Perl for Win32
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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3. Documentation and Support

3.1. Where can I get documentation on Perl for Win32?

Documentation for Perl for Win32 is provided in HTML format in the docs subdirectory of your perl directory. This has the documentation from the standard perl distribution, as well as documentation for Win32- specific extensions. See question 9.12 for what those extensions might be.

Note that the standard perl distribution documentation (perl*.htm) has some UNIX-specific information, and lists some features/functions that will not work on Perl for Win32.

Also, the Win32 extensions documentation is a little flaky; not all the functions work as advertised. You may need to review the source code for the real scoop, if your code doesn't work.

Documentation is provided in the binary distributions, but not in the source distribution.

[A Windows help file that was previously mentioned can no longer be found. Anyone know of its whereabouts? -ESP]

3.2. Where can I get documentation for PerlIS?

The only known documentation for PerlIS is on the ActiveWare Web site (http://www.perl.hip.com/PerlIS.htm). You can find other information on the World Wide Web (see question 3.4) or in a FAQ (see question 3.7).

3.3. Is there formal support for Perl for Win32 or PerlIS?

No free support is available for Perl for Win32. Peer-to-peer support is provided by the perl-win32-users mailing list. ActiveWare engineers are notoriously absent from this list. They occasionally post puzzling answers to trivial questions, and ignore the important ones.

It is unclear whether ActiveWare would provide paid support for Perl for Win32; no one has apparently ever asked. Cygnus Support (http://www.cygnus.com/) provides for-pay support for perl, but it is unclear whether they will support Perl for Win32. For-pay support services may appear if Perl for Win32 becomes more popular.

3.4. Are there information sources available on Perl for Win32 on the World Wide Web?

There are several Web pages devoted to Perl for Win32. Here is a short listing:

[Any others? -ESP]

3.5. Is there a mailing list for Perl for Win32 or PerlIS?

ActiveWare supports a mailing list for Perl for Win32 users, perl-win32-users@ActiveWare.com. A sign-up Web form is available at http://www.activeware.com/cgi-bin/ntperl/addto-mail-list1.pl5, which is somewhat complicated.

You can also just send an e-mail message from the address you want on the list to ListManager@ActiveWare.com, with the following body:

join Perl-Win32-Users

The mailing list is mainly used by Perl programmers who do CGI and PerlIS programming, but system administration and other questions are also welcome. Remember, also, that it is a peer-to-peer support network, and no ActiveWare support engineer is going to answer your question. The people on perl-win32-users are mostly overworked programmers and admins like yourself. For best results, be courteous, be specific, and show that you really have tried to figure out your problems yourself.

Archives of the mailing list are available at the this URL:

http://www.divinf.it/PERL-WIN32/

You should check the archives or a FAQ (see question 3.7) before posting a question to the mailing list.

3.6. Is there a Usenet newsgroup devoted to Perl for Win32 issues?

Not yet. You can use comp.lang.perl.misc for miscellaneous Perl questions, but the members of most Usenet Perl newsgroups tend concentrate on UNIX platforms and may not be much help. Try the perl-win32-users mailing list (question 3.5) for more specific Win32 information.

For Web server setup and CGI programming, try one of the following three groups:

3.7. Is there a FAQ for Perl for Win32?

There are several FAQs for Perl for Win32. You are reading one of them, and it is available from wherever you got it. It is also available on the World Wide Web at the following URL:

http://www.endcontsw.com/people/evangelo/Perl_for_Win32_FAQ.txt

and in HTML form at:

http://www.endcontsw.com/people/evangelo/Perl_for_Win32_FAQ.html

It is posted to perl-win32-users on a regular basis, and to comp.lang.perl.misc on an irregular basis.

ActiveWare has a rather dated FAQ on their Web site, at the following URL:

http://www.activeware.com/PerlFaq.htm

Robin Chatterjee's Perl for Win32 page contains frequently asked questions and copies of the perl-win32-users mailing list responses to them:

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/8312/

3.8. How do I report a bug in Perl for Win32?

ActiveWare has an on-line form for reporting bugs in Perl for Win32 at the following URL:

http://www.activeware.com/~wsapi/cfusion?template=/wwwperl/addbug1.dbm

(Yeah, that appears to be a ColdFusion form. Draw your own conclusions.)

Note that this is not a tech support form, and that questions or comments on Perl for Win32 will be largely ignored.

If you have any C or C++ programming experience, try downloading the source code distribution of Perl for Win32 and finding the solution yourself. ActiveWare is much more likely to make changes to the program if they know what they have to do, than if they have to do any detective work.