Bug #57982 for CPAN: Could prereqs be ignored if tests pass?

Sun May 30 21:19:43 2010 sprout [...] cpan.org - Ticket created

Subject:	Could prereqs be ignored if tests pass?
Date:	Sun, 30 May 2010 18:19:33 -0700
To:	bug-CPAN [...] rt.cpan.org
From:	Father Chrysostomos <sprout [...] cpan.org>

CPAN.pm 1.94_56 I tried installing 1.94_57. It says it requires File::HomeDir, but the latter’s tests failed. CPAN’s tests passed anyway, but it wouldn’t install (‘one dependency not OK’). This causes problems for a plan I had for the next version of one of my modules: It requires that one of two modules be installed, but it doesn’t matter which. One of them is preferable to the other, but is harder to install (more likely to fail). So I was hoping to list both under the prerequisites and have it just work. But now I know that CPAN.pm won’t install it? Is it possible to make CPAN.pm ignore the prerequisites if the tests pass? Or is there another solution to this case. (FYI, the two modules are JE and JavaScript. The module that will rely on one or the other is WWW::Scripter::Plugin::JavaScript.)

Mon May 31 00:33:13 2010 ANDK [...] cpan.org - Correspondence added

If the user says Show quoted text

cpan> force install ...

then all test results are ignored and installation happens (if possible). This is intended for the case when the user knows that he really wants that so may well work in your case when you 'force install CPAN'. But it is not something to recommend to the enduser because it kind of voids the warranty. For the other case with a set of substitutable dependencies I would check in the Makefile.PL which of them are installed and nominate one of the installed as dependency. If none is installed nominate the easiest one and document that the others are alternatives. Works fur you?

Mon May 31 00:33:14 2010 The RT System itself - Status changed from 'new' to 'open'

Mon May 31 01:01:01 2010 sprout [...] cpan.org - Correspondence added

Subject:	Re: [rt.cpan.org #57982] Could prereqs be ignored if tests pass?
Date:	Sun, 30 May 2010 22:00:50 -0700
To:	bug-CPAN [...] rt.cpan.org
From:	Father Chrysostomos <sprout [...] cpan.org>

Thank you for your helpful answer. But I was hoping it could be made more automatic than documenting the alternatives.... On May 30, 2010, at 9:33 PM, Andreas Koenig via RT wrote: Show quoted text

> <URL: https://rt.cpan.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=57982 > > > If the user says >

> cpan> force install ...

> > then all test results are ignored and installation happens (if > possible). This is intended for the case when the user knows that he > really wants that so may well work in your case when you 'force > install > CPAN'. But it is not something to recommend to the enduser because it > kind of voids the warranty. > > For the other case with a set of substitutable dependencies I would > check in the Makefile.PL which of them are installed and nominate > one of > the installed as dependency. If none is installed nominate the easiest > one and document that the others are alternatives. > > Works fur you?