I'll stick to my assertion that asub can properly be deemed a "method" of main for | for the purposes of  -> invocation (although I have to agree that this terminology (update: and usage!) is a little bit perverse): it follows all the rules for class and object reference invocation. And  main::$x() can even be made to work (sorta) without strictures (which were invented (update: in part) to put a stop to this kind of madness) if the string variable is a package variable and syntax is as documented. 

c:\@Work\Perl\monks>perl -wMstrict -MData::Dump -le
"sub func { print qq{hey @_}; }
 my  $symref = 'func';
 our $symref = 'func';
 ;;
 my $mainobj = bless [];
 dd $mainobj;
 ;;
 main->$symref('ho');
 $mainobj->$symref('there');
 ;;
 &$main::symref('nonny-nonny');
"
bless([], "main")

hey main ho
hey main=ARRAY(0x157618c) there
Can't use string ("func") as a subroutine ref while "strict refs" in u
+se at -e line 1.

c:\@Work\Perl\monks>perl -w -MData::Dump -le
"sub func { print qq{hey @_}; }
 my  $symref = 'func';
 our $symref = 'func';
 ;;
 my $mainobj = bless [];
 dd $mainobj;
 ;;
 main->$symref('ho');
 $mainobj->$symref('there');
 ;;
 &$main::symref('nonny-nonny');
"
bless([], "main")

hey main ho
hey main=ARRAY(0x185614c) there
hey nonny-nonny

[download]
c:\@Work\Perl\monks>perl -wMstrict -MData::Dump -le
"sub func { print qq{hey @_}; }
 sub bonk { print qq{zot @_}; }
 ;;
 my $symref = 'func';
 ;;
 use vars qw($symref);
 $main::symref = 'bonk';
 ;;
 my $mainobj = bless [];
 dd $mainobj;
 ;;
 main        -> $symref('ho');
 'main'      -> $symref('hi');
 my $mainstring = 'main';
 $mainstring -> $symref('he');
 $mainobj    -> $symref('there');
 ;;
 no strict 'refs';
 &$main::symref('nonny-nonny');
"
bless([], "main")

hey main ho
hey main hi
hey main he
hey main=ARRAY(0x37716c) there
zot nonny-nonny

[download]
(And they're not anomalies, they are features!) Run under ActiveState 5.8.9.

Update 1: Changed example code to better illustrate difference between lexical and package variables.

Update 2: And BTW, this even works (under strictures!) with aliasing: 

my $str = 'aaa';
for my $alias (main::, 'main', $mainstring, $mainobj) {
  $alias->$symref($str++);
  }

[download]

Give a man a fish:  <%-{-{-{-<

In reply to Re^5: Function name in a variable, can't recall the concept (updated x2) by AnomalousMonk
in thread Function name in a variable, can't recall the concept by mpersico

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