perl -M$1 -le "print \$$1::VERSION"
[download]

robobunny wrote:

And with minor modifications, this is also a valid shell script, for those on UNIX:

Weeellllll ... {G} ... with MAJOR modifications and wrapping it in a shell function wrapper, so it is available at every login w/o regard to PATH location, this idea becomes:

 # (ba)sh function wrapper for Perl code. "perltest" is admittedly NOT
+ a good name ;-)
perltest () 
{ 
    perl -e'
    my$modn = my$mod = "'$1'";
    $mod =~s@::@/@g; $mod.=q[.pm];
    die ("module $modn not installed.\n",$@) if
       ! eval {require qq[$mod];};
    my $modv = defined ${$modn.q[::VERSION]} ?
       ${$modn.q[::VERSION]} : q{[version undefined]};
    my$numtyp= (2 > $modv =~tr/.//) ? "%s" : "% 6d";
    printf "  %-*s $numtyp in %s\n",
      length($modn) > 30 ? 5+length($modn) : 15+length($modn),
      $modn, $modv, $INC{$mod};
    ';
    return 0
}
[download]

I use this so often, sometimes several times a day, that the extra elaboration has proven well-worth it to me.

    Soren A / somian / perlspinr / Intrepid
P.S. Don't forget: I am expecting all the people the people who say I am posting to Perlmonks for the XP to automatically downvote this posting w/o explanation, thanks.

-- 
Now, 2004: The 3 least meaningful terms in online jargon are:
  troll   flame   rant
These used to mean something; but then they were highjacked by the kind of
inferior intellects who, when faced with a more erudite opponent employing
superior arguments (or simply hanging in there with a disagreeable
contention), abuse these terms as merely another form of name-calling. ;-)

I like

    perl -MCPAN -e 'CPAN::Shell -> m (shift)' MODULE
[download]

which not only gives the installed version number, but also the version number of the newests version on CPAN.

Abigail