in reply to use strict won't require explicit name for all variables?

The question is: Why doesn't perl require explicit package names for $a and $b?

Change $a and $b to $x and $y, and you'll get the error. This is probably an artifact of the semi-special nature $a and $b in sort blocks.

  • Comment on Re: use strict won't require explicit name for all variables?

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Re: use strict won't require explicit name for all variables?
by Biker (Priest) on Feb 28, 2002 at 10:25 UTC

    Thanks go out to both dws and Matts. I've never been using the sort routines in Perl. And I never name my variables like $a, $b or $c either. So I haven't been in this trouble.

    I hope that perl 6 will do something to avoid this 'problem'. In the mean time, I'll tell my co-worker to avoid those names. ;-)

    Everything will go worng!

[reply]
      Well, its not really a problem, so im not sure Perl 6 will do much about it.

      ;-)

      Yves / DeMerphq
      --
      When to use Prototypes?

[reply]

        <OPINION>
        Problem or not problem. I consider the usage of certain variable names as 'special' variables a problem.
        Will $nbr be used as a special variable one day? Or what about $i if we stick to one character names? (Wonder how many scripts would be broken by that last one.)

        OK, so $a and $b were both there before me, but how am I to know? How am I to know that I need to read up on sort to know that they exist?

        I admit that there are $_ and many other 'special' variables and I use them on a daily basis. But they look different and I instinctively don't use those names as my working variables. With $a and $b I have to explicitly be aware of their special behavior/existence or else devine their existence which is very far from intuitive.

        But that is, of course, just an opinion. ;-)
        </OPINION>

        Everything will go worng!

[reply]
[d/l]
[select]

In Section Seekers of Perl Wisdom