if there is a way to keep GET parameters from populating $cgi->param().

Why? Check the result of request_method() first, then decide on how you want to handle parameters.

Or, if you really insist on that strange behaviour, inherit from CGI and override param() and multi_param(). Something like this:

package StrangeCGI;

# completely untested!

use strict;
use warnings;
use parent 'CGI';

sub multi_param
{
    my ($sself,@args)=@_;
    if ($self->request_method() ne 'POST') {
        return;
    } else {
        return $self->SUPER::multi_param(@args);
    }
}

sub param
{
    my ($sself,@args)=@_;
    if ($self->request_method() ne 'POST') {
        return;
    } else {
        return $self->SUPER::param(@args);
    }
}

1;
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I thought I remembered there being a pragma or something that allowed that,

I don't think that was ever possible.

but I'm probably misremembering.

You probably are.

Alexander

I thought I remembered there being a pragma or something that allowed that, but I'm probably misremembering.

Do you mean the invocation method defined at CGI.pm's Creating-a-new-query-object-from-an-input-file of CGI), which has the example:

To create an empty query, initialize it from an empty string or hash:

my $empty_query = CGI->new("");
 
   -or-
 
my $empty_query = CGI->new({});
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This creates your query object without any parameters from the get-go.

Or, if you want to use the parameters at first so that you can extract information, but then delete them before outputting any HTML so they don't pre-populate forms, then you probably want to read Deleting-all-parameters of CGI to find $q->delete_all(); , which will delete the parameters at your whim.

"Do you mean the invocation method defined at CGI.pm's Creating-a-new-query-object-from-an-input-file of CGI)"

No I was wondering about something like use CGI qw( -ignore_get_params ). If that existed it would be a simple way to ignore GET params without having to check $cgi->request_method().

No I was wondering about something like use CGI qw( -ignore_get_params ). If that existed it would be a simple way to ignore GET params without having to check $cgi->request_method().

Then no, not as far as I know.

Why do you want to avoid $cgi->delete_all() if $cgi->request_method() eq 'GET'; ? I cannot see how that's any harder or more confusing than the non-existent use CGI qw( -ignore_get_params ) that you suggested.