I'll spare you the gnashing of the teeth over why you're doing this, since it's causing problems. One thing you need to know about scripts running under Apache::Registry (which I assume is what you're doing) is that they run in a different environment than regular CGI scripts. Basically, your script is turned into a subroutine, which can often have unforeseen side-effects. So, in no particular order, here are some things you might try:

• use Apache::PerlRun instead of Apache::Registry
  • Apache::PerlRun takes another approach, but I'm not sure it's different in the right way to let you use the filter module. But you might as well try it.
• Load the Filter::Util module in your Apache perl startup file
  • I doubt this will help either, but if your source filter isn't being applied, maybe the problem is that it's being applied too late in the process.
• Similarly, you might look into Apache::RegistryLoader, which loads and compiles Apache::Registry scripts at server startup.
  • At best, this would probably be just a piece of the puzzle. If your scripts aren't working now, then compiling them, unchanged, at server startup probably won't help either.

Those are things to try, and you might take a look at this FAQ as well, but perhaps some mod_perl guru will have more definitive things to say. I think you'll really learn about the internals of mod_perl before you're done if you proceed with this project!

HTH

Philosophy can be made out of anything. Or less -- Jerry A. Fodor