Question: My app seems to randomly be throwing a `"undefined method 'address_line_1' for nil:NilClass"` error when users are trying to access their profile page.

What's weird is it's saying the error happens in a completely unrelated layout view, and I see no indication whatsoever that the layout is even being called (because it has nothing to do with the edit view).

```
GET peoplecontacter.heroku.com/pages/5/edit dyno=web.1 queue=0 wait=0ms service=20ms bytes=934
2011-03-31T15:19:47-07:00 app[web.1]: 
2011-03-31T15:19:47-07:00 app[web.1]: ActionView::Template::Error (undefined method `address_line_1' for nil:NilClass):
2011-03-31T15:19:47-07:00 app[web.1]:     44:     #{@page_content.address_line_1}
2011-03-31T15:19:47-07:00 app[web.1]:   app/views/layouts/pages/page_splitheader.html.haml:44:in `_app_views_layouts_pages_page__splitheaderhtml_haml___1138718096_23705833586020_0'

```

The error sometimes gets thrown whether I click into the account from the preceding `customer_account` view, or if have just clicked on the page's show view and hit the browser's back button, returning to the edit view. But I don't get the error on the show, which is the only place where `@page_content.address_line_1` should execute.

Thanks in advance for any help!
--Mark

Answer: 
The process used by [ExtUtils::MakeMaker](http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?ExtUtils%3a%3aMakeMaker) and [Module::Install](http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?Module%3a%3aInstall) is very similar.

```
perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

```

If you're set on using the specific command chain you posted, you can place the following in file `configure`:

```
#!/bin/sh
perl Makefile.PL

```

If you're not set on using the specific command chain you posted, there's also [Module::Build](http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?Module%3a%3aBuild).

```
perl Build.PL
./Build
./Build test
./Build install

```

I use Module::Build personally.
In the Makefile.am that's where your perl scripts reside, add the line

```
 dist_bin_SCRIPTS = your_perl_program

```