12.18. Example: Module Template

Following is the skeleton of a module. If you want to write a module of your own, you can copy this and customize it.

package Some::Module;  # must live in Some/Module.pm

use strict;

require Exporter;
use vars       qw($VERSION @ISA @EXPORT @EXPORT_OK %EXPORT_TAGS);

# set the version for version checking
$VERSION     = 0.01;

@ISA         = qw(Exporter);
@EXPORT      = qw(&func1 &func2 &func4);
%EXPORT_TAGS = ( );     # eg: TAG => [ qw!name1 name2! ],

# your exported package globals go here,
# as well as any optionally exported functions
@EXPORT_OK   = qw($Var1 %Hashit &func3);

use vars qw($Var1 %Hashit);
# non-exported package globals go here
use vars      qw(@more $stuff);

# initialize package globals, first exported ones
$Var1   = '';
%Hashit = ();

# then the others (which are still accessible as $Some::Module::stuff)
$stuff  = '';
@more   = ();

# all file-scoped lexicals must be created before
# the functions below that use them.

# file-private lexicals go here
my $priv_var    = '';
my %secret_hash = ();

# here's a file-private function as a closure,
# callable as &$priv_func.
my $priv_func = sub {
    # stuff goes here.
};

# make all your functions, whether exported or not;
# remember to put something interesting in the {} stubs
sub func1      { .... }    # no prototype
sub func2()    { .... }    # proto'd void
sub func3($$)  { .... }    # proto'd to 2 scalars

# this one isn't auto-exported, but could be called!
sub func4(\%)  { .... }    # proto'd to 1 hash ref

END { }       # module clean-up code here (global destructor)

1;