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https://github.com/mklement0/perli
Multi-platform Perl REPL
https://github.com/mklement0/perli
interactive learning-by-doing perl5 repl shell unix windows
Last synced: 16 days ago
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Multi-platform Perl REPL
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/mklement0/perli
- Owner: mklement0
- Created: 2015-09-15T14:26:17.000Z (over 9 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2024-12-06T15:59:07.000Z (2 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-16T10:23:57.340Z (23 days ago)
- Topics: interactive, learning-by-doing, perl5, repl, shell, unix, windows
- Language: Perl
- Homepage:
- Size: 2.19 MB
- Stars: 40
- Watchers: 6
- Forks: 6
- Open Issues: 2
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- License: LICENSE.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
[](https://npmjs.com/package/perli) [](https://github.com/mklement0/perli/blob/master/LICENSE.md)
**Contents**
- [perli — introduction](#perli-mdash-introduction)
- [Examples](#examples)
- [Startup and help](#startup-and-help)
- [Automatic printing of results, use as a calculator](#automatic-printing-of-results-use-as-a-calculator)
- [Inspecting a variable](#inspecting-a-variable)
- [Inspecting regular-expression matches](#inspecting-regular-expression-matches)
- [Looking up Perl documentation](#looking-up-perl-documentation)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Supported platforms and prerequisites](#supported-platforms-and-prerequisites)
- [Installation from the npm registry](#installation-from-the-npm-registry)
- [Manual installation](#manual-installation)
- [Unix-like platforms](#unix-like-platforms)
- [Windows](#windows)
- [Usage](#usage)
- [License](#license)
- [Acknowledgements](#acknowledgements)
- [npm dependencies](#npm-dependencies)
- [Changelog](#changelog)
# perli — introduction
`perli` is a **multi-platform [Perl](https://www.perl.org/) [REPL (read-eval-print-loop)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read%E2%80%93eval%E2%80%93print%20loop)**
for interactive experimentation with Perl code, convenient documentation lookups, and quick computations.
On Unix-like platforms, `perli` makes use of the [`rlwrap` utility](https://github.com/hanslub42/rlwrap) to provide
command-line editing support, persistent command history, and tab-completion;
see the [Installation](#installation) chapter below.
See the examples below, concise [usage information](#usage) further below,
or read the [manual](doc/perli.md).
# Examples
## Startup and help
Once you enter `perli`, use `?` for help.
## Automatic printing of results, use as a calculator
Results of expressions are automatically printed, which makes `perli` handy
as an interactive calculator:
Results are printed with the `Data::Dumper` core Perl module, which means
that they are reusable as input.
## Inspecting a variable
The following example inspects the special `%INC` variable, which contains the
list of loaded modules. Note the first entry, which is `perli`'s own (optional)
initialization file.
The `\` prefix here is not strictly necessary, but ensures that the hashtable is
printed in prettier form.
## Inspecting regular-expression matches
`perli` provides the `.remi` (for *r*egular-*e*xpression *m*atch *i*nfo)
command, which, in addition to an expression's own result, prints the values
of the special variables that Perl maintains about the most recent successful
regex match:
## Looking up Perl documentation
Invoking documentation overlays the REPL temporarily, as a `man` page would
(not shown here).
By default, `perli` tries to guess the _type_ of the element to look up, and
invokes `perldoc` behind the scenes accordingly.
* Prefix form
The following is the equivalent of `perldoc perlrun`:
* Postfix form
This form is handy for lookups while you're in the middle of typing an expression.
The following is the equivalen of `perldoc -f split`:
* Explicit-options form
If the "fuzzy" default lookup doesn't find anything, or shows the wrong page,
you can use the prefix form with explicit `perldoc` options.
The following example searches the FAQs (`-q`) for the term `while` (the default
lookup would have looked for the _keyword_).
# Installation
## Supported platforms and prerequisites
`perli` runs on **Linux**, **macOS**, **Windows**, and - as @matheusfillipe assures me - on **Android**, with **Perl v5.6.2 or higher** installed.
Using the manual installation process detailed below, `perli` may work on other Unix-like platforms too.
On Unix-like platforms, `perli` makes use of the `rlwrap` utility, if present,
to provide command-line editing support, persistent command history,
and simple tab completion.
On Windows, `rlwrap` is not available, unfortunately, but you do get
in-session history and basic command-line editing out of the box (but no
tab-completion).
You can install `rlwrap` as follows:
* Debian-based Linux distros such as Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install rlwrap
* Fedora:
sudo yum install rlwrap
* macOS, via [Homebrew](http://brew.sh):
brew install rlwrap
* Unix-emulation environments for Windows:
* Cygwin (Windows):
Re-run Cygwin's `setup*.exe` and install
`Utils` > `rlwrap and Base` > `libreadline*`
* MSYS / MinGW / Git Bash (Windows):
Sadly, `rlwrap` is not offered. The next best thing is to use a
native Windows Perl version, with which you get at least basic command-line
editing and in-session history:
Deactivate the Unix Perl with `mv /bin/perl /bin/perl.inactive`
and install [Strawberry Perl](http://strawberryperl.com/)
* All others: see [`rlwrap`'s homepage](https://github.com/hanslub42/rlwrap)
## Installation from the npm registry
Note: Even if you don't use Node.js, its package manager, `npm`, works across platforms and is easy to install; try [`curl -L http://git.io/n-install | bash`](https://github.com/mklement0/n-install)
With [Node.js](http://nodejs.org/) or [io.js](https://iojs.org/) installed, install [the package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/perli) as follows:
[sudo] npm install perli -g
**Note**:
* Whether you need `sudo` depends on how you installed Node.js / io.js and whether you've [changed permissions later](https://docs.npmjs.com/getting-started/fixing-npm-permissions); if you get an `EACCES` error, try again with `sudo`.
* The `-g` ensures [_global_ installation](https://docs.npmjs.com/getting-started/installing-npm-packages-globally) and is needed to put `perli` in your system's `$PATH`.
## Manual installation
### Unix-like platforms
* Download [the CLI](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mklement0/perli/stable/bin/perli) as `perli`.
* Make it executable with `chmod +x perli`.
* Move it or symlink it to a folder in your `$PATH`, such as `/usr/local/bin` (macOS) or `/usr/bin` (Linux).
### Windows
* Download [the CLI](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mklement0/perli/stable/bin/perli) as `perli.pl`.
* Either move `perli.pl` itself into a folder in your `%PATH%`, or write a
wrapper batch file named `perli.cmd` that invokes it.
# Usage
Find brief usage information below; for complete documentation, once installed, run `man perli` (`perli --man` on Windows and if installed manually), or read the [manual online](doc/perli.md).
```nohighlight
$ perli --help
A simple, convenient Perl REPL for interactive experimentation.
perli []
--norc skips loading of the initialization file
The following Perl options are also supported:
-M (repeatable) load a module and import its defaults,
or activate a pragma (-M- deactivates)
-m (repeatable) load a module without importing
-I (repeatable) prepend to module search path (@INC)
Initialization file is ~/.perli_rc
Standard options: --help, --man, --version, --home
```
# License
Copyright (c) 2015-2021 Michael Klement (http://same2u.net), released under the [MIT license](https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT#licenseText).
## Acknowledgements
This project gratefully depends on the following open-source components, according to the terms of their respective licenses.
[npm](https://www.npmjs.com/) dependencies below have optional suffixes denoting the type of dependency; the *absence* of a suffix denotes a required *run-time* dependency: `(D)` denotes a *development-time-only* dependency, `(O)` an *optional* dependency, and `(P)` a *peer* dependency.
## npm dependencies
* [doctoc (D)]()
* [json (D)](https://github.com/trentm/json)
* [marked-man (D)](https://github.com/kapouer/marked-man#readme)
* [replace (D)]()
* [semver (D)](https://github.com/npm/node-semver#readme)
* [tap (D)](http://www.node-tap.org/)
* [urchin (D)](https://git.sdf.org/tlevine/urchin)
# Changelog
Versioning complies with [semantic versioning (semver)](http://semver.org/).
* **[v0.1.6](https://github.com/mklement0/perli/compare/v0.1.5...v0.1.6)** (2021-04-30):
* [enhancement] Package is now installable on Android too, where @matheusfillipe assures me that `perli` works too (tip of the hat for the PR).
* **[v0.1.5](https://github.com/mklement0/perli/compare/v0.1.4...v0.1.5)** (2021-02-23):
* [fix] Compatibility with `rlwrap` version 0.45, which in combination with Perl's `exec` function caused a breaking change.
* **[v0.1.4](https://github.com/mklement0/perli/compare/v0.1.3...v0.1.4)** (2019-02-11):
* [fix] Ammends v0.1.3 to auto-flush stderr too.
* **[v0.1.3](https://github.com/mklement0/perli/compare/v0.1.2...v0.1.3)** (2019-02-11):
* [enhancement] Auto-flushing of stdout activated to support invocation from editors such as [neovim](https://github.com/neovim/neovim) - fixes #4
* **[v0.1.2](https://github.com/mklement0/perli/compare/v0.1.1...v0.1.2)** (2015-09-30):
* [fix] Fixed inability to define global variables (without `my`) in older Perl versions (e.g., v5.14).
* **[v0.1.1](https://github.com/mklement0/perli/compare/v0.1.0...v0.1.1)** (2015-09-24):
* Project-status corrected in read-me.
* **v0.1.0** (2015-09-24):
* Initial release.