=head1 SUMMARY Data::ID::URL::Shrink - Shorten numeric IDs, for nicer URLs and more. This module is intended to help those looking for a way to shorten numerical ID values. Additionally, it provides a way to generate a random ID where uniqueness can be probable, depending on the length of the ID. This module DOES NOT and WILL NOT GUARANTEE a unique ID. It can come close, but it is more of a supplement to truly unique IDs. =head1 BACKGROUND While I gave my particular implementation a name (with some friendly advice), neither the concept nor the mechanics behind this kind of encoding are mine. I did research it out of curiosity though, and found there was plenty of information available on the topic. However, while many experienced developers were willing to share samples of their solutions to illustrate the process, I did not see as many packaged solutions as I expected; this seemed most true with regards to Perl. I thought there might be value in making the functionality available in a single package. This way, less experienced programmers, or those who lack the time or interest to learn the mechanics, will be able to proceed without delay. =head1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS =head2 mst Thanks for help with the module name and answering PAUSE and CPAN questions. =head2 internets Thanks to the authors of the articles, Q&A posts, etc. which I read to get this module working. =head1 AVAILABILITY GitHub L =head1 COPYRIGHT Copyright (C) 2013 Rick Yakubowski (yakubori) =head1 LICENSE This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. =head1 AUTHOR Rick Yakubowski (yakubori) =cut