NAME

Time::Format_XS - Companion module for Time::Format, to speed up time formatting.

VERSION

This document describes version 1.03 of Time::Format_XS, June 18, 2009.

SYNOPSIS

  Install this module, but do not use it.

DESCRIPTION

The Time::Format module (q.v.) is a handy and easy-to-use way of formatting dates and times. It's not particularly slow, but it's not particularly speedy, either.

This module, Time::Format_XS, provides a huge performance improvement for the main formatting function in Time::Format. This is the time_format function, usually accessed via the %time hash. On my test system, this function was 18 times faster with the Time::Format_XS module installed.

To use this module, all you have to do is install it. Versions 0.10 and later of Time::Format will automatically detect if your system has a compatible version of Time::Format_XS installed and will use it without your having to change any code of yours that uses Time::Format.

Time::Format_XS is distributed as a separate module because not everybody can use XS. Not everyone has a C compiler. Also, installations with a statically-linked perl may not want to recompile their perl binary just for this module. Rather than render Time::Format useless for these people, the XS portion was put into a separate module.

Programs that you write do not need to know whether Time::Format_XS is installed or not. They should just "use Time::Format" and let Time::Format worry about whether or not it can use XS. If the Time::Format_XS is present, Time::Format will be faster. If not, it won't. Either way, it will still work, and your code will not have to change.

EXPORTS

None.

SEE ALSO

Time::Format

AUTHOR / COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2003-2009 by Eric J. Roode, ROODE -at- cpan -dot- org

All rights reserved.

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This module is copyrighted only to ensure proper attribution of authorship and to ensure that it remains available to all. This module is free, open-source software. This module may be freely used for any purpose, commercial, public, or private, provided that proper credit is given, and that no more-restrictive license is applied to derivative (not dependent) works.

Substantial efforts have been made to ensure that this software meets high quality standards; however, no guarantee can be made that there are no undiscovered bugs, and no warranty is made as to suitability to any given use, including merchantability. Should this module cause your house to burn down, your dog to collapse, your heart-lung machine to fail, your spouse to desert you, or George Bush to be re-elected, I can offer only my sincere sympathy and apologies, and promise to endeavor to improve the software.