The string is based on the referenced variable.

So,

  1. You are printing a reference to $a, which contains "foo": SCALAR
  2. You are printing a reference to $a, which contains \$a: REF
  3. You are printing a reference to $b, which contains "foo": SCALAR
  4. You are printing a reference to $a, which contains \$a: REF

In reply to Re: Why do I (sometimes) get a REF ref and not a SCALAR ref? by ikegami
in thread Why do I (sometimes) get a REF ref and not a SCALAR ref? by Anonymous Monk

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