Re^5: Seeking Perl docs about how UTF8 flag propagates

It does not return a "LIST". ... No list

Colloquially or not, the documentation I referenced specifically states that split returns a list, and I quote: "Splits the string EXPR into a list of strings and returns the list in list context". As such, "list" is canonical terminology for what split returns in list context, until such time as it is removed from the docs. I will continue to maintain that split does return a list, your "No list." notwithstanding.

If you are instead quibbling with my use of ALL CAPS to try to show it as a term, would you prefer I had said "list" (with "air-quote"-style quotes) instead? (In evidence of the fact that I was using ALL CAPS to be a term that I am trying to define, I also did the ALL CAPS for ARRAY, and that's not how the documentation refers to the data type, either.)

There's no such data structure.

In my paragraph on LIST or "list" or however you want me to type "the concept of list in Perl documentation", I never once called it a "data structure" or "data type". Contrariwise, I very specifically called an ARRAY or "array" a "data type" (well, I typed "datatype", sorry) because that's what the docs call it.

I was trying to help the O.P. differentiate concepts: the concept of the list construct (and with my link, obliquely to list context) compared to the concept of the array data type.

As for "LIST" spelled like that, the docs use this to refer to an expression evaluated in list context

Can you point me to a document that makes this distinction? I was trying to see if they had a formal definition of LIST in all caps anywhere, but couldn't find it; the List value constructors was the only section that I could readily find that tries to define a "list" of any sort.

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Re^6: Seeking Perl docs about how UTF8 flag propagates
by ikegami (Patriarch) on May 19, 2023 at 16:40 UTC

I never once called it a "data structure" or "data type".

But you did say it's returned instead of an array. You didn't use the words "data structure" or "data type", but you repeatedly presented it as something comparable to an array.

And then you started to mix two different meanings of list. (It does not return a "list value", which refers to Perl code.) "List" is a dangerous word to use.

Can you point me to a document that makes this distinction?

Here's where the documentation uses LIST

chmod LIST
chomp( LIST )
chop( LIST )
chown LIST
die LIST
exec LIST
exec PROGRAM LIST
formline PICTURE,LIST
grep BLOCK LIST
grep EXPR,LIST
import LIST
join EXPR,LIST
kill SIGNAL, LIST
map BLOCK LIST
map EXPR,LIST
no MODULE VERSION LIST
no MODULE LIST
open FILEHANDLE,MODE,EXPR,LIST
pack TEMPLATE,LIST
print FILEHANDLE LIST
print LIST
printf FILEHANDLE FORMAT, LIST
printf FORMAT, LIST
push ARRAY,LIST
reverse LIST
say FILEHANDLE LIST
say LIST
sort SUBNAME LIST
sort BLOCK LIST
sort LIST
splice ARRAY,OFFSET,LENGTH,LIST
sprintf FORMAT, LIST
syscall NUMBER, LIST
system LIST
system PROGRAM LIST
tie VARIABLE,CLASSNAME,LIST
unlink LIST
unshift ARRAY,LIST
use Module VERSION LIST
use Module LIST
utime LIST
warn LIST
[download]

The syntax used to describe the syntax of Perl operators is not documented, but it is consistent. LIST always represents an expression evaluated in list context. (Contrast that with my, our and state which use VARLIST.)

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