---
name: "ExtUtils::PkgConfig"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-extutils-pkgconfig"
version: "1.16-15"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ExtUtils::PkgConfig"
---

# ExtUtils::PkgConfig(3pm)

simplistic interface to pkg-config

## NAME

ExtUtils::PkgConfig - simplistic interface to pkg-config

## SYNOPSIS

```
 use ExtUtils::PkgConfig;
 $package = 'gtk+-2.0';
 %pkg_info = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->find ($package);
 print "modversion:  $pkg_info{modversion}\n";
 print "cflags:      $pkg_info{cflags}\n";
 print "libs:        $pkg_info{libs}\n";
 $exists = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->exists($package);
 $modversion = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->modversion($package);
 $libs = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->libs($package);
 $cflags = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->cflags($package);
 $cflags_only_I = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->cflags_only_I($package);
 $cflags_only_other = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->cflags_only_other($package);
 $libs_only_L = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->libs_only_L($package);
 $libs_only_l = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->libs_only_l($package);
 $libs_only_other = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->libs_only_other($package);
 $static_libs = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->static_libs($package);
 $var_value = ExtUtils::PkgConfig->variable($package, $var);
 if (ExtUtils::PkgConfig->atleast_version($package,$version)) {
    ...
 }
 if (ExtUtils::PkgConfig->exact_version($package,$version)) {
    ...
 }
 if (ExtUtils::PkgConfig->max_version($package,$version)) {
    ...
 }
```

## DESCRIPTION

The pkg-config program retrieves information about installed libraries, usually for the purposes of compiling against and linking to them.

ExtUtils::PkgConfig is a very simplistic interface to this utility, intended for use in the Makefile.PL of perl extensions which bind libraries that pkg-config knows.  It is really just boilerplate code that you would've written yourself.

### USAGE

- HASH = ExtUtils::PkgConfig-\>find (STRING, \[STRING, ...\])

  Call pkg-config on the library specified by *STRING* (you'll have to know what to use here).  The returned *HASH* contains the modversion, cflags, and libs values under keys with those names. If multiple STRINGS are passed they are attempted in the order they are given till a working package is found.

  If pkg-config fails to find a working *STRING*, this function croaks with a message intended to be helpful to whomever is attempting to compile your package.

  For example:

  ```
    *** can not find package bad1
    *** check that it is properly installed and available
    *** in PKG_CONFIG_PATH
  ```

  or

  ```
    *** can't find cflags for gtk+-2.0
    *** is it properly installed and available in PKG_CONFIG_PATH?
  ```

- STRING = ExtUtils::PkgConfig-\>create\_version\_macros (PACKAGE, STEM)

  Create a set of version macros with the prefix *STEM* for the library specified by *PACKAGE*.  The result is returned.

  Example input would be "gtk+-2.0" for *PACKAGE* and "GTK" for *STEM*.

- ExtUtils::PkgConfig-\>write\_version\_macros (FILE, PACKAGE, STEM, \[PACKAGE, STEM, ...\])

  Create one or more sets of version macros for the libraries and prefixes specified by the *PACKAGE* and *STEM* pairs and write them to the file *FILE*.  If it doesn't exist, *FILE* will be created.  If it does exist, it will be overwritten.

## SEE ALSO

ExtUtils::PkgConfig was designed to work with ExtUtils::Depends for compiling the various modules of the gtk2-perl project.

```
  L<ExtUtils::Depends>
  L<http://gtk2-perl.sourceforge.net/>
```

This module is really just an interface to the pkg-config utility program. http://www.freedesktop.org/Software/pkgconfig

## AUTHORS

muppet \<scott at asofyet dot org\>.

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright 2003-2004, 2012-2013 by muppet, Ross McFarland, and the gtk2-perl team

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the Lesser General Public License (LGPL).  For more information, see http://www.fsf.org/licenses/lgpl.txt