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A collection of modules, with accompanying documentation, build scripts, and usually a test suite, compose a '''distribution'''. The Perl community has a sizable library of distributions available for search and download via [[CPAN]].
Perl is a language allowing many different styles of programming. You're as likely to find a module written in a [[Procedural programming|procedural]] style (for example, [https://metacpan.org/module/Test::Simple Test::Simple]) as [[object-oriented]] (e.g. [https://metacpan.org/module/XML::Parser XML::Parser]), both are considered equally valid according to what the module needs to do. Modules might also be used to [[mixin]] methods ([https://metacpan.org/module/DBIx::Class DBIx::Class]) or be a [[compiler directive|pragma]] ([http://perldoc.perl.org/strict.html strict.pm]) which has an effect immediately upon being loaded. Modules can even be used to alter the syntax of the language. The effect of Perl modules are usually limited to the current [[scope (programming)|scope]] in which it was loaded.
It is common for Perl modules to have embedded documentation in Perl's [[Plain Old Documentation]] format. POD imposes little structure on the author. It is flexible enough to be used to write articles, web pages and even entire books such as [http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pperl3/colophon.html Programming Perl]. Contrast with [[javadoc]] which is specialized to documenting [[Java (programming language)|Java]] classes. By convention, module documentation typically follows the structure of a [[Manual page (Unix)|Unix man page]].
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