Hi monkses,

I have a feeling there probably is no clean solution for my problem but knowing the brilliant people here I thought I'd ask. My application uses a CPAN module which itself calls out to another CPAN module, and I need that method call to contain an additional parameter. Code makes this easier to explain:

MyCode.pm

package MyCode;
use UsefulMod qw(uf_method);

uf_method();
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UsefulMod.pm (from CPAN)

package UsefulMod;

sub uf_method {

    # lots of code

    require Backend;       # Also from CPAN
    my $r = Backend->new() # This is where I need a parameter passed
    $r->do_useful_stuff();

    # lots of code

}
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So what I need is for Backend->new() to be Backend->new("filename") so that the module uses the file as additional datasource. The obvious (and horrible) way to fix this is is to change the local UsefulMod.pm file to contain the parameter, but this will break whenever the module is updated by an unknowing admin, so I don't want to do that.

My usual way to handle this would be to override UsefulMod->uf_method() or even Backend->new() in my own module to change the behaviour in the desired way, but both of them contain gobs of other code, and maintaining a changed version of this code in my own module seems to me almost just as much a recipe for disaster. Does anyone know a clever and responsible way I can do this?

Update:Corion's solution works perfectly, thanks a lot!