# this program reads through a file 
# line by line and prints "PRINTING"
# for every line between $START & $STOP

# i'm intersted in improving my function &flip(\$flop)

$START = 'START';
$STOP = 'STOP';

$flop = 0;
while(<>) {
    my @record = split /,/;
    chomp($record[0]); 

    if (($flop) && ($record[0] ne $STOP)){
        print "PRINTING";
    } else {
        print "not printing";
    }
    if (($record[0] eq $START) || ($record[0] eq $STOP)) {
        &flip(\$flop);
    }
}

sub flip {$ref = @_[0]; $$ref = !($$ref)}

[download]
as you can see, the function &flip(\$flop)
is doing alright and working ... there's 
absolutly no reason to improve it... 

in fact, if i just wrote 

$flop = !($flop)

[download]
i wouldn't need a function at all 
(i also wouldn't get to have the word 
'flipflop' actually working in my code
  ... i think on some level it's like the 
 poetry to me)

for some reason i'd really like to optimize 
the function a step further to only ONE 
statement
 
i tried 

sub flip { $@_[0] = !($@_[0] };

[download]
figuring that it would be like saying:
"de-reference the variable in position
 zero of the 'magic' array and toggle it"

unfortunately it's more like saying: 
"don't compile"

why is that?

In reply to something about improving code... by Buckaroo Buddha

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