It took me a while to get my head around EmbPerl. Instead of what I consider a normal path -- HTTP request from client comes to Apache, that request is passed to a page which in turn calls a Perl Module to actually output stuff, Apache passes the request to the EmbPerl page which in turn calls the Perl Module -- which cooks up a bunch of data then passes it back to the EmbPerl page, which then formats it nicely.

It's a bit like programming a TSR (boy am I dating myself now) where as soon as you start, the two things you have to check for are "Am I already running?" and "Am I trying to unload myself?" Sort of a doublethink approach to how your program behaves. (If both statements are true, then you have to unload the original copy, then exit, rather than doing the installation thing .. but that's not important right now.)

You can do as much Perl in an EmbPerl environment as you like, but it's recommended that the heavy crunching be done in a Perl Module, with just light work done in the EmbPerl file.

I can also recommend this documentation .. very handy.

--t. alex

"Excellent. Release the hounds." -- Monty Burns.