NAME
    MetaCPAN::API - A comprehensive, DWIM-featured API to MetaCPAN

VERSION
    version 0.10

SYNOPSIS
        my $mcpan  = MetaCPAN::API->new();
        my $author = $mcpan->author('XSAWYERX');
        my $dist   = $mcpan->release( distribution => 'MetaCPAN::API' );

DESCRIPTION
    This is a hopefully-complete API-compliant interface to MetaCPAN
    (http://search.metacpan.org) with DWIM capabilities, to make your life
    easier.

    This module has three purposes:

    *   Provide 100% of the beta MetaCPAN API

        This module will be updated regularly on every MetaCPAN API change,
        and intends to provide the user with as much of the API as possible,
        no shortcuts. If it's documented in the API, you should be able to
        do it.

        Because of this design decision, this module has an official
        MetaCPAN namespace with the blessing of the MetaCPAN developers.

        Notice this module currently only provides the beta API, not the old
        soon-to-be-deprecated API.

    *   Be lightweight, to allow flexible usage

        While many modules would help make writing easier, it's important to
        take into account how they affect your compile-time, run-time and
        overall memory consumption.

        By providing a slim interface implementation, more users are able to
        use this module, such as long-running processes (like daemons), CLI
        or GUI applications, cron jobs, and more.

    *   DWIM

        While it's possible to access the methods defined by the API spec,
        there's still a matter of what you're really trying to achieve. For
        example, when searching for *"Dave"*, you want to find both *Dave
        Cross* and *Dave Rolsky* (and any other *Dave*), but you also want
        to search for a PAUSE ID of *DAVE*, if one exists.

        This is where DWIM comes in. This module provides you with
        additional generic methods which will try to do what they think you
        want.

        Of course, this does not prevent you from manually using the API
        methods. You still have full control over that, if that's what you
        wish.

        You can (and should) read up on the generic methods, which will
        explain how their DWIMish nature works, and what searches they run.

ATTRIBUTES
  base_url
        my $mcpan = MetaCPAN::API->new(
            base_url => 'http://localhost:9999',
        );

    This attribute is used for REST requests. You should set it to where the
    MetaCPAN is accessible. By default it's already set correctly, but if
    you're running a local instance of MetaCPAN, or use a local mirror, or
    tunnel it through a local port, or any of those stuff, you would want to
    change this.

    Default: *http://beta.api.metacpan.org*.

    This attribute is read-only (immutable), meaning that once it's set on
    initialize (via "new()"), you cannot change it. If you need to, create a
    new instance of MetaCPAN::API. Why is it immutable? Because it's better.

  ua
    This attribute is used to contain the user agent used for running the
    REST request to the server. It is specifically set to HTTP::Tiny, so if
    you want to set it manually, make sure it's of HTTP::Tiny.

    HTTP::Tiny is used as part of the philosophy of keeping it tiny.

    This attribute is read-only (immutable), meaning that once it's set on
    initialize (via "new()"), you cannot change it. If you need to, create a
    new instance of MetaCPAN::API. Why is it immutable? Because it's better.

  ua_args
        my $mcpan = MetaCPAN::API->new(
            ua_args => [ agent => 'MyAgent' ],
        );

    The arguments that will be given to the HTTP::Tiny user agent.

    This attribute is read-only (immutable), meaning that once it's set on
    initialize (via "new()"), you cannot change it. If you need to, create a
    new instance of MetaCPAN::API. Why is it immutable? Because it's better.

METHODS
  fetch
        my $result = $mcpan->fetch('/release/distribution/Moose');

    This is a helper method for API implementations. It fetches a path from
    MetaCPAN, decodes the JSON from the content variable and returns it.

    You don't really need to use it, but you can in case you want to write
    your own extension implementation to MetaCPAN::API.

AUTHOR
      Sawyer X <xsawyerx@cpan.org>

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
    This software is copyright (c) 2011 by Sawyer X.

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