IMHO (and since software engineering is such a squichy science it is important to note that this is only an opinion) your third option is more error prone than the other two options. It would be different if most libraries did use the same technique, but in perl only the builtin functions use it extensively. So everyone knows to be careful about context when using builtins but the same can't be said about CPAN library functions.

I would prefer option 2, especially if the conversion is more complex than a simple split.

In reply to Re: (scalar or array context|new|decorated) function for Data::Section::Simple? by jethro
in thread (scalar or array context|new|decorated) function for Data::Section::Simple? by metaperl

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