---
name: "Object::AUTHORITY"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libobject-authority-perl"
version: "0.004-1"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Object::AUTHORITY"
---

# Object::AUTHORITY(3pm)

adds an AUTHORITY method to your class

## NAME

Object::AUTHORITY - adds an AUTHORITY method to your class

## SYNOPSIS

```
 {
   package MyClass;
   use Object::AUTHORITY;
   BEGIN {
     $MyClass::AUTHORITY = 'cpan:TOBYINK';
     $MyClass::VERSION   = '0.001';
   }
 }

 print MyClass->AUTHORITY . "\n";   # prints "cpan:TOBYINK\n";
 MyClass->AUTHORITY('cpan:FOO');    # assertion fails, croaks.
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module adds an `"AUTHORITY"` function to your package, which works along the same lines as the `"VERSION"` function.

The authority of a package can be defined like this:

```
 package MyApp;
 BEGIN { $MyApp::AUTHORITY = 'cpan:JOEBLOGGS'; }
```

The authority should be a URI identifying the person, team, organisation or trained chimp responsible for the release of the package. The pseudo-URI scheme `"cpan:"` is the most commonly used identifier.

### "AUTHORITY"

Called with no parameters returns the authority of the module.

### "AUTHORITY($test)"

If passed a test, will croak if the test fails. The authority is tested against the test using something approximating Perl 5.10's smart match operator. (Briefly, you can pass a string for `"eq"` comparison, a regular expression, a code reference to use as a callback, or an array reference that will be grepped.)

### Utility Function

- "Object::AUTHORITY::reasonably\_smart\_match($a, $b)"

  Object::AUTHORITY exposes its smart match implementation in case classes wish to reuse it for their own custom `"AUTHORITY"` methods. (There are various interesting use cases for custom `"AUTHORITY"` methods, just as there are for custom `"can"` and `"isa"` methods.)

  The `$a` parameter is always assumed to be a simple scalar.

## BUGS

Please report any bugs to http://rt.cpan.org/Dist/Display.html?Queue=Object-AUTHORITY \<http://rt.cpan.org/Dist/Display.html?Queue=Object-AUTHORITY\>.

## SEE ALSO

- •

  *Object::AUTHORITY* (this module) - an AUTHORITY method for your class

- •

  authority::shared - a more sophisticated AUTHORITY method for your class

- •

  UNIVERSAL::AUTHORITY - an AUTHORITY method for every class (deprecated)

- •

  UNIVERSAL::AUTHORITY::Lexical - an AUTHORITY method for every class, within a lexical scope

- •

  authority - load modules only if they have a particular authority

Background reading: \<http://feather.perl6.nl/syn/S11.html\>, \<http://www.perlmonks.org/?node\_id=694377\>.

## AUTHOR

Toby Inkster \<tobyink@cpan.org\>.

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE

This software is copyright (c) 2011 by Toby Inkster.

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

## DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

THIS PACKAGE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.