and install Module::Build if it is missing from your current installation. PPM installation bundles should also be available in the standard PPM repositories (i.e. ActiveState, trouchelle.com [http://trouchelle.com/ppm/package.xml]). Note: On ActivePerl installations, "`./Build install'" will do a full installation using `ppm' (see ppm). During the installation, a PPM package is constructed locally and then subsequently used for the final module install. This allows for uninstalls (using "`ppm uninstall '*`MODULE'*" and also keeps local HTML documentation current. RATIONALE This began as a simple need to work-around the less-than-stellar `COMMAND.COM'/`CMD.EXE' command line parser, just to accomplish more `correct` quotation interpretation. It then grew into a small odyssey: learning XS and how to create a perl module, learning the perl build process and creating a customized build script/environment, researching tools and developing methods for revision control and versioning, learning and creating perl testing processes, and finally learning about PAUSE and perl publishing practices. And, somewhere in the middle, adding some of the `bash' shell magic to the CMD shell (and, additionally, making it compatible with the excellent [and free] TCC-LE shell from JPSoft [find it at http://jpsoft.com/]). Some initial attempts were made using `Win32::API' and `Inline::C'. For example (`Win32::API' attempt [caused GPFs]): @rem = '--*-Perl-*-- @echo off if "%OS%" == "Windows_NT" goto WinNT perl -x -S "%0" %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 goto endofperl :WinNT perl -x -S %0 %* if NOT "%COMSPEC%" == "%SystemRoot%\system32\cmd.exe" goto endofperl if %errorlevel% == 9009 echo You do not have Perl in your PATH. if errorlevel 1 goto script_failed_so_exit_with_non_zero_val 2>nul goto endofperl @rem '; #!/usr/bin/perl -w #line 15 # use Win32::API; # Win32::API->Import("kernel32", "LPTSTR GetCommandLine()"); my $string = pack("Z*", GetCommandLine()); # print "string[".length($string)."] = '$string'\n"; # ------ padding -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- __END__ :endofperl Unfortunately, `Win32::API' and `Inline::C' were shown to be too fragile at the time (in 2007). `Win32::API' caused occasional (but reproducible) GPFs, and `Inline::C' is very brittle on Win32 systems (not compensating for paths with embedded strings). [ See http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=625182 for a more full explanation of the problem and initial attempts at a solution. ] So, an initial XS solution was implemented. And from that point, the lure of `bash'-like command line parsing led inexorably to the full implementation. The parsing logic is unfortunately still complex, but seems to be holding up under testing. DEPENDENCIES `Win32::CommandLine' requires `Carp::Assert' for internal error checking and warnings. The optional modules `Win32', `Win32::API', `Win32::Security::SID', and `Win32::TieRegistry' are recommended to allow full glob tilde expansions for user home directories (eg, `~administrator' expands to `C:\Users\Administrator'). Expansion of the single tilde (`~') has a backup implementation based on %ENV variables, and therefore will still work even without the optional modules. AUTHOR Roy Ivy III LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2007-2009, Roy Ivy III . All rights reserved. This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. See perlartistic. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY BECAUSE THIS SOFTWARE IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE SOFTWARE, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE SOFTWARE ''AS IS'' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. 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