How can I set library and include paths for Makefile.PL for a single installation?

Question

How can I tell CPAN to give Makefile.PL one specific argument in one specific installation?

Specifically. I want to install XML::LibXML, and

Answer 1

In the CPAN shell, you can set the values that you need:

$ cpan
cpan shell -- CPAN exploration and modules installation (v1.9205)
ReadLine support available (maybe install Bundle::CPAN or Bundle::CPANxxl?)

cpan[1]> o conf makepl_arg
    makepl_arg         []
Type 'o conf' to view all configuration items


cpan[2]> o conf makepl_arg "LIBS=-L/foo/bar INC=-I/foo/bar/include"
    makepl_arg         [LIBS=-L/foo/bar INC=-I/foo/bar/include]
Please use 'o conf commit' to make the config permanent!

cpan[3]> install Some::Module

With the cpan command, you can use the -j switch to load a custom configuration file. You can start with the -J switch to dump the configuration, then change the values you want and reload it:

 $ cpan -J > my_config.pm
 .... edit file ....
 $ cpan -j my_config.pm -i Some::Module

However, I suspect that rafl's suspicions are right.