I just scan the MANIFEST (in the source distro) for a '.xs' file. Presence of one means that compiling is reqired; absence means no compilation is required.

However, whilst this is a fairly reliable method, it's not foolproof. For example, PDL::NetCDF has no xs file yet requires compilation. (The 'perl Makefile.PL' step generates the xs file.) And I think there are some modules that, while providing an xs file, also cater for a pure-perl build.

Perhaps some of the other monks know of a smarter approach.

Cheers,
Rob

In reply to Re: How to know if a CPAN module uses XS by syphilis
in thread How to know if a CPAN module uses XS by bcarroll

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