Why this error "Can't locate object method new"?

Question

I am trying to use HTML::WikiConverter::MediaWiki which I have installed using yum install perl-HTML-WikiConverter-MediaWiki.noarch.

According to the perldoc should I be able to

use HTML::WikiConverter;
my $wc = new HTML::WikiConverter( dialect => 'MediaWiki' );

but then I get

Can't locate HTML/WikiConverter.pm in @INC (@INC contains: /usr/lib64/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8/x86_64-linux-thread-multi /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8 /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl /usr/lib64/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8.8/x86_64-linux-thread-multi /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8.8 /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl /usr/lib64/perl5/5.8.8/x86_64-linux-thread-multi /usr/lib/perl5/5.8.8 .) at ./test.pl line 3.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at ./test.pl line 3.

If I try

use HTML::WikiConverter::MediaWiki;
my $wc = new HTML::WikiConverter( dialect => 'MediaWiki' );

then I get

Can't locate object method "new" via package "HTML::WikiConverter" at ./test.pl line 4.

If I try

use HTML::WikiConverter::MediaWiki;
my $wc = new HTML::WikiConverter::MediaWiki( dialect => 'MediaWiki' );

then I get

Can't locate object method "new" via package "HTML::WikiConverter::MediaWiki" at ./test.pl line 4.

Question

Can anyone see what's wrong?

Update

[root@rt ~]# cpan HTML::WikiConverter
Reading '/root/.cpan/Metadata'
  Database was generated on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:12:01 GMT
Running install for module 'HTML::WikiConverter'
Running make for D/DI/DIBERRI/HTML-WikiConverter-0.68.tar.gz
Checksum for /root/.cpan/sources/authors/id/D/DI/DIBERRI/HTML-WikiConverter-0.68.tar.gz ok

  CPAN.pm: Building D/DI/DIBERRI/HTML-WikiConverter-0.68.tar.gz

Checking if your kit is complete...
Looks good
Writing Makefile for HTML::WikiConverter
Writing MYMETA.yml and MYMETA.json
cp lib/HTML/WikiConverter.pm blib/lib/HTML/WikiConverter.pm
cp lib/HTML/WikiConverter/Normalizer.pm blib/lib/HTML/WikiConverter/Normalizer.pm
cp lib/HTML/WikiConverter/WebApp.pm blib/lib/HTML/WikiConverter/WebApp.pm
cp lib/HTML/WikiConverter/Dialects.pod blib/lib/HTML/WikiConverter/Dialects.pod
cp bin/html2wiki blib/script/html2wiki
/usr/bin/perl -MExtUtils::MY -e 'MY->fixin(shift)' -- blib/script/html2wiki
Manifying blib/man1/html2wiki.1
Manifying blib/man3/HTML::WikiConverter.3pm
Manifying blib/man3/HTML::WikiConverter::Normalizer.3pm
Manifying blib/man3/HTML::WikiConverter::Dialects.3pm
Manifying blib/man3/HTML::WikiConverter::WebApp.3pm
  DIBERRI/HTML-WikiConverter-0.68.tar.gz
  /usr/bin/make -- OK
'YAML' not installed, will not store persistent state
Running make test
PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1 /usr/bin/perl "-MExtUtils::Command::MM" "-e" "test_harness(0, 'blib/lib', 'blib/arch')" t/*.t
t/00-load.t ........... 1/1 # Testing HTML::WikiConverter 0.68, Perl 5.008008, /usr/bin/perl
t/00-load.t ........... ok   
t/01-normalizer.t ..... ok   
t/01-wikiconverter.t .. 1/53 request for <http://diberri.dyndns.org/wikipedia/html2wiki-old/test.html> failed at t/01-wikiconverter.t line 162
# Looks like you planned 53 tests but ran 35.
# Looks like your test exited with 22 just after 35.
t/01-wikiconverter.t .. Dubious, test returned 22 (wstat 5632, 0x1600)
Failed 18/53 subtests 
t/boilerplate.t ....... ok   
t/pod-coverage.t ...... ok   
t/pod.t ............... ok   

Test Summary Report
-------------------
t/01-wikiconverter.t (Wstat: 5632 Tests: 35 Failed: 0)
  Non-zero exit status: 22
  Parse errors: Bad plan.  You planned 53 tests but ran 35.
Files=6, Tests=53,  1 wallclock secs ( 0.06 usr  0.04 sys +  0.60 cusr  0.12 csys =  0.82 CPU)
Result: FAIL
Failed 1/6 test programs. 0/53 subtests failed.
make: *** [test_dynamic] Error 255
  DIBERRI/HTML-WikiConverter-0.68.tar.gz
  /usr/bin/make test -- NOT OK
//hint// to see the cpan-testers results for installing this module, try:
  reports DIBERRI/HTML-WikiConverter-0.68.tar.gz
Running make install
  make test had returned bad status, won't install without force
[root@rt ~]# 

Answer 1

When you ran yum install perl-HTML-WikiConverter-MediaWiki.noarch did you get any output that mentioned installing perl-HTML-WikiConverter?

What output do you get from running rpm -q perl-HTML-WikiConverter and rpm -q perl-HTML-WikiConverter-MediaWiki.

Which version of Perl are you running (perl -v), where is it installed (which perl) and how was it installed (using yum or by downloading source code and compiling it)?

I suspect your system is getting confused between yum-installed CPAN modules and cpan-install CPAN modules. It's never a good idea to mix the two on the same system. If you want to use the system version of Perl then only install CPAN modules using yum. If you want to install CPAN modules using cpan (or cpanp or cpanm) then build your own version of Perl and install it away from the standard Perl location.

Answer 2

It sounds like you don't have the base behavior HTML::WikiConverter installed in a place where you need it. I don't know why the use base in HTML::WikiConverter::MediaWiki isn't failing, though. HTML::WikiConverter is a separate distribution from HTML::WikiConverter::MediaWiki and HWM uses HW's constructor, so it makes sense that if you can't load this module, Perl does not recognize a dispatch for new.

Answer 3

You don't have HTML::WikiConverter installed. So, install it. From the command line, do

cpan HTML::WikiConverter

and not only will HTML::WikiConverter be installed, but any missing prerequisites should be installed as well.

Also, depending your user permissions, you may need to run that command as root (ie sudo cpan HTML::WikiConverter).