NAME
    Cisco::Reconfig - Parse and generate Cisco configuration files

SYNOPSIS
            use Cisco::Reconfig;

            my $config = readconfig("/my/cisco/config");
            my $config = stringconfig("cisco config", "goes here");

DESCRIPTION
    Cisco::Reconfig makes it easier to write programs to generate changes to
    Cisco configuration files.

    Cisco::Reconfig is a module that parses Cisco router configuration
    files. It doesn't have any real understanding of Cisco configurations so
    it might be useful for other similar configuration languages. It knows
    that nesting is shown by indentation. It knows that "!" means a comment.
    It knows that "no" may proceed a line without changing where that line
    exists in the hierarchy. It doesn't know much else.

    Cisco::Reconfig can be used to modify configurations. The "set()" method
    will check the current configruation and return commands to change it if
    it is other than what is wanted (as passed to the "set()" method).

  DETAILS
    Some of the accessor methods return a special "undef" object instead of
    a proper undef. This is so that code that uses accessors doesn't have to
    be paranoid about undefined values. This "undef" object tests as false
    in boolean context however it is "defined()"ed.

    Methods that return configuration items can return items that represent
    any particular word in the configruation file. For example, with the
    following configuration & code, the return value for the "get()" method
    would represent the word "access-list" in both of the lines:

            ip as-path access-list 111 deny _10993_
            ip as-path access-list 111 permit .*

            $config->get('ip as-path access-list');

    Most of the time you don't need to worry about the fact that the object
    represents a word. Another way to look at it is that the object
    represents a selection of lines from the configuration file. Sometimes
    that selection is a single line. Sometimes it is a block. Sometimes it
    is a few lines that start with the same tokens.

    To look at all the different as-path access lists, the following would
    work:

            $config->get('ip as-path access-list')->all;

    The word "no" is handled specially: it is discarded. Many cisco
    directives start with the word "no". To make the module more usable, the
    word "no" is ignored during parsing. It is kept in the text so, if you
    look for something that might have a "no" in front of it, you'll get a
    hit if the "no" is there or isn't there. For example:

            my (@cdp_disabled);
            for my $context ($config->get('interface')->all(qr{^ether}i)) {
                    my $cdp = $context->get('cdp enable');
                    push(@cdp_disabled, $context)
                            if $cdp =~ /no cdp enable/;
            }

FUNCTIONS
    There is just one function provided: "readconfig()". Readconfig takes a
    single argument: a filename or file handle. It parses the file and
    returns an Cisco::Reconfig object.

MAIN METHODS
    ->get(@designators)
        The "get()" method is the key to looking up items in a configuration
        file. It takes an array of designators as an argument. A designator
        is simply something that identifies a portion of a configuration
        file. For example "('interface')" is a designator for all the
        interfaces and "('ip route')" is a designator for all the static
        routes.

        When multiple designators are specified, they are used for nested
        configuration items. For example, "('router bgp', 'neighbor')" would
        be a designator for all the BGP neighbors. This assumes that there
        is only one "router bgp" defined.

        In array context, "get()" will follow multiple paths to find
        configuration items that match the specification. For example
        "('interface', 'ip address')" would return a list of ip address
        items across multiple interfaces.

        Designators must exactly match words in the configuration. You may
        not abbr anythng.

    ->set(@designators, $newvalue)
        The "set()" method will generate Cisco configuration snippets that
        will modify the configuration of an item. For example, the following
        code:

                my $ser0 = $config->get('interface Serial0');
                print $ser0->set('ip address', 
                        'ip address 207.181.198.194 255.255.255.252');

        Will print:

                interface Serial0
                 ip address 207.181.198.194 255.255.255.252
                exit

        If the configuration already matches the $newvalue then nothing
        would be printed.

        The designator(s) say what will be modified. This should either be
        represent a line or an entire block. When multiple designators are
        needed, pass them as an anonymous array. The above example could
        also have been written as:

                print $config->set('interface Serial0', 'ip address',
                        'ip address 207.181.198.194 255.255.255.252');

        If no designators are needed, don't pass any. The following is
        nearly the same as the preceeding;

                my $ipaddr = $config->get('interface Serial0', 'ip address');
                print $ipaddr->set( 'ip address 207.181.198.194 255.255.255.252');

        When providing code snippets to "set()", indent blocks just like
        Ciscos do when they display their configuration. For example, the
        following:

                print $config->set("ip access-list extended all-addresses", <<END);
                        ip access-list extended all-addresses
                         permit ip any any
                        !
                END

        Will print the following if the access list ins't already set as
        listed:

                ip access-list extended all-addresses
                 permit ip any any
                exit

        When modifying a block, include the configruation line that starts
        the block in the replacement text. For example, when setting an
        entire interface, provide the entire block:

                print $config->set('interface Serial0',<<END);
                        interface Serial0 point-to-point
                         ip address 219.22.221.3 255.255.255.252
                         bandwidth 3022
                        !
                END

    ->all($regex)
        The "all()" method can be used to expand and select configuration
        items.

        For example, to make sure that all loopback interfaces use a netmask
        of 255.255.255.255, use the following:

                for my $loop ($config->get('interface')->all(qr{^Loop})) {
                        my $ip = $loop->get('ip address');
                        next unless $ip->text =~ /\A\s*ip address (\S+) \S+\s*\Z/;
                        print $ip->set(undef, "ip address $1 255.255.255.255");
                }

        The $regex paramater is optional.

ACCESSOR METHODS
    ->single()
        Cisco::Reconfig objects may represent any word in a configruation
        file. For example the word "address" in the following is represented
        by an object that would be returned by the code that follows.

                interface Loopback0 
                 ip access-group 151 in
                 ip address 218.28.41.38 255.255.255.255
                !

                my $address_word = $config->get('interface Loopback0', 'ip')
                        ->all(qr{^address});

        "single()" answers the question: does this Cisco::Reconfig object
        uniquely specify a single point in the configuration? In the example
        above, the object for word "ip" (above) does not but the object for
        the word "address" does.

        "single()" returns an object (representing the last word on the
        line) or undef.

    ->zoom()
        "zoom()" is the same as to "single()" except that it will always
        return a valid Cisco::Reconfig object.

    ->endpt()
        Returns an Cisco::Reconfig object representing the last word on a
        configuration line that could follow from the current ZYZ object.
        When there are multiple possibilities the object picked is nearly
        random.

    ->next()
        "next()" returns an Cisco::Reconfig object representing the last
        word on the suceeding line of the current configuration block.

        When used at the beginning of a block, it returns the last word of
        the first line in the block.

    ->context()
        Returns the configuration object that represents the surounding
        context.

                # returns the "undefined" object
                $config->context 

                # returns $config
                $config->get('interface Loopback0')->context 

                # returns $config->get('interface Loopback0')
                $config->get('interface Loopback0', 'ip address')->context

        "context()" always returns a configuration object.

    ->subs()
        For Cisco::Reconfig objects that represent a word in a line that
        introduces a block of configuration items (such as most "interface"
        lines), the "subs()" function returns an Cisco::Reconfig object that
        represents the contents of the block.

        If the Cisco::Reconfig object in question does not represent the
        start of a configuration block, the "undefined" object is returned.

    ->kids()
        For Cisco::Reconfig objects that do not uniquely specify a single
        line (ie: "! -"single()>), the ->kids() method will return an array
        of objects representing the possible following words.

        If there is only one possibility, that one possibility is returned.

        If the Cisco::Reconfig object represents the last word on a
        configuration line then that word is returned.

MISCELLANEOUS METHODS
    ->text()
        Returns the text from the original configuration file (in original
        order) of all of the lines that could follow from the current
        Cisco::Reconfig object.

        When the invoking Cisco::Reconfig object represents a single line
        "text()" returns that line. When the invoking Cisco::Reconfig object
        represents a block "text()" returns the entire block. When the
        Cisco::Reconfig object represents a word with multiple possible
        completions, "text()" returns all the completions.

    ->alltext()
        Returns the text from the original configuration file of all the
        lines that could follow from the current Cisco::Reconfig object and
        all lines that are introduced by the current object.

        To get the text of all interface definitions in their entirety, use;

                $config->get('interface')->alltext

    ->setcontext()
        Returns an array of configuration lines that define the block
        surrounding the invoking object.

    ->unsetcontext()
        Returns an array of the word "exit" repeated as many times as
        nessasary to undo a "setcontext()".

    ->block()
        Returns true if the object represents a whole configuration block.

TWEAKS
    Some cisco configurations have a minus one indent beginning with the
    "class" keyword. This exception is matched and handled. To change the
    regex for what is accepted for a minus-one indent, override
    $Cisco::Reconfig::allow_minus_one_indent to a new regex.

OVERLOADING
    Two operators are overloaded: boolean tests and stringification.
    Cisco::Reconfig objects booleanify as true if they are the special
    undefined objects. Cisco::Reconfig objects stringify as their text
    lines.

CAVEATS
    Since Cisco::Reconfig doesn't really understand Cisco configuration
    files it can't know things that you might think it should.

    For example, it doesn't know that "interface Serial0" is the same as
    "int ser 0" nor even "interface Serial 0". Be very careful about where
    Cisco's actually put spaces and where they don't.

    No attempt has been made to make this module particularly fast or
    efficient for the computer.

    Cisco::Reconfig objects don't automatically garbage collect themselves
    because they are highly self-referrential.

LICENSE
    Copyright (C) 2002-2010 David Muir Sharnoff <cpan@dave.sharnoff.org>
    Copyright (C) 2011 Cisco, Inc. This module may be licensed on the same
    terms as Perl itself.

