#!/usr/local/bin/perl -w
package UNIVERSAL;
sub AUTOLOAD {
     print "UNIVERSAL::AUTOLOAD=$AUTOLOAD\n" unless $AUTOLOAD =~ /DESTROY/;
     if ($AUTOLOAD =~ /^(.*)::(.*)$/ ) {
         my ($class,$sub) = ($1,$2);
         if ($sub eq 'new') {
             my $self = {xxx => 1};
             bless $self, $class;
             return $self;
         } else {
             return "$AUTOLOAD **results**";
         }
     }
}

#test forms of AUTOLOAD
package main;

my $n;
#the following succeeeds but gets message:
#   Use of inherited AUTOLOAD for non-method foo::anysub()
#   is deprecated...
my $xx=foo::anysub();
print ref $xx ? "object class:$xx\n" : "sub:$xx\n";

#the following succeeeds and returns an object of class foo
my $xx=foo->new();
print ref $xx ? "object class:$xx\n" : "sub:$xx\n";

# *** IF THE LINES FURTHER ON ARE COMMENTED THIS FAILS WITH MESSAGE:
#   Can't locate object method "new" via package "bar" (perhaps
#   you forgot to load "bar"?)...
# *** OTHERWISE IT WORKS WHY?? ***
my $xx=bar->new();
print ref $xx ? "object class:$xx\n" : "sub:$xx\n";

# *** IF YOU UNCOMMENT THESE 2 LINES THE ABOVE WORKS ***
#my $xx=bar::new();
#print ref $xx ? "object class:$xx\n" : "sub:$xx\n";

print "Finished\n";