How can I use Perl 5 modules from Perl 6?

Question

Is the a way to use Perl 5 modules from CPAN from Rakudo Perl 6?

For example, how can I use the venerable Perl 5 module, CGI, which hasn't been ported yet, in Perl 6.

Update:

And what this funky code from some early Perl 6 module:

use CGI:from<perl5>;

Is the :from<perl5> directive used to evoke some kind of a Perl 5 compatibility layer? Can't seem to find any documentation about it.

Answer 1

Inline::Perl5

Get it from http://modules.perl6.org/

panda install Inline::Perl5

Following example shows how to import and call Perl 5 module Text::Unidecode, "the Unicode transliteration of last resort" from Perl 6.

Install the module if you don't have it

perl -MCPAN -e "install Text::Unidecode"

Now the code

use Inline::Perl5;
use Text::Unidecode:from<Perl5>;
my $result = Text::Unidecode::unidecode('Solidarność');
say($result);

Alternatively, the more flexible way is to import the Inline::Perl5 yourself, create a new context and evaluate the function call in that context

use Inline::Perl5;
my $p5 = Inline::Perl5.new;
$p5.use('Text::Unidecode');

my $result = $p5.call('Text::Unidecode::unidecode', 'Solidarność');
say($result);

Either way, this prints

./perl6-m ~/perl/usefrom5.pl 
Solidarnosc

Longer overview is available in the Readme on Github

Historic perspective

Previously, there have been two other interoperability projects. Use v5 and project blizkost. V5 still works, somewhat. Blizkost is completely irrelevant now.

Use v5

panda install v5

As of late 2014, v5 does not compile under Rakudo JVM. It does compile under Rakudo on MoarVM (It also does not compile under Rakudo on ParrotVM).

blizkost

Several years old effort to bring Perl 5 on ParotVM and use the VM to provide interoperability. Since this is a VM specific solution, it has been abandoned in favour of Inline::Perl5.

Answer 2

There is blizkost project that aims to use of perl5 code from Rakudo/Parrot. However it is AFAIK in quite early stage of development and probably not usable for real code.