NAME
    Net::FTP::Common - simplify common usages of Net::FTP

SYNOPSIS
     our %netftp_cfg = 
        (Debug => 1, Timeout => 120);

     our %common_cfg =    
        (
         # 
         # The first 2 options, if not present, 
         # lead to relying on .netrc for login
         #
         User => 'anonymous',           
         Pass => 'tbone@cpan.org',      

         #
         # Other options
         #

         LocalDir  => '/tmp/downloads'   # setup something for $ez->get
         LocalFile => 'delete.zip'       # setup something for $ez->get
         Host => 'ftp.fcc.gov',          # overwrite ftp.microsoft.com default
         RemoteDir  => '/',                    # automatic CD on remote machine to RemoteDir
         Type => 'A'                     # overwrite I (binary) TYPE default
         );

      # NOTE WELL!!! one constructor arg is  passed by reference, the 
      # other by value. This is inconsistent, but still it is A Good Thing.
      # Believe me! I thought about this. And I have a good reason for it:
      # This is to allow the least modification of legacy Net::FTP source code.

      $ez = Net::FTP::Common->new(\%common_cfg, %netftp_config); 

      # can we login to the machine?
      # Note: it is NEVER necessary to first login before calling
      # Net::FTP::Common API functions.                                
      # This function is just for checking to see if a machine is up. 
      # It is published as part of the API because I have found it 
      # useful when writing FTP scripts which scan for the 
      # first available FTP site to use for upload. The exact 
      # call-and-return semantics for this function are described
      # and justified below.

      $ez->login or die "cant login: $@";

      # Get a listing of a remote directory 
 
      @listing =    $ez->ls; 

      # Let's list a different directory, over-riding and changing the
      # default directory
 
      @listing =    $ez->ls(RemoteDir => '/pub/rfcs'); 

      # Let's list the default dir on several hosts
 
      @host_listings = map { $ez->ls(Host => $_) } @host_list

      # Let's get the listings of several directories

      @dir_listings  = map { $ez->ls(RemoteDir  => $_) } @dir_list;

      # Let's get a detailed directory listing... (thanks Kevin!)
 
      %listing =    $ez->dir; # Note this is a hash, not an array return value.

      ### representative output

                'test' => {
                          'owner' => 'root',
                          'month' => 'Jan',
                          'linkTarget' => undef,
                          'inode' => '1',
                          'size' => '6',
                          'group' => 'root',
                          'yearOrTime' => '1999',
                          'day' => '27',
                          'perm' => '-rw-r--r--'
                        },
              'ranc' => {
                          'owner' => 'root',
                          'month' => 'Oct',
                          'linkTarget' => undef,
                          'inode' => '2',
                          'size' => '4096',
                          'group' => 'root',
                          'yearOrTime' => '00:42',
                          'day' => '31',
                          'perm' => 'drwxr-xr-x'
                        }

      # Get a file from the remote machine

      $ez->get(RemoteFile => 'codex.txt', LocalFile => '/tmp/crypto.txt');

      # Get a file from the remote machine, specifying dir:
      $ez->get(RemoteFile => 'codex.txt', LocalDir => '/tmp');

      # NOTE WELL:  because the prior call set LocalFile, it is still a
      # part of the object store. In other words this example will try
      # to store the downloaded file in /tmp/tmp/crypto.txt.
      # Better to say:

      $ez->get(RemoteFile => 'codex.txt', LocalDir => '/tmp', LocalFile => '');

      # Send a file to the remote machine (*dont* use put!)

      $ez->send(RemoteFile => 'codex.txt');

      # test for a file's existence on the remote machine (using =~)

      @file = $ez->grep(Grep => qr/[A-M]*[.]txt/);

      # test for a file on the remote machine (using eq)

      $ez->exists(RemoteFile => 'needed-file.txt');

      # note this is no more than you manually calling:
      # (scalar grep { $_ eq 'needed-file.txt' } $ez->ls) > 0;

      # Let's get all output written to STDERR to goto a logfile

      my $ez = Net::FTP::Common->new( { %CFG, STDERR => $logfile }, %netftp_cfg);

    The test suite contains plenty of common examples.

DESCRIPTION
    This module is intended to make the common uses of Net::FTP a one-line,
    no-argument affair. In other words, you have 100% programming with
    Net::FTP. With Net::FTP::Common you will have 95% configuration and 5%
    programming.

    The way that it makes it a one-line affair is that the common pre-phase
    of login, cd, file type (binary/ascii) is handled for you. The way that
    it makes usage a no-argument affair is by pulling things from the hash
    that configured it at construction time. Should arguments be supplied to
    any API function, then these changes are applied to the hash of the
    object's state and used by any future-called API function which might
    need them.

    Usage of this module is intended to be straightforward and stereotyped.
    The general steps to be used are:

    * use Net::FTP::Common
    * Define FTP configuration information
        This can be inlined within the script but oftentimes this will be
        stored in a module for usage in many other scripts.

    * Use a Net::FTP::Common API function
        Note well that you NEVER have to login first. All API functions
        automatically log you in and change to the configured or specified
        directory. However, sometimes it is useful to see if you can
        actually login before attempting to do something else on an FTP
        site. This is the only time you will need the login() API method.

METHODS
  `$ez = Net::FTP::Common-'new($net_ftp_common_hashref, %net_ftp_hash)>

        This method takes initialization information for Net::FTP::Common as
        well as Net::FTP and returns a new Net::FTP::Common object. Though
        the calling convention may seem a bit inconsistent, it is actually
        the best API to support re-use of legacy Net::FTP constructor calls.
        For example if you had a Net::FTP script which looked like this:

                   use Net::FTP;

                   $ftp = Net::FTP->new("some.host.name", Debug => 0);
                   $ftp->login("anonymous",'me@here.there');
                   $ftp->cwd("/pub");
                   $ftp->get("that.file");
                   $ftp->quit;

        Here is all you would have to do to convert it to the
        Net::FTP::Common API:

                   use Net::FTP::Common;

                   $common_cfg = { Host => 'some.host.name', 
                                   User => 'anonymous',
                                   Pass => 'me@here.there',
                                   RemoteDir  => '/pub'
                                   }    

                   $ftp = Net::FTP::Common->new($common_cfg, Debug => 0);
                   $ftp->get("that.file");
                   $ftp->quit;

  $ez->Common(%config)

        This is hardly ever necessary to use in isolation as all public API
        methods will call this as their first step in processing your
        request. However, it is available should you wish to extend this
        module.

  $ez->GetCommon($config_key)

        Again, this is hardly ever necessary to use in isolation. However,
        it is available should you wish to extend this module.

  $ez->NetFTP(%netftp_config_overrides)

        This creates and returns a Net::FTP object. In this case, any
        overrides are shuttled onward to the Net::FTP object as opposed to
        the configuration of the Net::FTP::Common object.

        Also note that any overrides are preserved and used for all future
        calls.

  $ez->login(%override)

        This logs into an FTP server. `%override' is optional. It relies on
        2 Common configuration options, `User' and `Pass', which, if not
        present load to logging in via a .netrc file.

        Normal login with `User' and `Pass' are tested. .netrc logins are
        not.

  $ez->ls (%override)

        When given no arguments, `ls()' uses Common configuration
        information to login to the ftp site, change directory and transfer
        type and then return an array of directory contents. You may only
        call this routine in array context and unlike Net::FTP, it returns a
        list representing the contents of the remote directory and in the
        case of no files, returns an empty array instead of (like Net::FTP)
        returning a 1-element array containing the element undef.

        You may give this function any number of configuration arguments to
        over-ride the predefined configuration options. For example:

         my %dir;
         my @dir =qw (/tmp /pub /gnu);
         map { @{$dir{$_}} = $ftp->ls(RemoteDir => $_ ) } @dir;

  $ez->dir (%override)

        When given no arguments, `dir()' uses Common configuration
        information to login to the ftp site, change directory and transfer
        type and then return a hash of with detailed description of
        directory contents. You may only call this routine and expect a hash
        back.

        You may give this function any number of configuration arguments to
        over-ride the predefined configuration options.

        Here is the results of the example from the the test suite
        (t/dir.t):

         my %retval = $ez->dir;

        # warn "NEW_DIR ...", Dumper(\%retval);

                  'incoming' => {
                                  'owner' => 'root',
                                  'month' => 'Jul',
                                  'linkTarget' => undef,
                                  'inode' => '2',
                                  'size' => '4096',
                                  'group' => 'root',
                                  'yearOrTime' => '2001',
                                  'day' => '10',
                                  'perm' => 'drwxrwxrwx'
                                },

                  'test' => {
                              'owner' => 'root',
                              'month' => 'Jan',
                              'linkTarget' => undef,
                              'inode' => '1',
                              'size' => '6',
                              'group' => 'root',
                              'yearOrTime' => '1999',
                              'day' => '27',
                              'perm' => '-rw-r--r--'
                            },
                  'SEEMORE-database' => {
                                          'owner' => 'mel',
                                          'month' => 'Aug',
                                          'linkTarget' => 'image',
                                          'inode' => '1',
                                          'size' => '14',
                                          'group' => 'lnc',
                                          'yearOrTime' => '20:35',
                                          'day' => '15',
                                          'perm' => 'lrwxrwxrwx'
                                        },
                  'holt' => {
                              'owner' => 'holt',
                              'month' => 'Jun',
                              'linkTarget' => undef,
                              'inode' => '2',
                              'size' => '4096',
                              'group' => 'daemon',
                              'yearOrTime' => '2000',
                              'day' => '12',
                              'perm' => 'drwxr-xr-x'
                            },
                  'SEEMORE-images' => {
                                        'owner' => 'mel',
                                        'month' => 'Aug',
                                        'linkTarget' => 'images',
                                        'inode' => '1',
                                        'size' => '6',
                                        'group' => 'lnc',
                                        'yearOrTime' => '20:35',
                                        'day' => '15',
                                        'perm' => 'lrwxrwxrwx'
                                      },
                  'dlr' => {
                             'owner' => 'root',
                             'month' => 'Sep',
                             'linkTarget' => undef,
                             'inode' => '2',
                             'size' => '4096',
                             'group' => 'root',
                             'yearOrTime' => '1998',
                             'day' => '11',
                             'perm' => 'drwxr-xr-x'
                           },
                  'fiser' => {
                               'owner' => '506',
                               'month' => 'May',
                               'linkTarget' => undef,
                               'inode' => '2',
                               'size' => '4096',
                               'group' => 'daemon',
                               'yearOrTime' => '1996',
                               'day' => '25',
                               'perm' => 'drwxr-xr-x'
                             },

  $ez->mkdir (%override)

        Makes directories on remote FTP server. Will recurse if Recurse => 1
        is in object's internal state of overridden at method call time.

        This function has no test case but a working example of its use is
        in `scripts/rsync.pl'. I use it to back up my stuff.

  $ez->exists (%override)

        uses the `RemoteFile' option of object internal state (or override)
        to check for a file in a directory listing. This means a `eq', not
        regex match.

  $ez->grep(%override)

        uses the `Grep' option of object internal state (or override) to
        check for a file in a directory listing. This means a regex, not
        `eq' match.

  $ez->get(%override)

        uses the `RemoteFile', `LocalFile', and `LocalDir' options of object
        internal state (or override) to download a file. No slashes need be
        appended to the end of `LocalDir'. If `LocalFile' and `LocalDir'
        arent defined, then the file is written to the current directory.
        `LocalDir' must exist: `Net::FTP::Common' will not create it for
        you.

        All of the following have test cases and work:

          LocalDir    LocalFile  Action
          --------    ---------  ------
          null        null       download to local dir using current dir
          null        file       download to local dir using current dir but spec'ed file
          dir         null       download to spec'ed dir using remote file name
          dir         file       download to spec'ed dir using spec'ed file name

        null is any Perl non-true value... 0, '', undef.

  $ez->send(%override)

TRAPS FOR THE UNWARY
    *
          @file = $ez->grep(Grep => '[A-M]*[.]txt');
  
        is correct

          @file = $ez->grep('[A-M]*[.]txt');

        looks correct but is not because you did not name the argument as
        you are supposed to.

NOTES
        * A good example of Net::FTP::Common usage comes with your download:
            `scripts/rsync.pl'

            Although this script requires AppConfig, Net::FTP::Common in
            general does not... but go get AppConfig anyway, it rocks the
            house.

        * A slide talk on Net::FTP::Common in HTML format is available at
              http://www.metaperl.com

        * subscribe to the mailing list via
            net-ftp-common-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

TODO
  Definite

        * support resumeable downloads
  Musings

        * Cache directory listings?
        * parsing FTP list output
            This output is not standard. We did a fair job for most common
            Unixen, but if we aspire to the heights of an ange-ftp or other
            high-quality FTP client, we need something like they have in
            python:

                 http://freshmeat.net/redir/ftpparsemodule/20709/url_homepage/

OTHER FTP OFFERINGS
        * http://lftp.yar.ru
AUTHOR
        T. M. Brannon <tbone@cpan.org>

        dir() method contributed by Kevin Evans (kevin _! a t (* i n s i g
        ht dot-com

