P
PerlFAQ Server
This is an excerpt from the latest version perlfaq7.pod, which
comes with the standard Perl distribution. These postings aim to
reduce the number of repeated questions as well as allow the community
to review and update the answers. The latest version of the complete
perlfaq is at http://faq.perl.org .
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7.2: What are all these $@%&* punctuation signs, and how do I know when to use them?
They are type specifiers, as detailed in perldata:
$ for scalar values (number, string or reference)
@ for arrays
% for hashes (associative arrays)
& for subroutines (aka functions, procedures, methods)
* for all types of that symbol name. In version 4 you used them like
pointers, but in modern perls you can just use references.
There are couple of other symbols that you're likely to encounter that
aren't really type specifiers:
<> are used for inputting a record from a filehandle.
\ takes a reference to something.
Note that <FILE> is *neither* the type specifier for files nor the name
of the handle. It is the "<>" operator applied to the handle FILE. It
reads one line (well, record--see "$/" in perlvar) from the handle FILE
in scalar context, or *all* lines in list context. When performing open,
close, or any other operation besides "<>" on files, or even when
talking about the handle, do *not* use the brackets. These are correct:
"eof(FH)", "seek(FH, 0, 2)" and "copying from STDIN to FILE".
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The perlfaq-workers, a group of volunteers, maintain the perlfaq. They
are not necessarily experts in every domain where Perl might show up,
so please include as much information as possible and relevant in any
corrections. The perlfaq-workers also don't have access to every
operating system or platform, so please include relevant details for
corrections to examples that do not work on particular platforms.
Working code is greatly appreciated.
If you'd like to help maintain the perlfaq, see the details in
perlfaq.pod.
comes with the standard Perl distribution. These postings aim to
reduce the number of repeated questions as well as allow the community
to review and update the answers. The latest version of the complete
perlfaq is at http://faq.perl.org .
--------------------------------------------------------------------
7.2: What are all these $@%&* punctuation signs, and how do I know when to use them?
They are type specifiers, as detailed in perldata:
$ for scalar values (number, string or reference)
@ for arrays
% for hashes (associative arrays)
& for subroutines (aka functions, procedures, methods)
* for all types of that symbol name. In version 4 you used them like
pointers, but in modern perls you can just use references.
There are couple of other symbols that you're likely to encounter that
aren't really type specifiers:
<> are used for inputting a record from a filehandle.
\ takes a reference to something.
Note that <FILE> is *neither* the type specifier for files nor the name
of the handle. It is the "<>" operator applied to the handle FILE. It
reads one line (well, record--see "$/" in perlvar) from the handle FILE
in scalar context, or *all* lines in list context. When performing open,
close, or any other operation besides "<>" on files, or even when
talking about the handle, do *not* use the brackets. These are correct:
"eof(FH)", "seek(FH, 0, 2)" and "copying from STDIN to FILE".
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The perlfaq-workers, a group of volunteers, maintain the perlfaq. They
are not necessarily experts in every domain where Perl might show up,
so please include as much information as possible and relevant in any
corrections. The perlfaq-workers also don't have access to every
operating system or platform, so please include relevant details for
corrections to examples that do not work on particular platforms.
Working code is greatly appreciated.
If you'd like to help maintain the perlfaq, see the details in
perlfaq.pod.