
B::Bytecode - Perl compiler's bytecode backend

perl -MO=Bytecode[,-H][,-oscript.plc] script.pl

Compiles a Perl script into a bytecode format that could be loaded later by the ByteLoader module and executed as a regular Perl script. This saves time for the optree parsing and compilation and space for the sourcecode in memory.

$ perl -MO=Bytecode,-H,-ohi -e 'print "hi!\n"'
$ perl hi
hi!

Prepend a use ByteLoader VERSION; line to the produced bytecode. This way you will not need to add -MByteLoader to your perl command-line.
Include all used packages and its symbols. Does no run-time require from BEGIN blocks (use package).
This creates bigger and more independent code, but is more error prone and does not support pre-compiled .pmc modules.
Save all the BEGIN blocks.
Normally only BEGIN blocks that require other files (ex. use Foo;) or push|unshift to @INC are saved.
Keep the syntax tree - it is stripped by default.
Put the bytecode in <outfile> instead of dumping it to STDOUT.
Scan the script for # line .. directives and for <goto LABEL> expressions. When gotos are found keep the syntax tree.
Output assembler source rather than piping it through the assembler and outputting bytecode. Without -q the assembler source is commented.
Compile to a .pmc module rather than to a single standalone .plc program.
Currently this just means that the bytecodes for initialising main_start, main_root, main_cv and curpad are omitted.
"use package." Might be needed of the package is not automatically detected.
Include file. If not -i define all symbols in the given included source file. -i would all included files, -f only a certain file - full path needed.
Be quiet.
Be verbose.
Restore full @INC for running within the CORE testsuite.
Set the COP file - for running within the CORE testsuite.
OPs, prints each OP as it's processed
Debugging flag for more verbose STDERR output.
M for Magic and Matches.
Debug GV's
Set developer Assertions, to help find possible obj-indices out of range.

BEGIN { goto A: while 1; A: } won't even compile.?...? and reset do not work as expected.(?{ ... }) constructs are not properly scoped.
There are also undocumented bugs and options.

Originally written by Malcolm Beattie 1996 and modified by Benjamin Stuhl <sho_pi@hotmail.com>.
Rewritten by Enache Adrian <enache@rdslink.ro>, 2003 a.d.
Enhanced by Reini Urban <rurban@cpan.org>, 2008-2011