There's no denying that being able to do $clone = $orig is very convenient if you both understand the limitations, and make sure you work around them.
It's quicker to type, and also easier to remember, than $clone = $orig->gmp_copy()
But, as an author who has enabled this convenience in his modules, is it acceptable that I don't document the traps that users might fall into when they avail themselves of this option ?

With Math::GMP (which I've neither authored or maintained), I initially considered it smart of them to not explicitly overload '=', and to also not mention that this option exists.
I thought that, in doing this, they were taking advantage of the fact that there's no onus upon them to document anything at all about this option.
And I also thought that I might take the same path with my modules.
However, I'm no longer so sure about the validity of that thinking - and I think, in my modules, I will make some brief mention of the traps, along with a recommendation to read the overload documentation carefully.

It occurs to me that, if one wanted to code defensively, doing $clone = $orig + 0 is safer than doing $clone = $orig.

Cheers,
Rob

In reply to Re^4: How does Math::GMP overload the assignment operator ? by syphilis
in thread How does Math::GMP overload the assignment operator ? by syphilis

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