Metadata

MetaCPAN uses the CPAN::Meta spec for much of the information about a distribution. It also supports some custom meta fields.

Contributors

Distributions can provide a list of contributors using the x_contributors field in the META.json or META.yml file. The list will be presented below the releaser and authors on the right sidebar. If possible, the list should include an email address either linked to the user on MetaCPAN or listed in PAUSE.

In META.yml:

...
x_contributors:
  - The First Contributor <contrib1@cpan.org>
  - The Second Contributor <second_contrib@cpan.org>
  - Yet Another Contributor <yacontrib@cpan.org>
...

In META.json:

...
"x_contributors" : [
  "The First Contributor <contrib1@cpan.org>",
  "The Second Contributor <second_contrib@cpan.org>",
  "Yet Another Contributor <yacontrib@cpan.org>"
],
...

Dist::Zilla users can automate adding this using the Dist::Zilla::Plugin::Git::Contributors plugin.

IRC

A link to an IRC channel can be provided using the x_IRC (or IRC in META.yml) resource field. This link should use the irc:// protocol. MetaCPAN will automatically transform this into a web chat link to use on the left sidebar. Alternatively, x_IRC can be specified as a hash using url and web keys. The url key is intended to contain an irc:// link, while the web key should have a link to join the chat room directly in the browser. If no web link is provided, it will be generated for you.

In META.yml:

...
resources:
  ...
  x_IRC: irc://irc.perl.org/#metacpan
...

In META.json:

...
"resources" : {
  ...
  "x_IRC" : "irc://irc.perl.org/#metacpan"
},
...

Or:

...
"resources" : {
  ...
  "x_IRC" : {
    "url" : "irc://irc.perl.org/#metacpan",
    "web" : "https://chat.mibbit.com/?channel=%23metacpan&server=irc.perl.org"
  }
},
...

Files

Change Logs

MetaCPAN will look for change logs in the following files: CHANGES, Changes, ChangeLog, Changelog, CHANGELOG, and NEWS. These will be shown when using the Changes link on the sidebar. If the change log follows the CPAN::Changes::Spec, the release page will include the entries for the release.