Replace "sub {" with "do { my $sub; $sub = sub {" and add a "}" on the end. Then inside of the sub, $sub will be a reference to the sub:

do { my $sub; $sub = sub {
    print "I am $sub\n";
} }->();
[download]

Your not the only one who has wondered :)

Ah ha! Looks like Devel::Caller is the solution. There really should be a perl interface to perl internals built into perl. XS is too scary for me.

The toughest part of XS is finding information. Much of it is there, but the lack of indexing makes it hard to find, and the lack of simple examples mean that even when you see what you need to know, you don't recognise as such when you start.

Funnily enough, another interesting reference particularly applicable to your question turned up on the p5p list just a while ago.

This news://nntp.perl.org/perl.perl5.porters/98762 doesn't work as a link here, but within that post there is a link to PerlAssembly which I haven't had chance to digest yet, but seems to offer some valuable insights into the internals.

---

Examine what is said, not who speaks.

Silence betokens consent.

Love the truth but pardon error.

my $sub;
$sub = sub{print"hello\n";return $sub};
$sub->();
print "$sub\n";
$sub->()->();
[download]

UPDATE

More fun... but still can't imagine why?

# --- Make a lexical block
{
    my $sub;
    $sub = sub {sub hello {print"hello\n";return $sub}};
    $sub->();
    print "$sub\n";
}
my $x = &hello;
print "address of hello is <$x>\n";
&hello()->();
[download]

The use is that it allows a recursive anonymous subroutine.

The cost is that the subroutine will now hold a reference to itself and will therefore never get garbage collected.

Thanks Tilly,

Here is my recursive 'sort-of' anonymous routine that calculates factors

# --- Factoring with a nony mouse sub

{
    my $sub;
    my $fact;
    $fact = 1;
    $sub = sub {my $num=shift;
                $fact=$num*$fact;
                if ($num==1){print "$fact\n"}
                else{$num--;$sub->($num)};
                return $sub};
    $sub->(5);
}
[download]

although, by using $sub it's not really anonymous, is it?

UPDATE

Improved version of above

# --- Factoring with a nony mouse sub

my $sub;
{
    my $fact;
    $fact = 1;
    $sub = sub {my $num=shift;
                $fact=$num*$fact;
                $num--;
                $sub->($num) unless $num==1;
                return $fact};
}
print $sub->(5),"\n";
[download]

If you want somewhere to start on trying to write that, you could take a look at the implementation of Want.

Alternatively, for an example of code that does bind in advance but is thus pure Perl, see Class::Rebless.

{
   #your code goes here
}
[download]

Yes, indeed. *sigh*, you people, TOO helpful. I ask a silly question and you assume I am deluded, and not simply wishing to find a silly answer.