Seems that Class Munger represents a set of data in a file or file(s) in some state. Once you have applied a Munger method to a instance of Munger, you have create a new file (or set of files) with a new set of data. This means that you have a new instance of Class Munger.

So why not create a new instance each time you munge anything. 

my $mungable =  Munge->new( file=>'data' );

my $sorted   = $mungable->sort( by=>size );

my $mangled  = $mungable->mangle();

my $subset_of_mangled = $mangled->subset( some=>'criteria' );
my $subset_of_sorted  = $sorted->subset( some=>'criteria' );
my $subset_of_orig    = $mungable->subset( some=>'criteria' );

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I can't help thinking that if you return an object representing the results of one set of manipulations performed on one set of data, and the user passes this back to you via a call to manipulate a completly different set of data, you have an unresolvable problem?

Examine what is said, not who speaks.
"Efficiency is intelligent laziness." -David Dunham
"When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong." -Richard Buckminster Fuller

In reply to Re: Tracking processing by returning objects? by BrowserUk
in thread Tracking processing by returning objects? by BazB

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