---
name: "File::ShareDir::Install"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-file-sharedir-install"
version: "0.14-6"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/File::ShareDir::Install"
---

# File::ShareDir::Install(3pm)

Install shared files

## NAME

File::ShareDir::Install - Install shared files

## VERSION

version 0.14

## SYNOPSIS

```
    use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
    use File::ShareDir::Install;
    install_share 'share';
    install_share dist => 'dist-share';
    install_share module => 'My::Module' => 'other-share';
    WriteMakefile( ... );       # As you normally would
    package MY;
    use File::ShareDir::Install qw(postamble);
```

## DESCRIPTION

File::ShareDir::Install allows you to install read-only data files from a distribution. It is a companion module to File::ShareDir, which allows you to locate these files after installation.

It is a port of Module::Install::Share to ExtUtils::MakeMaker with the improvement of only installing the files you want; `".svn"`, `".git"` and other source-control junk will be ignored.

Please note that this module installs read-only data files; empty directories will be ignored.

## EXPORT

### install\_share

```
    install_share $dir;
    install_share dist => $dir;
    install_share module => $module, $dir;
```

Causes all the files in `$dir` and its sub-directories to be installed into a per-dist or per-module share directory.  Must be called before `"WriteMakefile"`.

The first 2 forms are equivalent; the files are installed in a per-distribution directory.  For example `"/usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/auto/share/dist/My-Dist"`.  The name of that directory can be recovered with "dist\_dir" in File::ShareDir.

The last form installs files in a per-module directory.  For example `"/usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/auto/share/module/My-Dist-Package"`.  The name of that directory can be recovered with "module\_dir" in File::ShareDir.

The parameter `$dir` may be an array of directories.

The files will be installed when you run `"make install"`.  However, the list of files to install is generated when Makefile.PL is run.

Note that if you make multiple calls to `"install_share"` on different directories that contain the same filenames, the last of these calls takes precedence.  In other words, if you do:

```
    install_share 'share1';
    install_share 'share2';
```

And both `"share1"` and `"share2"` contain a file called `"info.txt"`, the file `"share2/info.txt"` will be installed into your `dist_dir()`.

### delete\_share

```
    delete_share $list;
    delete_share dist => $list;
    delete_share module => $module, $list;
```

Remove previously installed files or directories.

Unlike "install\_share", the last parameter is a list of files or directories that were previously installed.  These files and directories will be deleted when you run `"make install"`.

The parameter `$list` may be an array of files or directories.

Deletion happens in-order along with installation.  This means that you may delete all previously installed files by putting the following at the top of your Makefile.PL.

```
    delete_share '.';
```

You can also selectively remove some files from installation.

```
    install_share 'some-dir';
    if( ... ) {
        delete_share 'not-this-file.rc';
    }
```

### postamble

This function must be exported into the MY package.  You will normally do this with the following.

```
    package MY;
    use File::ShareDir::Install qw( postamble );
```

If you need to overload postamble, use the following.

```
    package MY;
    use File::ShareDir::Install;
    sub postamble {
        my $self = shift;
        my @ret = File::ShareDir::Install::postamble( $self );
        # ... add more things to @ret;
        return join "\n", @ret;
    }
```

## CONFIGURATION

Two variables control the handling of dot-files and dot-directories.

A dot-file has a filename that starts with a period (.).  For example `".htaccess"`. A dot-directory is a directory that starts with a period (.).  For example `".config/"`.  Not all filesystems support the use of dot-files.

### $INCLUDE\_DOTFILES

If set to a true value, dot-files will be copied.  Default is false.

### $INCLUDE\_DOTDIRS

If set to a true value, the files inside dot-directories will be copied. Known version control directories are still ignored.  Default is false.

### Note

These variables only influence subsequent calls to `install_share()`.  This allows you to control the behaviour for each directory.

For example:

```
    $INCLUDE_DOTDIRS = 1;
    install_share 'share1';
    $INCLUDE_DOTFILES = 1;
    $INCLUDE_DOTDIRS = 0;
    install_share 'share2';
```

The directory `"share1"` will have files in its dot-directories installed, but not dot-files.  The directory `"share2"` will have files in its dot-files installed, but dot-directories will be ignored.

## SEE ALSO

File::ShareDir, Module::Install.

## SUPPORT

Bugs may be submitted through the RT bug tracker \<https://rt.cpan.org/Public/Dist/Display.html?Name=File-ShareDir-Install\> (or bug-File-ShareDir-Install@rt.cpan.org \<mailto:bug-File-ShareDir-Install@rt.cpan.org\>).

## AUTHOR

Philip Gwyn \<gwyn@cpan.org\>

## CONTRIBUTORS

- •

  Karen Etheridge \<ether@cpan.org\>

- •

  Shoichi Kaji \<skaji@cpan.org\>

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is copyright (c) 2009 by Philip Gwyn.

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