Gtk2-Perl modules use ExtUtils::Depends to install and locate extra headers and typemaps needed to make xs modules that depend on other xs modules. The Makefile.PLs use ExtUtils::Depends themselves, to generate variables to use as input for ExtUtils::MakeMaker::WriteMakefile(), and if this module is not present, the Makefile.PL can't function.
To handle this, Makefile.PL checks for the presence of the required modules with an eval, and if they are not found, calls WriteMakefile() with PREREQ_PM and PREREQ_FATAL=>1 to let you know that it won't work.
Of course, this causes CPAN simply to give up instead of automatically fetching the dependencies, which is incredibly annoying.
If i remove the PREREQ_FATAL, and now i get a Makefile which correctly causes CPAN to go build and install the dependencies, but when it comes back to pick up building the one that needed them, it does *not* re-run Makefile.PL... and tries to build with a stub Makefile that causes everything to fail.
So, after the dummy WriteMakefile(), i tried appending an empty string to $0 (portable way to 'touch Makefile.PL'), so that the Makefile would be rebuilt, but CPAN sees the non-zero exit status of make after rebuilding the makefile and gives up.
At this point i bang my head against the keyboard and seek advice from gurus.
Any ideas?
-- If I lived in Teletubby Land, the homicide rate would be four. -- elysse
