---
name: "lib::abs"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "liblib-abs-perl"
version: "0.95-2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/lib::abs"
---

# lib::abs(3pm)

"lib" that makes relative path absolute to caller.

## NAME

lib::abs - "lib" that makes relative path absolute to caller.

## SYNOPSIS

Simple use like `"use lib ..."`:

```
        use lib::abs qw(./mylibs1 ../mylibs2);
        use lib::abs 'mylibs';

        # if your path may not exists and it is ok, then:
        use lib::abs -soft => qw(./mylibs1 ../mylibs2);
```

Extended syntax (glob)

```
        use lib::abs 'modules/*/lib';
```

There are also may be used helper function from lib::abs (see example/ex4):

```
        use lib::abs;
        # ...
        my $path = lib::abs::path('../path/relative/to/me'); # returns absolute path
```

## DESCRIPTION

The main reason of this library is transformate relative paths to absolute at the `"BEGIN"` stage, and push transformed to `@INC`. Relative path basis is not the current working directory, but the location of file, where the statement is (caller file). When using common `"lib"`, relative paths stays relative to curernt working directory,

```
        # For ex:
        # script: /opt/scripts/my.pl
        use lib::abs '../lib';
        # We run `/opt/scripts/my.pl` having cwd /home/mons
        # The @INC will contain '/opt/lib';
        # We run `./my.pl` having cwd /opt
        # The @INC will contain '/opt/lib';
        # We run `../my.pl` having cwd /opt/lib
        # The @INC will contain '/opt/lib';
```

Also this module is useful when writing tests, when you want to load strictly the module from ../lib, respecting the test file.

```
        # t/00-test.t
        use lib::abs '../lib';
```

Also this is useful, when you running under `"mod_perl"`, use something like `"Apache::StatINC"`, and your application may change working directory. So in case of chdir `"StatINC"` fails to reload module if the `@INC` contain relative paths.

## RATIONALE

Q: We already have `"FindBin"` and `"lib"`, why we need this module?

A: There are several reasons:

- 1\) "FindBin" could find path incorrectly under "mod\_perl"

  - 2\) "FindBin" works relatively to executed binary instead of relatively to caller

  - 3\) Perl is linguistic language, and \`use lib::abs "..."' semantically more clear and looks more beautiful than \`use FindBin; use lib "$FindBin::Bin/../lib";'

  - 4\) "FindBin" b\<will\> work incorrectly, if will be called not from executed binary (see \<http://github.com/Mons/lib-abs-vs-findbin\> comparison for details)

  ## BUGS

None known

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is copyright (c) 2007-2020 by Mons Anderson.

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

## AUTHOR

Mons Anderson, `"<mons@cpan.org>"`

## CONTRIBUTORS

Oleg Kostyuk, `"<cub@cpan.org>"`