C:\>perl -MO=Deparse -e "$foo = 'bar'";
$foo = 'bar';
-e syntax OK

C:\>perl -MO=Deparse -e "$main::foo = 'bar'";
$foo = 'bar';
-e syntax OK

C:\>perl -MO=Deparse -e "$::foo = 'bar'";
$foo = 'bar';
-e syntax OK

[download]

Update

Superficially these all parse the same. But as Corion notes the :: is significant as it signifies a package rather than a lexical variable. As soon as your current package is not main but some other package, or as soon as $foo is a lexical variable (and $::foo will never be) they are different. 

C:\>perl -MO=Deparse -e "package Foo; my $foo = 'bar'";
package Foo;
my $foo = 'bar';
-e syntax OK

C:\>perl -MO=Deparse -e "package Foo; my $::foo = 'bar'";
"my" variable $::foo can't be in a package at -e line 1, near "my $::f
+oo "
Can't use global $::foo in "my" at -e line 1, near "my $::foo "
-e had compilation errors.

C:\>perl -e "package Foo; $::foo = 'foo'; print $foo"   


C:\>perl -e "package Foo; $::foo = 'foo'; print $main::foo"
foo
C:\>

[download]

cheers

tachyon

In reply to Re: syntax/operator question by tachyon
in thread syntax/operator question by rtremaine

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