---
name: "ExtUtils::Builder::Action"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libextutils-builder-perl"
version: "0.017-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ExtUtils::Builder::Action"
---

# ExtUtils::Builder::Action(3pm)

The ExtUtils::Builder Action role

## NAME

ExtUtils::Builder::Action - The ExtUtils::Builder Action role

## VERSION

version 0.017

## SYNOPSIS

```
 $_->execute for @actions;

 open my $script, '>', 'foo.sh';
 print $script shell_quote(@{$_}) for map { $_->to_command } @actions;
```

## DESCRIPTION

Actions are the cornerstone of the ExtUtils::Builder framework. They provide an interface between build tools (ExtUtils::MakeMaker, Module::Build) and building extensions. This allows both sides to be completely independent from each other. It is a flexible abstraction around pieces of work, this work can be a piece of perl code, an external command, a mix of those or possibly other things.

## OVERVIEW

An action can be consumed in many ways. It can be `"execute"`d, which is often the simplest way to deal with them. It can be serialized to commands that can be passed on to system or strings that can be `"eval"`led. If a consumer can deal with multiple of these, the `"preference"` method can be used to choose between options. On composite actions, `"flatten"` can be called to retrieve the constituent actions, on primitive actions it's just an identity operator. This is particularly useful before calling preference, because different sub-actions are likely to have different preferences.

## METHODS

### execute(%arguments)

Execute this action immediately. This may throw an exception on errors, but doesn't otherwise return anything. `%arguments` may be used by the command.

- •

  quiet

  If true, this suppresses logging.

### to\_command(%options)

Convert the action into a set of platform appropriate commands. It returns a list of array-refs, each array-ref being an individual command that can be passes to `"system"` or equivalent. `%options` can influence how something is serialized in action-type specific ways, but shouldn't fundamentally affect the action that is performed. All options are optional.

- perl

  This contains the path to the current perl interpreter.

- config

  This should contain an ExtUtils::Config object, or equivalent.

### to\_code(%options)

This returns a list of strings that can be evalled to sub-refs. `%options` can influence how something is serialized in action-type specific ways, but shouldn't fundamentally affect the action that is performed.

### to\_code\_hash(%options)

This returns a list of hashes that can be used to create Action::Code objects.

### preference(@possibilities)

This action returns the favored out of `@possibilities`. Valid values are `"execute"`, `"code"`, `"command"`, `"flatten"`. If no arguments are given, the favorite from all valid values is given.

### flatten

This action returns all actions behind this action. It may return itself, it may return a long list of actions, it may even return an empty list.

## AUTHOR

Leon Timmermans \<fawaka@gmail.com\>

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is copyright (c) 2013 by Leon Timmermans.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.