Cava Packager

Cava Packager provides non archiving packaging for applications developed in Perl 5.8 and 5.10 on the Windows platform. It allows you to distribute your Perl scripts as executables. A Cava Packaged application can be written to run entirely from removable storage requiring no pre-installed runtimes on the user machine or use of temporary files or directories.

Cava Packager has been tested with ActivePerl and Strawberry Perl

Dependency Scanning

Cava Packager will scan your Perl scripts and modules to ensure that all the prerequisites for your application are included. Cava Packager is not a perl compiler. In common with other perl packagers it provides a means to distribute your perl scripts as executables by packaging all the required modules.

Pluggable Module Rules

Some modules require additional dependencies over and above those that can be determined by scanning the code alone. Cava Packager allows you to define rules for modules that ensure all dependencies are included. Once defined, the same rules can be applied to all your projects. The program comes with pre-defined rules for a number of common modules.

Fast Application Start-Up

Cava Packager does not compress libraries and code allowing for quicker application start-up. You can, of course, compress your installation package.

Flexible Packaging Method

Some modules simply won't work unless they are placed with their dependencies in a standard Perl @INC directory structure. Cava Packager allows you to package some or all of your application this way providing the necessary flexibility to accommodate the widest range of modules.

Included Help Files

The application comes with a comprehensive help companion.

Easy Resource Packaging

Cava Packager provides a simple method of including resources and data files needed by your scripts. A design time utilities module - Cava::Pack - for installation in your Perl ensures that your code can run unaltered either as a Perl script or a packaged application.

Multiple Executables

Cava Packager allows you to create multiple executables in the same package. These executables can share the bundled modules, scripts and resources.

No Dependency on Installed Perl

Each packaged application uses its own Perl library (perl58.dll or perl510.dll). Cava Packaged applications need not interact in any way with any installed Perl. The application distributions are structured so that you can place your executables on your user's path, but the perl5xx.dll will not be ensuring that your applications always load with the intended perl5xx.dll.

Source Hiding

Cava Packager provides some degree of source code hiding if you require it. At your option you can 'encrypt' the source code of your modules and run them using an included decrypting source filter. Of course, you should not assume that source hiding will provide 100% protection for your code. This is not possible for any application.

Supports GUI and Console Applications

Your programs can be packaged as either windows or console executables.

Supported Platforms

Cava Packager is supported on Windows 2000/XP/Vista and related server editions of Windows.