[clug] perl question

[Francis James Whittle]

Not that this is really the best solution, but you could use explicit
package namespaces to get around that.  Either just use main, like
instead of 'my $scalar; my @list;' you could use '$main::scalar;
@main::list;', or have a configuration package, say 'MyConfig', which
would be like:

package MyConfig;
$MyConfig::scalar;
@MyConfig::list;
%MyConfig::hash;

Another possibility is to have your configuration fragment return a
(possibly bless()'d, but it's really pointless) hash reference.  If
memory serves, this is done something like:

# package MyConfig;

my $self = (
	foo => 'bar',
	bar => 'baz',
);

# bless ($self, MyConfig);

return $self;

If you *are* going to bless() it, that'll obviously work better with an
actual constructor.  In the long run, a properly constructed
configuration object will look clearer than a reference returned from a
file in a big ol' do statement (and will result in less superfluous
colons), and it still doesn't *need* to be bless()'d.  There are other
benefits too, like different constructors for different conditions, etc.

Can't help you with the debug command, maybe perldoc can ;)

Francis

On Mon, 2004-10-18 at 10:17 +1000, Kim Holburn wrote:
> Hi Guys,
> 
> I was wondering if one of you perl guys out there could throw some 
> light on this question.
> 
> I have a perl script with a config file.  Recently it seemed to me that 
> it would be better to make the config file a perl fragment, (it just 
> does some variable assignments) and use a "do" statement to read it in.
> 
> Unfortunately it messes with my declarations.  If I declare the 
> variables anywhere in a "my" declaration the assignments don't work.  
> If I don't declare anything it all works OK.  I like to work under 
> "strict" but this doesn't any work more.  Something about packages?  I 
> never really understood about packages.  Do I have to declare these 
> local or something else?
> 
> Is there a debug command to show all variables and what type they are?
> 
> Kim
> 
> -- 
> Kim Holburn
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