NAME
File::XDG - Basic implementation of the XDG base directory
specification
VERSION
version 1.03
SYNOPSIS
use File::XDG 1.00;
my $xdg = File::XDG->new( name => 'foo', api => 1 );
# user config
my $path = $xdg->config_home;
# user data
my $path = $xdg->data_home;
# user cache
my $path = $xdg->cache_home;
# system $config
my @dirs = $xdg->config_dirs_list;
# system data
my @dirs = $xdg->data_dirs_list;
DESCRIPTION
This module provides a basic implementation of the XDG base directory
specification as exists by the Free Desktop Organization (FDO). It
supports all XDG directories except for the runtime directories, which
require session management support in order to function.
CONSTRUCTOR
new
my $xdg = File::XDG->new( %args );
Returns a new instance of a File::XDG object. This must be called with
an application name as the "name" argument.
Takes the following named arguments:
api
[version 0.09]
The API version to use.
api = 0
The default and original API version. For backward compatibility
only.
api = 1
Recommended stable API version for all new code.
name
Name of the application for which File::XDG is being used.
path_class
[version 0.09]
The path class to return
File::Spec
All methods that return a file will return a string generated by
File::Spec.
Path::Class
This is the default with api = 0. All methods that return a file
will return an instance of Path::Class::File and all methods that
return a directory will return an instance of Path::Class::Dir.
Path::Tiny
This is the default with api = 1. All methods that return a file
will return an instance of Path::Tiny.
CODEREF
If a code reference is passed in then this will be called in order
to construct the path class. This allows rolling your own customer
path class objects. Example:
my $xdg = File::XDG->new(
name => 'foo',
# equivalent to path_class => 'Path::Tiny'
path_class => sub { Path::Tiny->new(@_),
);
ARRAY
Similar to passing a code reference, an array reference with two
code references means the first code reference will be used for
file paths and the second will be used for directory paths. This is
for path classes that differentiate between files and directories.
# equivalent to path_class => 'Path::Class'
my $xdg = File::XDG->new(
name => 'foo',
path_class => [
sub { Path::Class::File->new(@_) ),
sub { Path::Class::Dir->new(@_) },
],
);
strict
[version 0.10]
More strictly follow the XDG base directory specification. In
particular
* On Windows a an exception will be thrown when creating the
File::XDG object because the spec cannot correctly be implemented.
Historically this module has made some useful assumptions like
using ; instead of : for the path separator character. This breaks
the spec.
* On some systems, this module will look in system specific
locations for the "runtime_home". This is useful, but technically
violates the spec, so under strict mode the "runtime_home" method
will only return a path if one can be found via the spec.
METHODS
data_home
my $path = $xdg->data_home;
Returns the user-specific data directory for the application as a path
class object.
config_home
my $path = $xdg->config_home;
Returns the user-specific configuration directory for the application
as a path class object.
cache_home
my $path = $xdg->cache_home;
Returns the user-specific cache directory for the application as a path
class object.
state_home
my $path = $xdg->state_home;
Returns the user-specific state directory for the application as a path
class object.
runtime_home
[version 0.10]
my $dir = $xdg->runtime_home;
Returns the directory for user-specific non-essential runtime files and
other file objects (such as sockets, named pipes, etc) for the
application.
This is not always provided, if not available, this method will return
undef.
Under strict mode, this method will only rely on the XDG_RUNTIME_DIR to
find this directory. Under non-strict mode, system specific methods may
be used, if the environment variable is not set:
Linux systemd
The path /run/user/UID will be used, if it exists, and fulfills the
requirements of the spec.
data_dirs
my $dirs = $xdg->data_dirs;
Returns the system data directories, not modified for the application.
Per the specification, the returned string is :-delimited, except on
Windows where it is ;-delimited.
For portability "data_dirs_list" is preferred.
data_dirs_list
[version 0.06]
my @dirs = $xdg->data_dirs_list;
Returns the system data directories as a list of path class objects.
config_dirs
my $dirs = $xdg->config_dirs;
Returns the system config directories, not modified for the
application. Per the specification, the returned string is :-delimited,
except on Windows where it is ;-delimited.
For portability "config_dirs_list" is preferred.
config_dirs_list
[version 0.06]
my @dirs = $xdg->config_dirs_list;
Returns the system config directories as a list of path class objects.
exe_dir
[version 0.10]
my $exe = $xdg->exe_dir;
Returns the user-specific executable files directory $HOME/.local/bin,
if it exists. If it does not exist then undef will be returned. This
directory should be added to the PATH according to the spec.
lookup_data_file
my $xdg = File::XDG->new( name => $name, api => 1 ); # recommended
my $path = $xdg->lookup_data_File($filename);
Looks up the data file by searching for ./$name/$filename (where $name
is provided by the constructor) relative to all base directories
indicated by $XDG_DATA_HOME and $XDG_DATA_DIRS. If an environment
variable is either not set or empty, its default value as defined by
the specification is used instead. Returns a path class object.
my $xdg = File::XDG->new( name => $name ); # back compat only
my $path = $xdg->lookup_data_file($subdir, $filename);
Looks up the data file by searching for ./$subdir/$filename relative to
all base directories indicated by $XDG_DATA_HOME and $XDG_DATA_DIRS. If
an environment variable is either not set or empty, its default value
as defined by the specification is used instead. Returns a path class
object.
lookup_config_file
my $xdg = File::XDG->new( name => $name, api => 1 ); # recommended
my $path = $xdg->lookup_config_file($filename);
Looks up the configuration file by searching for ./$name/$filename
(where $name is provided by the constructor) relative to all base
directories indicated by $XDG_CONFIG_HOME and $XDG_CONFIG_DIRS. If an
environment variable is either not set or empty, its default value as
defined by the specification is used instead. Returns a path class
object.
my $xdg = File::XDG->new( name => $name ); # back compat only
my $path = $xdg->lookup_config_file($subdir, $filename);
Looks up the configuration file by searching for ./$subdir/$filename
relative to all base directories indicated by $XDG_CONFIG_HOME and
$XDG_CONFIG_DIRS. If an environment variable is either not set or
empty, its default value as defined by the specification is used
instead. Returns a path class object.
SEE ALSO
XDG Base Directory specification, version 0.7
<http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html>
CAVEATS
This module intentionally and out of necessity does not follow the spec
on the following platforms:
MSWin32 (Strawberry Perl, Visual C++ Perl, etc)
The spec requires : as the path separator, but use of this character
is essential for absolute path names in Windows, so the Windows Path
separator ; is used instead.
There are no global data or config directories in windows so the data
and config directories are empty list instead of the default UNIX
locations.
The base directory instead of being the user's home directory is
%LOCALAPPDATA%. Arguably the data and config base directory should be
%APPDATA%, but cache should definitely be in %LOCALAPPDATA%, and we
chose to use just one base directory for simplicity.
SEE ALSO
Path::Class
Portable native path class used by this module used by default (api =
0) and optionally (api = 1).
Path::Tiny
Smaller lighter weight path class used optionally (api = 0) and by
default (api = 1).
Path::Spec
Core Perl library for working with file and directory paths.
File::BaseDir
Provides similar functionality to this module with a different
interface.
AUTHOR
Original author: Síle Ekaterin Aman
Current maintainer: Graham Ollis <plicease@cpan.org>
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
This software is copyright (c) 2012-2022 by Síle Ekaterin Aman.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.