Installing P4 API for Perl

There are several ways to install P4 API for Perl:

In each case, ensure you have met all the criteria of the prerequisites

Prerequisites

Install P4 API for Perl with installer file

The easiest way to install P4 API for Perl is by using the official .exe file.

  1. Download the P4 API for Perl from the Perforce website.

    In the Platform field, select the option that matches your operating system.

    For example, select Windows (x86) if you are using 64 bit operating system.

  2. Launch the downloaded .exe file. If you have selected the correct installer for your system, the P4 API for Perl installation wizard will appear.

  3. Click through the installation wizard and select the options that are right for your system.

  4. To confirm that P4 API for Perl was installed correctly, open a command prompt and run:

    perl -MP4 -e "print $P4::VERSION"

    If successful, the installed version number will be displayed.

Building P4 API for Perl from Source (Advanced Installation)

This section walks you through manually building P4 API for Perl from source. Use this method if you are using a platform not supported by the installer or need custom build options.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

Perl

A compatible version of Perl:

  • Supported for building: Perl 5.26, 5.30, 5.34, 5.38

  • Recommended: Strawberry Perl 5.38 (64-bit) for Windows

Ensure your Perl is 64-bit if you're building a 64-bit version of P4 API for Perl.

P4 API for C/C++

Download from the file from the Perforce website.

Choose the correct archive for your operating system:

  • Windows: p4api.zip

  • Linux/macOS: p4api.tgz

Match the API build to your Perl compiler:

  • Use MinGW builds for Strawberry Perl (bin.mingw*)

  • Use Visual Studio builds for ActiveState Perl (bin.ntx*)

OpenSSL Libraries

These are required for SSL support.

  • Supported versions: OpenSSL 1.1.1 and 3.0.8

Example path for Strawberry Perl: C:\Strawberry\c\lib\ (contains libcrypto.a and libssl.a)

Build Tools

Based on your platform and Perl distribution:

  • Linux/macOS: make

  • Windows (Strawberry Perl): gmake

  • Windows (ActiveState Perl):

    • dmake via ppm install MinGW

    • ppm install dmake

  • Windows (Visual Studio Perl): nmake

Perforce Executables

Required for testing:

  • p4 (CLI)

  • p4d (Server)

These must be installed and available in your system’s PATH.

Build Steps

  1. Unzip the P4 API for C/C++ archive into an empty folder.

  2. Extract the P4 API for Perl source archive into another empty folder.

  3. Depending on your operating system, run the following commands:

    Linux/macOS:

    Copy 
    perl Makefile.PL --apidir=<path to P4API> --ssl=<path to SSL libraries>
    make

    Windows (Strawberry Perl with MinGW):

    Copy 
    perl Makefile.PL --apidir=<path to P4API> --ssl=<path to SSL libraries>
    gmake

    Windows (ActiveState Perl with MinGW):

    Copy 
    ppm install MinGW
    ppm install dmake
    perl Makefile.PL -make=dmake --apidir=<path to P4API> --ssl=<path to SSL libraries>
    dmake
    dmake install

    Windows (Perl built with Visual Studio):

    Copy 
    perl Makefile.PL --apidir=<path to P4API> --ssl=<path to SSL libraries>
    nmake

  4. Testing the build by running:

    <make> test

    Replace <make> with the appropriate tool (make, gmake, dmake, or nmake).

    If you see an error like "Can't load ... P4.dll", manually apply the manifest:

    Copy 
    mt -nologo -manifest blib\arch\auto\P4\P4.dll.manifest -outputresource:blib\arch\auto\P4\P4.dll;2
    del blib\arch\auto\P4\P4.dll.manifest

  5. To install P4 API for Perl , run the following:

    <make> install

    On Unix systems, you may need to run this as root.

  6. (Optional) By default, P4 API for Perl builds with a stub SSL library. To enable full SSL support, use the --ssl option during build:

    1. If you provide a path, the linker uses your specified SSL libraries.

    2. If not, it uses the system’s default SSL libraries.

Sample script to test P4 API for Perl

To further check if P4 API for Perl has been installed correctly, create a simple script that connects to your server.

Create test_p4.pl in a folder (for example, C:\p4perl) with the following code:

Copy 
use strict;
use warnings;
use P4;

my $p4 = P4->new();
$p4->SetPort("perforce:1666");   # Change to your server:port
$p4->SetUser("andrew.roberts");    # Change to your Perforce username

$p4->Connect() or die "Failed to connect: ", $p4->Error(), "\n";
print "Connected to Perforce!\n";

my $info = $p4->Run("info"); #passing array ref
print "\n\nP4 Info Output:\n\n";
foreach my $akey (@{$info}) {
  my @infos = keys %$akey; # $akey is hash ref
  foreach my $hkey (@infos) { 
    print "$hkey => $akey->{$hkey}\n";
  }
}

$p4->Disconnect();

To run the script:

  1. Open Command Prompt and navigate to your script folder:

     cd c:\p4perl

  2. Run the following:

     ruby test_p4.pl

  3. If P4 API for Perl successfully connects, server information will be output to the terminal.