use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
WriteMakefile( ATTRIBUTE => VALUE, ... );

# which internally is really more like...
%att = (ATTRIBUTE => VALUE, ...);
MM->new(\%att)->flush;
*****
use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
WriteMakefile(
    NAME         => 'POSIX',
    LIBS         => ["-lm -lposix -lcposix"],
    MAN3PODS     => ' ',    # Pods will be built by installman.
    XSPROTOARG   => '-noprototypes',       # XXX remove later?
    VERSION_FROM => 'POSIX.pm', 
);
*****
$self->{LIBS} = ['-ldbm -lucb -lc'];
*****
perl Makefile.PL PREFIX=/tmp/myperl5
*****
perl Makefile.PL verbose
*****
perl Makefile.PL PREFIX=~
*****
perl Makefile.PL INSTALLSITELIB=/afs/here/today
    INSTALLBIN=/afs/there/now INSTALLMAN3DIR=/afs/for/manpages
make
*****
make perl
*****
make inst_perl
*****
perl Makefile.PL MAP_TARGET=myperl
make myperl
make inst_perl
*****
perl Makefile.PL
make myperl MAP_TARGET=myperl
make inst_perl MAP_TARGET=myperl
*****
perl Makefile.PL LINKTYPE=static
*****
CONFIG => [qw(archname manext)],
*****
ar            dlext        ldflags     ranlib
cc            dlsrc        libc        sitelibexp
cccdlflags    ld           lib_ext     sitearchexp
ccdlflags     lddlflags    obj_ext     so
*****
DIR => ['sdbm'],
*****
perl -MExtUtils::MakeMaker -e 'WriteMakefile()'
*****
"$(PKG)" => ["boot_$(PKG)"]
*****
DL_FUNCS => {
    RPC          => [qw(boot_rpcb rpcb_gettime getnetconfigent)],
    NetconfigPtr => ['DESTROY'],
},
*****
DL_VARS => [ qw( Foo_version Foo_numstreams Foo_tree ) ],
*****
INC => "-I/usr/5include -I/path/to/inc",
*****
LIBS => ["-lgdbm", "-ldbm -lfoo", "-L/path -ldbm.nfs"],
*****
LIBS => ["-ltcl", "-ltk", "-lX11"],
*****
LIBS => "-ltcl -ltk -lX11",
*****
NORECURS => 1,
*****
OBJECT => "tkpBind.o tkpButton.o tkpCanvas.o",
*****
PL_FILES => {'whatever.PL' => 'whatever'},
*****
all :: whatever

whatever :: whatever.PL
        $(PERL) -I$(INST_ARCHLIB) -I$(INST_LIB) \
                -I$(PERL_ARCHLIB) -I$(PERL_LIB) whatever.PL
*****
PM => {'name_of_file.pm' => '$(INST_LIBDIR)/install_as.pm'},
*****
PMLIBDIRS => [ 'lib', $(BASEEXT) ],
*****
SKIP => [qw(name1 name2)],
*****
/(\$[\w:]*\bVERSION)\b.*=/
*****
$VERSION = '1.00';
( $VERSION ) = '$Revision: 3.0 $ ' =~ /\$Revision:\s+([^\s]+)/;
$FOO::VERSION = '1.10';
*****
my $VERSION = '1.01';
local $VERSION = '1.02';
local $FOO::VERSION = '1.30';
*****
XS => {'name_of_file.xs' => 'name_of_file.c'},
*****
clean => {FILES => "*.xyz foo"},
*****
depend => {ANY_TARGET => ANY_DEPENDENCY, ...},
*****
dist => {
    TARFLAGS => 'cvfF',
    COMPRESS => 'gzip',
    SUFFIX => 'gz',
    SHAR => 'shar -m',
    DIST_CP => 'ln',
},
*****
dynamic_lib => {
    ARMAYBE => 'ar',
    OTHERLDFLAGS => '...',
    INST_DYNAMIC_DEP => '...',
},
*****
{SPLITLIB => '$(INST_LIB)' (default) or '$(INST_ARCHLIB)'}
*****
linkext => {LINKTYPE => 'static', 'dynamic', or ''},
*****
linkext => {LINKTYPE => ''},
*****
macro => {ANY_MACRO => ANY_VALUE, ...},
*****
{FILES => '$(INST_ARCHAUTODIR)/*.xyz'}
*****
sub MY::c_o { "new literal text" }
*****
sub MY::c_o {
    my $self = shift;
    local *c_o;
    $_=$self->MM::c_o;
    s/old text/new text/;
    $_;
}
*****
WriteMakefile( 'dist' => { COMPRESS=>"gzip", SUFFIX=>"gz" })