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- package constant;
-
- use strict;
- use 5.005_64;
- use warnings::register;
-
- our($VERSION, %declared);
- $VERSION = '1.02';
-
- #=======================================================================
-
- # Some names are evil choices.
- my %keywords = map +($_, 1), qw{ BEGIN INIT CHECK END DESTROY AUTOLOAD };
-
- my %forced_into_main = map +($_, 1),
- qw{ STDIN STDOUT STDERR ARGV ARGVOUT ENV INC SIG };
-
- my %forbidden = (%keywords, %forced_into_main);
-
- #=======================================================================
- # import() - import symbols into user's namespace
- #
- # What we actually do is define a function in the caller's namespace
- # which returns the value. The function we create will normally
- # be inlined as a constant, thereby avoiding further sub calling
- # overhead.
- #=======================================================================
- sub import {
- my $class = shift;
- return unless @_; # Ignore 'use constant;'
- my $name = shift;
- unless (defined $name) {
- require Carp;
- Carp::croak("Can't use undef as constant name");
- }
- my $pkg = caller;
-
- # Normal constant name
- if ($name =~ /^_?[^\W_0-9]\w*\z/ and !$forbidden{$name}) {
- # Everything is okay
-
- # Name forced into main, but we're not in main. Fatal.
- } elsif ($forced_into_main{$name} and $pkg ne 'main') {
- require Carp;
- Carp::croak("Constant name '$name' is forced into main::");
-
- # Starts with double underscore. Fatal.
- } elsif ($name =~ /^__/) {
- require Carp;
- Carp::croak("Constant name '$name' begins with '__'");
-
- # Maybe the name is tolerable
- } elsif ($name =~ /^[A-Za-z_]\w*\z/) {
- # Then we'll warn only if you've asked for warnings
- if (warnings::enabled()) {
- if ($keywords{$name}) {
- warnings::warn("Constant name '$name' is a Perl keyword");
- } elsif ($forced_into_main{$name}) {
- warnings::warn("Constant name '$name' is " .
- "forced into package main::");
- } else {
- # Catch-all - what did I miss? If you get this error,
- # please let me know what your constant's name was.
- # Write to <rootbeer@redcat.com>. Thanks!
- warnings::warn("Constant name '$name' has unknown problems");
- }
- }
-
- # Looks like a boolean
- # use constant FRED == fred;
- } elsif ($name =~ /^[01]?\z/) {
- require Carp;
- if (@_) {
- Carp::croak("Constant name '$name' is invalid");
- } else {
- Carp::croak("Constant name looks like boolean value");
- }
-
- } else {
- # Must have bad characters
- require Carp;
- Carp::croak("Constant name '$name' has invalid characters");
- }
-
- {
- no strict 'refs';
- my $full_name = "${pkg}::$name";
- $declared{$full_name}++;
- if (@_ == 1) {
- my $scalar = $_[0];
- *$full_name = sub () { $scalar };
- } elsif (@_) {
- my @list = @_;
- *$full_name = sub () { @list };
- } else {
- *$full_name = sub () { };
- }
- }
-
- }
-
- 1;
-
- __END__
-
- =head1 NAME
-
- constant - Perl pragma to declare constants
-
- =head1 SYNOPSIS
-
- use constant BUFFER_SIZE => 4096;
- use constant ONE_YEAR => 365.2425 * 24 * 60 * 60;
- use constant PI => 4 * atan2 1, 1;
- use constant DEBUGGING => 0;
- use constant ORACLE => 'oracle@cs.indiana.edu';
- use constant USERNAME => scalar getpwuid($<);
- use constant USERINFO => getpwuid($<);
-
- sub deg2rad { PI * $_[0] / 180 }
-
- print "This line does nothing" unless DEBUGGING;
-
- # references can be constants
- use constant CHASH => { foo => 42 };
- use constant CARRAY => [ 1,2,3,4 ];
- use constant CPSEUDOHASH => [ { foo => 1}, 42 ];
- use constant CCODE => sub { "bite $_[0]\n" };
-
- print CHASH->{foo};
- print CARRAY->[$i];
- print CPSEUDOHASH->{foo};
- print CCODE->("me");
- print CHASH->[10]; # compile-time error
-
- =head1 DESCRIPTION
-
- This will declare a symbol to be a constant with the given scalar
- or list value.
-
- When you declare a constant such as C<PI> using the method shown
- above, each machine your script runs upon can have as many digits
- of accuracy as it can use. Also, your program will be easier to
- read, more likely to be maintained (and maintained correctly), and
- far less likely to send a space probe to the wrong planet because
- nobody noticed the one equation in which you wrote C<3.14195>.
-
- =head1 NOTES
-
- The value or values are evaluated in a list context. You may override
- this with C<scalar> as shown above.
-
- These constants do not directly interpolate into double-quotish
- strings, although you may do so indirectly. (See L<perlref> for
- details about how this works.)
-
- print "The value of PI is @{[ PI ]}.\n";
-
- List constants are returned as lists, not as arrays.
-
- $homedir = USERINFO[7]; # WRONG
- $homedir = (USERINFO)[7]; # Right
-
- The use of all caps for constant names is merely a convention,
- although it is recommended in order to make constants stand out
- and to help avoid collisions with other barewords, keywords, and
- subroutine names. Constant names must begin with a letter or
- underscore. Names beginning with a double underscore are reserved. Some
- poor choices for names will generate warnings, if warnings are enabled at
- compile time.
-
- Constant symbols are package scoped (rather than block scoped, as
- C<use strict> is). That is, you can refer to a constant from package
- Other as C<Other::CONST>.
-
- As with all C<use> directives, defining a constant happens at
- compile time. Thus, it's probably not correct to put a constant
- declaration inside of a conditional statement (like C<if ($foo)
- { use constant ... }>).
-
- Omitting the value for a symbol gives it the value of C<undef> in
- a scalar context or the empty list, C<()>, in a list context. This
- isn't so nice as it may sound, though, because in this case you
- must either quote the symbol name, or use a big arrow, (C<=E<gt>>),
- with nothing to point to. It is probably best to declare these
- explicitly.
-
- use constant UNICORNS => ();
- use constant LOGFILE => undef;
-
- The result from evaluating a list constant in a scalar context is
- not documented, and is B<not> guaranteed to be any particular value
- in the future. In particular, you should not rely upon it being
- the number of elements in the list, especially since it is not
- B<necessarily> that value in the current implementation.
-
- Magical values, tied values, and references can be made into
- constants at compile time, allowing for way cool stuff like this.
- (These error numbers aren't totally portable, alas.)
-
- use constant E2BIG => ($! = 7);
- print E2BIG, "\n"; # something like "Arg list too long"
- print 0+E2BIG, "\n"; # "7"
-
- Dereferencing constant references incorrectly (such as using an array
- subscript on a constant hash reference, or vice versa) will be trapped at
- compile time.
-
- In the rare case in which you need to discover at run time whether a
- particular constant has been declared via this module, you may use
- this function to examine the hash C<%constant::declared>. If the given
- constant name does not include a package name, the current package is
- used.
-
- sub declared ($) {
- use constant 1.01; # don't omit this!
- my $name = shift;
- $name =~ s/^::/main::/;
- my $pkg = caller;
- my $full_name = $name =~ /::/ ? $name : "${pkg}::$name";
- $constant::declared{$full_name};
- }
-
- =head1 TECHNICAL NOTE
-
- In the current implementation, scalar constants are actually
- inlinable subroutines. As of version 5.004 of Perl, the appropriate
- scalar constant is inserted directly in place of some subroutine
- calls, thereby saving the overhead of a subroutine call. See
- L<perlsub/"Constant Functions"> for details about how and when this
- happens.
-
- =head1 BUGS
-
- In the current version of Perl, list constants are not inlined
- and some symbols may be redefined without generating a warning.
-
- It is not possible to have a subroutine or keyword with the same
- name as a constant in the same package. This is probably a Good Thing.
-
- A constant with a name in the list C<STDIN STDOUT STDERR ARGV ARGVOUT
- ENV INC SIG> is not allowed anywhere but in package C<main::>, for
- technical reasons.
-
- Even though a reference may be declared as a constant, the reference may
- point to data which may be changed, as this code shows.
-
- use constant CARRAY => [ 1,2,3,4 ];
- print CARRAY->[1];
- CARRAY->[1] = " be changed";
- print CARRAY->[1];
-
- Unlike constants in some languages, these cannot be overridden
- on the command line or via environment variables.
-
- You can get into trouble if you use constants in a context which
- automatically quotes barewords (as is true for any subroutine call).
- For example, you can't say C<$hash{CONSTANT}> because C<CONSTANT> will
- be interpreted as a string. Use C<$hash{CONSTANT()}> or
- C<$hash{+CONSTANT}> to prevent the bareword quoting mechanism from
- kicking in. Similarly, since the C<=E<gt>> operator quotes a bareword
- immediately to its left, you have to say C<CONSTANT() =E<gt> 'value'>
- (or simply use a comma in place of the big arrow) instead of
- C<CONSTANT =E<gt> 'value'>.
-
- =head1 AUTHOR
-
- Tom Phoenix, E<lt>F<rootbeer@redcat.com>E<gt>, with help from
- many other folks.
-
- =head1 COPYRIGHT
-
- Copyright (C) 1997, 1999 Tom Phoenix
-
- This module is free software; you can redistribute it or modify it
- under the same terms as Perl itself.
-
- =cut
-