NAME

perlpoint - a very general PerlPoint converter, using the generator interface

VERSION

This manual describes version 0.03.

DESCRIPTION

This general converter translates PerlPoint in any target language you have PerlPoint::Generator subclasses installed for.

These classes can be installed in the usual Perl library pathes or in a template. To get a list of available generators in the Perl path, call this script with option "-generators". To see if a template provides an additional generator, scan its "lib" subdirectory.

Usually, if you are working with a template, just start the converter as described below. If there are libraries missing it will be notified.

SYNOPSIS

perlpoint [<options>] <PerlPoint sources>

Options

All options can be abbreviated uniqly.

Please note that there are more options than described below. "perlpoint" just defines bootstrap options. For a complete option list please call "perlpoint" with "-help" and the appropriate "-target", "-formatter" and "-template" options, the help displayed will be adapted to this call.

-help

displays a help and terminates. The help adapts itself to further options, so for best results it is recommended to enter all options that are intended to used, and to add "-help" additionally.

-target <format>

The format that should be produced. The argument is automatically uppercased.

To produce a format "FORMAT", "PerlPoint::Generator::FORMAT" needs to be installed.

 Examples:

  -format sdf
  -format HTML

-formatter

The generator type to be used. This setting chooses a formatter for the target format.

 -formatter nice

Formatter names can be build hierarchically, delimiting hierarchy levels by double colons:

 -formatter nice::impression

The arguments first letter of each hierarchy level is automatically uppercased.

 -formatter nice::impression is equivalent to
 -formatter Nice::Impression.

To produce a format "FORMAT" using a formatter "Nice", "PerlPoint::Generator::FORMAT::Nice" needs to be installed.

This option defaults to "Default". By convention there is a "Default" formatter for each supported target format.

-styledir

The directory to be searched for styles. Defaults to the start directory.

-style

The layout to be used. A layout defines the result format.

-version

displays the current program version and the versions of generator, formatter and template modules that are loaded according to the remaining options.

Option files

Options may be loaded from files where they are stored exactly as you write them in the command line, but may be spread to several lines and extended by comment lines which start with a "#" character. To mark an option file in the commandline, simply enter its (path and) name prededed by a "@" character, for example

  perlpoint @myOptions ppfile

  where the file myOptions could look like

  # suppress infos
  -noinfo

Option files may be nested. To avoid endless recursion, every option file is resolved only the first time it is detected.

  # this is an option file which
  # refers to another option file
  -noinfo @moreOptions

The script also takes care of default option files which means that usual options can be stored in files named ".perlpoint". If such a file is placed in the directory where the script itself resides, options in the file are read in automatically by all perlpoint calls. These are global settings. If you place such a file in your home directory, it is read automatically as well but only if perlpoint is called under your account, so this is for personal preferences.

A personal default option file overwrites global settings, and all default options are overwritten by options passed to the script call.

ENVIRONMENT

NOTES

FILES

AUTHOR

This script is free software, you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the Artistic License distributed with Perl version 5.003 or (at your option) any later version. Please refer to the Artistic License that came with your Perl distribution for more details.

The Artistic License should have been included in your distribution of Perl. It resides in the file named "Artistic" at the top-level of the Perl source tree (where Perl was downloaded/unpacked - ask your system administrator if you dont know where this is). Alternatively, the current version of the Artistic License distributed with Perl can be viewed on-line on the World-Wide Web (WWW) from the following URL: http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html.

DISCLAIMER

This software is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but is provided "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either expressed or implied, INCLUDING, without limitation, the implied warranties of MERCHANTABILITY and FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

The ENTIRE RISK as to the quality and performance of the software IS WITH YOU (the holder of the software). Should the software prove defective, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

IN NO EVENT WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY CREATE, MODIFY, OR DISTRIBUTE THE SOFTWARE BE LIABLE OR RESPONSIBLE TO YOU OR TO ANY OTHER ENTITY FOR ANY KIND OF DAMAGES (no matter how awful - not even if they arise from known or unknown flaws in the software).

Please refer to the Artistic License that came with your Perl distribution for more details.