PAR::Packer to create an application without a decompression into temp?

bubnikv has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hello Perl Monks. We are developing an application using Perl, for which we need to create an installer targeting Windows and Mac OS. I was experimenting with PAR::Packer and with Cava. The Cava installer does roughly what I would expect, but as far as I am known the Cava installer only works with the Citrus Perl on MacOS and the Citrus Perl was abandoned couple of years ago. On the contrary, PAR::Packer works with the up to date Perl distributions. Now there is an inconvenience of the PAR::Packer. It decompresses into a temp directory on startup. To distribute an application by an installer this way does not make much sens. In case of an executable produced by the PAR::Packer, most of the code of a larger Perl application is being kept on the hard drive twice: Once inside the PAR archive, second time in the temp cache. Is there a way to reduce the redundancy? I would like to install the temp cache with my installer and remove the already decompressed files from the PAR archive. Thanks, Vojtech

Comment on PAR::Packer to create an application without a decompression into temp?

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Re: PAR::Packer to create an application without a decompression into temp? by Discipulus (Canon) on Apr 22, 2016 at 10:30 UTC
most of the code of a larger Perl application is being kept on the hard drive twice not only the code but the whole Perl distribution! But this, i suspect, is exactly how PAR::Packer works. see also: this and that L* There are no rules, there are no thumbs.. Reinvent the wheel, then learn The Wheel; may be one day you reinvent one of THE WHEELS.	[reply] [d/l]
Re: PAR::Packer to create an application without a decompression into temp? by Anonymous Monk on Apr 22, 2016 at 22:43 UTC
Is there a way to reduce the redundancy? I would like to install the temp cache with my installer and remove the already decompressed files from the PAR archive. Yup, its trivial, don't use PAR, use a portable perl , all windows perls are portable they all come with "relocatable @INC", but on other OS you have to turn that feature on when compiling, see Relocatable @INC, see Portable, Re^3: How to create relocatable perl 5.20.1 ? ( reloc_perl) See createdistribution/createexecutable or cavapackager or just plain portable strawberryperl Citrus Perl was abandoned :) not really no, see Why upgrade perl? and https://sourceforge.net/p/citrusperl/code/HEAD/tree/trunk/ 5.16.3 is a most excellent version modern perl If you want a newer citrus perl, for the newest experimental features, well, all you have to do is contact Mark Dootson and make a deal, or compile it yourself but like I said, 5.16.3 is modern enough	[reply]
Re^2: PAR::Packer to create an application without a decompression into temp? by bubnikv (Novice) on Apr 25, 2016 at 16:24 UTC
Thanks a lot! The relocatable @INC was the key I was looking for. Now I am using the PAR::Packer to build a PAR archive, then I decompress the PAR archive, add a relocatable perl executable (and the perl.dll on Windows) to the soup and I am done. Vojtech	[reply]