AUTOLOAD to Access PayPal API

TomKane has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

As I read through the code in the Business::PayPal::NVP module, I see that it has an AUTOLOAD function defined. I know it is calling into the PayPal NVP API, but I don't understand how the linkage is made. I know this is part of perl's automagic and I'm not an advanced perl programmer, I guess.

I would like to create a parallel module that will call the newer PayPal Payflow Gateway API.

I think that it may be easy enough to substitute one API name for the other and make some other adjustments. But I don't see where the PayPal API is being called.

Any insights/advice would be appreciated.

Comment on AUTOLOAD to Access PayPal API

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: AUTOLOAD to Access PayPal API by kcott (Archbishop) on Jul 25, 2012 at 00:31 UTC
See perlobj - AUTOLOAD. -- Ken	[reply]
Re^2: AUTOLOAD to Access PayPal API by TomKane (Beadle) on Jul 25, 2012 at 13:18 UTC
kcott, Thanks for your help. Unfortunately, perlobj says the same thing as the camel book. But I was looking for a method in AUTOLOAD that exposed a remote API's interface -- kind of like the DYNALOAD linkage to dynamic libraries. I realize now there is no linkage there at all. After looking more closely at the Business::PayPal::NVP package, I see that the API is actually reached via a url. Other than the magic of AUTOLOAD itself, there is no other magic happening.	[reply]