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CPAN Phase 6: Enable CPAN.pm for pure Perl module installation#316

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fglock merged 17 commits into
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feature/cpan-phase6
Mar 14, 2026
Merged

CPAN Phase 6: Enable CPAN.pm for pure Perl module installation#316
fglock merged 17 commits into
masterfrom
feature/cpan-phase6

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@fglock fglock commented Mar 14, 2026 •
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Summary

This PR implements Phase 6 of CPAN client support for PerlOnJava, enabling CPAN.pm to install pure Perl modules.

Completed

  • Safe.pm stub

    • Created minimal Safe.pm that uses regular eval with no strict 'vars'
    • Sufficient for CPAN.pm which uses Safe to evaluate trusted metadata (CHECKSUMS files)
    • Methods: new(), reval(), permit(), deny(), etc.

  • Import CPAN.pm

    • Added CPAN.pm and all CPAN/* submodules via sync.pl
    • Added CPAN::Meta, CPAN::Meta::YAML, CPAN::Meta::Requirements
    • Added Parse::CPAN::Meta

  • Parser fixes for CPAN.pm compatibility

    • File test operators with function call operands (-f func())
    • Block argument parsing for undefined functions (func { } @args)
    • File test with qualified package names (-f CPAN::find_perl)
    • File test with empty parentheses (-f()) now correctly uses $_

  • Regex character class fixes

    • Ranges like [A-Z-0-9] now parse correctly (trailing hyphen after range is literal)
    • POSIX class followed by hyphen [[:digit:]-[:alpha:]] now works correctly

  • Try::Tiny compatibility

    • try and catch only treated as keywords when use feature 'try' is enabled
    • Without the feature flag, they work as regular subroutines (Try::Tiny works)

  • Cross-platform Cwd support

    • Added Internals::getcwd and Internals::abs_path in Java
    • Uses System.getProperty("user.dir") and File.getCanonicalPath()
    • Works reliably on Windows without shell fallbacks

  • POSIX :sys_wait_h export tag

Working Example

./jperl -MCPAN -e 'CPAN::Shell->install("Try::Tiny")'
# Downloads, validates checksums, installs to ~/.perlonjava/lib/

Remaining Items (documented in dev/design/cpan_client.md)

  1. Version parsing - "Error while parsing version number" warnings
  2. ExtUtils::MakeMaker Makefile output (cosmetic - installation works)
  3. YAML.pm version warning (cosmetic)
  4. Module::Build support (future Phase 6b)
  5. jcpan wrapper script (future Phase 6e)

Test Plan

  • ./jperl -MSafe -e 'print Safe->new->reval("1+1")' prints 2
  • ./jperl -MCPAN -e 'print $CPAN::VERSION' prints version
  • ./jperl -MCPAN -e 'CPAN::Shell->install("Try::Tiny")' installs module
  • ./jperl -MTry::Tiny -e 'print "OK"' works after install
  • CI passes on both Ubuntu and Windows
  • No test regressions (comp/require.t, op/stat.t, re/regexp.t all restored)

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fglock and others added 6 commits March 14, 2026 10:44
@fglock
CPAN Phase 6: Add Safe.pm stub and import CPAN.pm (WIP)
ae97ca0 
Phase 6a: Safe.pm stub
- Created Safe.pm stub that uses regular eval instead of sandboxing
- Sufficient for CPAN.pm which uses Safe to eval trusted metadata

Phase 6c: Import CPAN.pm and dependencies
- Added CPAN.pm and all CPAN/* modules via sync.pl
- Added CPAN::Meta, CPAN::Meta::YAML, CPAN::Meta::Requirements
- Added Parse::CPAN::Meta

Other changes:
- Import original Cwd.pm from perl5 (has pure Perl fallbacks)
- Created stub Cwd.java for XSLoader compatibility
- Fixed parser bug: -f ($x = $path) now parses correctly
  (file test operators with assignment inside parentheses)

Still needed:
- POSIX :sys_wait_h export tag
- Module::Build stub
- Try::Tiny compatibility shim
- Testing and documentation

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Add POSIX :sys_wait_h export tag
67d2473 
CPAN::Distribution uses `use POSIX ':sys_wait_h'` but only `wait_h` was
defined. Added `sys_wait_h` as an alias.

Known blocking issues for CPAN.pm:
- JVM bytecode error with `-f func()` patterns (ASM frame computation)
- `Package::Name::func { block }` needs module loaded for prototype

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Fix parser bugs for CPAN.pm compatibility
e72f852 
1. Fix file test operators with function call operands (-f func())
   - Store operand in local variable before pushing operator string
   - Avoids ASM stack frame computation errors at merge points

2. Fix block argument parsing for undefined functions (func { } @Args)
   - When function is not yet defined and followed by {, use &@ prototype
   - Matches Perl5 behavior: { } after function call is treated as block

3. Fix file test with qualified package names (-f CPAN::find_perl)
   - Do not treat identifier as bareword filehandle if followed by ::
   - Allows parsing of qualified subroutine calls in file test operands

These fixes enable loading CPAN.pm which uses all three patterns.

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Fix regex character class ranges and Safe.pm for CPAN.pm
0e83021 
1. Fix character class range parsing [A-Z-0-9]
   - After completing a range like A-Z, skip range end char to prevent
     Z-0 from being interpreted as another (invalid) range
   - Both ExtendedCharClass.java and RegexPreprocessorHelper.java fixed
   - Matches Perl5 behavior: [A-Z-0-9] means A-Z, literal hyphen, and 0-9

2. Fix Safe::reval() to work with CHECKSUMS files
   - Wrap eval code with 'no strict vars' to allow package variables
   - CHECKSUMS files use $cksum without declaration

These fixes enable CPAN.pm to validate CHECKSUMS files and install modules.

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Gate try/catch keywords by 'use feature "try"'
fbb1a6e 
try and catch are only keywords when 'use feature "try"' is enabled.
Without this feature, they are treated as regular subroutines,
allowing Try::Tiny to work correctly.

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Update CPAN Phase 6 progress in design document
e0a15ac 
- Document Safe.pm stub, parser fixes, regex fixes
- Document try/catch feature gating for Try::Tiny compatibility
- List remaining items: version parsing, Makefile output, YAML, Module::Build
- Update resolved questions

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@fglock fglock changed the title CPAN Phase 6: Safe.pm stub and CPAN.pm import (WIP) CPAN Phase 6: Enable CPAN.pm for pure Perl module installation Mar 14, 2026
fglock and others added 4 commits March 14, 2026 12:00
@fglock
Add MM->parse_version, maybe_command, and stub Makefile for CPAN.pm
0aa88c1 
- ExtUtils::MM: Add platform selection (MM_Unix vs MM_Win32) and MM alias
- ExtUtils::MM_Unix: parse_version using regex extraction, maybe_command
- ExtUtils::MM_Win32: Windows-specific maybe_command with PATHEXT support
- ExtUtils::MakeMaker: Generate stub Makefile for CPAN.pm compatibility

This enables CPAN.pm to successfully install pure Perl modules:
  ./jperl -MCPAN -e 'CPAN::Shell->notest("install", "Try::Tiny")'

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Add fork fallback for CPAN.pm test running
20c5823 
CPAN::Distribution now checks $Config{d_fork} and falls back to
system() when fork is unavailable. This enables `make test` to work
on PerlOnJava without the contention loop.

Tests now run directly without fork, which means:
- No timeout handling for hung tests
- No signal-based test cancellation
- Works for normal test scenarios

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Add local *{$name} support and fix return aliasing bug
03acb93 
Interpreter:
- Add LOCAL_GLOB_DYNAMIC opcode for dynamic glob localization
- Implement executeLocalGlobDynamic in InlineOpcodeHandler
- Add compiler and disassembly support

JVM backend:
- Fix return value aliasing bug with local variables
- Add cloneScalars() to RuntimeList to copy values before local teardown
- Track usesLocal flag in JavaClassInfo to only clone when needed
- Conditionally clone return values in handleReturnOperator

Other fixes:
- Increase YAML::PP code point limit from 3MB to 50MB for large CPAN metadata

Tests:
- Add local_glob_dynamic.t with 10 tests for dynamic glob localization

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Add Internals::getcwd for cross-platform Cwd.pm support
4344f5e 
The Perl Cwd.pm uses shell-based fallbacks (cd via backticks) on
Windows which do not work correctly in PerlOnJava. By providing
Internals::getcwd, the Cwd.pm module will detect and use this native
Java implementation instead.

This fixes the Windows CI failures in cwd.t, directory.t, and related
tests that depend on Cwd functionality.

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock fglock force-pushed the feature/cpan-phase6 branch 3 times, most recently from 694b037 to 7709695 Compare March 14, 2026 11:57
@fglock
Fix Cwd.pm to use Internals::getcwd when available
4799516 
The METHOD_MAP on Windows was aliasing cwd/getcwd/fastcwd/fastgetcwd to
_NT_cwd (which uses shell backticks) before checking for Internals::getcwd.
This caused these functions to return empty on Windows because the shell
fallback does not work in PerlOnJava.

Changes:
- Skip all cwd-related METHOD_MAP assignments when Internals::getcwd is defined
- Explicitly define cwd/fastcwd/fastgetcwd to use Internals::getcwd
- This ensures proper cross-platform behavior without shell dependencies

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@fglock fglock force-pushed the feature/cpan-phase6 branch from 7709695 to 4799516 Compare March 14, 2026 12:01
fglock and others added 6 commits March 14, 2026 13:09
@fglock
Add Internals::abs_path for cross-platform path resolution
5426625 
The Windows CI test failure showed that abs_path was returning paths
with a trailing backslash-dot instead of resolving the dot component.
This adds Internals::abs_path using Java File.getCanonicalPath which
properly resolves . and .. components on all platforms.

Cwd.pm now uses both Internals::getcwd and Internals::abs_path when
available, providing reliable path handling without shell fallbacks.

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Register Internals::abs_path method for proper discovery
709934b 
The abs_path method was defined but not registered with registerMethod(),
so it wasn't discoverable from Perl code. This adds the registration
so Cwd.pm can detect and use the Java implementation.

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Fix file test with empty parentheses and Cwd.pm XSLoader issue
a4fd79d 
Two regressions fixed:

1. Parser: -f() with empty parentheses now correctly uses $_ as default
   The hasParenthesis branch was calling parseExpression(0) even when
   the next token was ), causing a syntax error.

2. Cwd.pm: Move Internals::getcwd/abs_path setup BEFORE the XSLoader
   check (line 80) to prevent XSLoader from being loaded. Since
   DynaLoader::boot_DynaLoader is defined in PerlOnJava, Cwd.pm was
   trying to load XSLoader.pm which doesn't exist.

This restores:
- comp/require.t: 51 -> 1743 passing tests
- op/stat.t: 0 -> 64 passing tests

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Fix regex POSIX class followed by hyphen in character class
ae1ee2d 
Pattern like [[:digit:]-[:alpha:]] should match digits, literal hyphen,
and alpha chars. The previous fix for [A-Z-0-9] incorrectly treated
the hyphen before a POSIX class as a range operator.

Two fixes:
1. When processing '-', check if next char is start of POSIX class
   ([ followed by :) and treat the hyphen as literal if so
2. After processing a POSIX class, set lastChar = -1 since POSIX
   classes can't be range endpoints

This restores re/regexp.t test 937 which tests [[:digit:]-[:alpha:]].

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock
Remove Cwd.pm from sync config to preserve customizations
bb69302 
Our Cwd.pm integrates with Internals::getcwd and Internals::abs_path
for cross-platform support. The upstream version would overwrite these
customizations and try to load XSLoader which doesn't exist.

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@fglock
Protect CPAN/Distribution.pm from sync overwrite
1ff15a3 
Distribution.pm has a fork fallback for PerlOnJava since fork() is not
implemented. The protected flag ensures sync.pl won't overwrite this
customization when updating from upstream perl5.

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Co-Authored-By: Devin <noreply@cognition.ai>
@fglock fglock merged commit 7fc13ee into master Mar 14, 2026
2 checks passed
@fglock fglock deleted the feature/cpan-phase6 branch March 14, 2026 13:32
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@fglock