NAME
    File::Tasks - A set of file tasks to be executed in a directory

SYNOPSIS
      # Create a script
      my $Script = File::Tasks->new;
  
      # Add some new files
      $Script->add( 'Foo' );

DESCRIPTION
    File::Tasks allows you to define a set of file tasks to be done to a
    local filesystem. There are three basic tasks, Add, Edit, and Remove.

    A single File::Tasks object is used to assemble a collection of these
    tasks, and then execute them on a new or existing directory somewhere on
    the local filesystem.

    The File::Tasks will take care of making sure that the task paths are
    all compatible with their resulting location, and that the tasks match
    the current state of the filesystem.

    Once fully verified, it will execute the tasks and make the changes to
    the filesystem.

METHODS
  new @params
    Create and return a new "File::Tasks" object. Takes as argument a number
    of parameters in "<Key =" $value>> form.

    provider
        Provide a custom Data Provider. The passed object must be a
        sub-class of File::Tasks::Provider.

    Returns a new "File::Tasks" object.

  provider
    Returns the Provider object for the File::Tasks

  ignore
    Returns the original "File::Find::Rule" for the files to be ignore
    provided to the constructor.

  paths
    Returns as a sorted list the file paths of all of the Tasks

  tasks
    Returns all of the Tasks as a list, in the same order as for paths.

  task $path
    Access a single File::Tasks::Task object by its path

  add $path, $source
    The "add" method creates an "Add" task and adds it to the File::Tasks.
    An Add task creates a new file where no file currently exists. Upon
    execution of the File::Tasks, if a file already exists at the location,
    execution will fail.

    Returns the new File::Tasks::Add object as a convenience. Returns
    "undef" if the path clashes, or the source is not valid.

  edit $path, $source
    The "edit" method creates as "Edit" task and adds it to the File::Tasks.
    An Edit task replaces the contents of an existing file. Upon execution
    of the File::Tasks, if no file exists the execution will fail.

    Returns the File::Tasks::Edit object as a convenience. Returns "undef"
    if the path clashes, or the source is not valid.

  remove $path
    The "remove" method creates a "Remove" task and adds it to the
    File::Tasks. A Remove task deletes a file currently on the filesystem.
    If no file exists, execution will fail.

    Returns the File::Tasks::Remove object as a convenience. Returns "undef"
    if the path clashes.

  remove_dir $dir [, $Rule ]
    The "remove_dir" method is specifically designed to remove an entire
    directory. The directory passed as the first argument is scanned using
    File::Find::Rule to find all the files in it, and then a series if
    "Remove" tasks are created and added based on the relative location of
    the files in the existing directory.

    A pre-built Rule object can be provided as the second argument to modify
    the behaviour of File::Find::Rule when searching for files. In one
    example, you might want to add Remove tasks for all the files in a CVS
    checkout, without removing the .cvs directories.

      # Create the "leave .cvs dirs intact" rule
      my $Rule = File::Find::Rule->new;
      $Rule = $Rule->or(
            $Rule->new->directory->name('.cvs')->prune,
            $Rule->new->file
            );
  
      # Add the Remove tasks
      $Script->remove_dir($dir, $Rule);

    Returns the number of Remove tasks added, which may validly be zero. On
    error, such as a bad directory, bad second argument, or failed Remove
    Task addition, returns "undef".

  set $Task
    For a File::Tasks::Task object created outside of File::Tasks, the "set"
    method attempts to add it to the Script.

    Returns the Task object as a convenience, or "undef" on error.

  clashes $path
    The "clashes" method is used to determine if a path clashes with an
    existing Task in the File::Tasks object. Generally this is because a
    file already exists for a directory you want to add, or vica versa.

    Returns true if the path clashes, or false if not.

  test $dir
    The "test" method does a complete dry run of the execution of the
    File::Tasks object. This includes:

    - Ensuring that no paths clash

    - Checking that all files that should exist do

    - Checking that all files that shouldn't exist don't

    - Checking we have the correct permissions

    Returns true if the test run was successful, or "undef" otherwise.

execute $dir
    Executes the File::Tasks. This will create, modify or remove files as
    described in the Tasks.

    Due to the delicate and somewhat complex nature of the installation, you
    almost certainly will want to do a test run with "<-"test($dir)>> before
    the live call.

    Returns true if completed successfully, or "undef" otherwise.

  overlay $Under, $Over
    To keep complexity down, a great way of generating File::Tasks objects
    that will "overwrite" a previous installation is to do it in two parts.

      # Create a script to remove the old installation
      my $Old = File::Tasks->new;
      $Old->remove_dir($dir);
  
      # Script for a fresh install spat out by some module
      my $Install = My::Module->build->Script;
  
      # Overlay the new install over the old removal to create
      # a combined script that will "shift" the current files as needed.
      my $Script = $Old->overlay($Install);

    Where this gets really cool is that if the new file is the same as the
    old file, the Task will be optimised away.

    This means that if the underlying data for a process changes, and you
    rerun a generator of some sort, the only output files that are touched
    are the ones that will actually change as a result of the underlying
    data changing.

    Given two File::Tasks objects, will create and return a new Script that
    represents the combination of the two. Returns "undef" on error.

    The + operator is also effectively overloaded to this method

      # The explicit way
      my $Script = $Old->overlay($Install);
  
      # Via the overload
      my $Script = $Old + $Install;

TO DO
    - Much more detailed unit testing

    - Add various caching options

SUPPORT
    Bugs should be reported via the CPAN bug tracker at

    <http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=File-Tasks>

    For other issues, contact the author.

AUTHOR
    Adam Kennedy <adamk@cpan.org>, <http://ali.as/>

COPYRIGHT
    Copyright 2005, 2006 Adam Kennedy.

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

    The full text of the license can be found in the LICENSE file included
    with this module.