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```{index} single: ExtUtils::Manifest
```

# ExtUtils::Manifest

Utilities to write and check a MANIFEST file

## VERSION

version 1.75

## SYNOPSIS

```perl
use ExtUtils::Manifest qw(...funcs to import...);

mkmanifest();

my @missing_files    = manicheck;
my @skipped          = skipcheck;
my @extra_files      = filecheck;
my($missing, $extra) = fullcheck;

my $found    = manifind();

my $manifest = maniread();

manicopy($read,$target);

maniadd({$file => $comment, ...});
```

## DESCRIPTION

...

## FUNCTIONS

ExtUtils::Manifest exports no functions by default.  The following are
exported on request:

### mkmanifest

```perl
mkmanifest();
```

Writes all files in and below the current directory to your `MANIFEST`.
It works similar to the result of the Unix command

```text
find . > MANIFEST
```

All files that match any regular expression in a file `MANIFEST.SKIP`
(if it exists) are ignored.

Any existing `MANIFEST` file will be saved as `MANIFEST.bak`.

### manifind

```perl
my $found = manifind();
```

returns a hash reference. The keys of the hash are the files found
below the current directory.

### manicheck

```perl
my @missing_files = manicheck();
```

checks if all the files within a `MANIFEST` in the current directory
really do exist. If `MANIFEST` and the tree below the current
directory are in sync it silently returns an empty list.
Otherwise it returns a list of files which are listed in the
`MANIFEST` but missing from the directory, and by default also
outputs these names to STDERR.

### filecheck

```perl
my @extra_files = filecheck();
```

finds files below the current directory that are not mentioned in the
`MANIFEST` file. An optional file `MANIFEST.SKIP` will be
consulted. Any file matching a regular expression in such a file will
not be reported as missing in the `MANIFEST` file. The list of any
extraneous files found is returned, and by default also reported to
STDERR.

### fullcheck

```perl
my($missing, $extra) = fullcheck();
```

does both a manicheck() and a filecheck(), returning then as two array
refs.

### skipcheck

```perl
my @skipped = skipcheck();
```

lists all the files that are skipped due to your `MANIFEST.SKIP`
file.

### maniread

```perl
my $manifest = maniread();
my $manifest = maniread($manifest_file);
```

reads a named `MANIFEST` file (defaults to `MANIFEST` in the current
directory) and returns a HASH reference with files being the keys and
comments being the values of the HASH.  Blank lines and lines which
start with `#` in the `MANIFEST` file are discarded.

### maniskip

```perl
my $skipchk = maniskip();
my $skipchk = maniskip($manifest_skip_file);

if ($skipchk->($file)) { .. }
```

reads a named `MANIFEST.SKIP` file (defaults to `MANIFEST.SKIP` in
the current directory) and returns a CODE reference that tests whether
a given filename should be skipped.

### manicopy

```perl
manicopy(\%src, $dest_dir);
manicopy(\%src, $dest_dir, $how);
```

Copies the files that are the keys in %src to the $dest\_dir.  %src is
typically returned by the maniread() function.

```perl
manicopy( maniread(), $dest_dir );
```

This function is useful for producing a directory tree identical to the
intended distribution tree.

$how can be used to specify a different methods of "copying".  Valid
values are `cp`, which actually copies the files, `ln` which creates
hard links, and `best` which mostly links the files but copies any
symbolic link to make a tree without any symbolic link.  `cp` is the
default.

### maniadd

```perl
maniadd({ $file => $comment, ...});
```

Adds an entry to an existing `MANIFEST` unless its already there.

$file will be normalized (ie. Unixified).  **UNIMPLEMENTED**

### MANIFEST

A list of files in the distribution, one file per line.  The MANIFEST
always uses Unix filepath conventions even if you're not on Unix.  This
means `foo/bar` style not `foo\bar`.

Anything between white space and an end of line within a `MANIFEST`
file is considered to be a comment.  Any line beginning with # is also
a comment. Beginning with ExtUtils::Manifest 1.52, a filename may
contain whitespace characters if it is enclosed in single quotes; single
quotes or backslashes in that filename must be backslash-escaped.

```text
## this a comment
some/file
some/other/file            comment about some/file
'some/third file'          comment
```

### MANIFEST.SKIP

The file MANIFEST.SKIP may contain regular expressions of files that
should be ignored by mkmanifest() and filecheck(). The regular
expressions should appear one on each line. Blank lines and lines
which start with `#` are skipped.  Use `\#` if you need a regular
expression to start with a `#`.

For example:

```text
## Version control files and dirs.
\bRCS\b
\bCVS\b
,v$
\B\.svn\b

## Makemaker generated files and dirs.
^MANIFEST\.
^Makefile$
^blib/
^MakeMaker-\d

## Temp, old and emacs backup files.
~$
\.old$
^#.*#$
^\.#
```

If no MANIFEST.SKIP file is found, a default set of skips will be
used, similar to the example above.  If you want nothing skipped,
simply make an empty MANIFEST.SKIP file.

In one's own MANIFEST.SKIP file, certain directives
can be used to include the contents of other MANIFEST.SKIP
files. At present two such directives are recognized.

- #!include\_default

    This tells ExtUtils::Manifest to read the default `MANIFEST.SKIP`
    file and skip files accordingly, but _not_ to include it in the local
    `MANIFEST.SKIP`. This is intended to skip files according to a system
    default, which can change over time without requiring further changes
    to the distribution's `MANIFEST.SKIP`.

- #!include /Path/to/another/manifest.skip

    This inserts the contents of the specified external file in the local
    `MANIFEST.SKIP`. This is intended for authors to have a central
    `MANIFEST.SKIP` file, and to include it with their various distributions.

The included contents will be inserted into the MANIFEST.SKIP
file in between _#!start included /path/to/manifest.skip_
and _#!end included /path/to/manifest.skip_ markers.
The original MANIFEST.SKIP is saved as MANIFEST.SKIP.bak.

### EXPORT\_OK

`&mkmanifest`, `&manicheck`, `&filecheck`, `&fullcheck`,
`&maniread`, and `&manicopy` are exportable.

### GLOBAL VARIABLES

`$ExtUtils::Manifest::MANIFEST` defaults to `MANIFEST`. Changing it
results in both a different `MANIFEST` and a different
`MANIFEST.SKIP` file. This is useful if you want to maintain
different distributions for different audiences (say a user version
and a developer version including RCS).

`$ExtUtils::Manifest::Quiet` defaults to 0. If set to a true value,
all functions act silently.

`$ExtUtils::Manifest::Debug` defaults to 0.  If set to a true value,
or if PERL\_MM\_MANIFEST\_DEBUG is true, debugging output will be
produced.

## DIAGNOSTICS

All diagnostic output is sent to `STDERR`.

- `Not in MANIFEST:` _file_

    is reported if a file is found which is not in `MANIFEST`.

- `Skipping` _file_

    is reported if a file is skipped due to an entry in `MANIFEST.SKIP`.

- `No such file:` _file_

    is reported if a file mentioned in a `MANIFEST` file does not
    exist.

- `MANIFEST:` _$!_

    is reported if `MANIFEST` could not be opened.

- `Added to MANIFEST:` _file_

    is reported by mkmanifest() if $Verbose is set and a file is added
    to MANIFEST. $Verbose is set to 1 by default.

## ENVIRONMENT

- **PERL\_MM\_MANIFEST\_DEBUG**

    Turns on debugging

## SEE ALSO

[ExtUtils::MakeMaker](MakeMaker.md) which has handy targets for most of the functionality.

## AUTHOR

Andreas Koenig `andreas.koenig@anima.de`

Currently maintained by the Perl Toolchain Gang.

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is copyright (c) 1996- by Andreas Koenig.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.