Re^2: POD Standards

But if you include your POD tests as part of your distributed module, please consider using "skip unless require Test::Pod" logic.

I recently tried to install a module on my ISP and it installed and tested fine except the one test that depended on Test::POD which failed because Test::POD wasn't installed. Off CPAN.pm went to intall Test::POD and its many prereqs and somewhere in that very long list it came on something that needed Module::Build which refused to install (No, please let's not get into a MakeMaker/Build war). Yes the situation is b0rked and I should fix it, but I needed the original module running right away. I ended up doing a force install on the original module since its only failed test was the one requiring Test::POD.

Personally, I don't think it's the purpose of a distribution test to refuse to install because it can't test its POD. Hooray, your module that depends on Test::POD gets a perfect phalanx score. Boo, it cost me an extra twenty minutes to install it.

update Note that I am not recommending that you don't use Test::POD in your test, only that you don't require it for installation.

Comment on Re^2: POD Standards

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Re^3: POD Standards by petdance (Parson) on Jan 08, 2006 at 01:55 UTC
I agree 100%. That's why the sample 4-line code that I suggest people use as t/pod.t does that exclusion. xoxo, Andy	[reply]
Re^4: POD Standards by palmerp (Beadle) on Jan 10, 2006 at 17:01 UTC
Um, where? I can't find your "4-line code". Thanks.	[reply]
Re^5: POD Standards by petdance (Parson) on Jan 11, 2006 at 16:56 UTC
http://search.cpan.org/dist/Test-Pod/Pod.pm `use Test::More; eval "use Test::Pod 1.00"; plan skip_all => "Test::Pod 1.00 required for testing POD" if $@; all_pod_files_ok();` [download] xoxo, Andy	[reply] [d/l]