Re^3: How will you use state declared variables in Perl6?

I don't think that's the type of closure BrowserUk is referring to. Think more of this perl 5 code:

sub genclosure {
  my $bar;
  return sub { $bar++; }
}
[download]

Each time you call genclosure, you get a new closure, a new state variable. You don't reuse the previously existing state variable.

So I would have to agree with BrowserUk's "very carefully" statement. The same as I would use your perl5 (global) closure code - very carefully. That said, I have probably about a half-dozen or so places where I need or want to cache data globally in my projects at work, so this would be very nice syntactical sugar for that. However, I also generate a few closures where this new idea could easily bite a junior programmer in the arse when they wonder why their data isn't returning properly. ("How did that counter get so high already?")

That said, I also generally avoided static in C as well, so that's not really surprising for me. After all, one generally looks at programming tasks from the basis of their experience - if it looks like a nail, that may be because all you have is a hammer.

Update: TimToady's response has cleared things up a bit, thankfully. It was looking a bit grim for state - although there is still some care to be taken. I'll have to think if I can figure out where I'd use this feature, if anywhere.

Comment on Re^3: How will you use state declared variables in Perl6? Download Code

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^4: How will you use state declared variables in Perl6? by revdiablo (Prior) on Jul 08, 2005 at 22:02 UTC
If that's what he meant, this would be the equivalent Perl6 code, using `state`: `sub genclosure { return sub { state $bar; $bar++; } }` [download] I'm still not seeing a difference in safety.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^5: How will you use state declared variables in Perl6? by TimToady (Parson) on Jul 08, 2005 at 22:27 UTC
That's correct--state variables clone. I see a lot of needless handwringing here based on the faulty assumption that Perl's state variables are just like C's static variables. There's a reason we gave them a different name...	[reply]
Re^6: How will you use state declared variables in Perl6? by Limbic~Region (Chancellor) on Jul 08, 2005 at 22:34 UTC
TimToady, The intent of the meditation was to get people thinking about state variables and how they will be useful. I believe that isn't being undermined here even with my bad choice of explanation. Thank you for participating and setting the record straight. The discussion may be better off by starting on the wrong foot because it gets the misconceptions out of the way with the authorative corrections all in one place. Cheers - L~R	[reply]
Re^5: How will you use state declared variables in Perl6? by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Jul 08, 2005 at 22:29 UTC
I'm still not seeing a difference in safety. If Limbic~Region's analogy with C statics is accurate, state defines an single, absolute, static piece of ram. So, this: `sub genclosure { my $bar; return sub { $bar++; } }` [download] And this: `sub genclosure { return sub { state $bar; $bar++; } }` [download] are semantically quite different. In the former case, each time you generate a coderef by calling genclosure(), that coderef will close over a different instance of the lexical $bar. In the latter case, each coderef generated will reference the same, single, immovable, static piece of ram</code> labelled $bar. And further, references to `state $bar;` in other unrelated generator functions--in the same package, or a different packages, or a different modules--will all refer to that same static piece of ram. It is possible that state will be cleverer than that, and somehow be scoped by file or package or namespace, but then a) the analogy with C static falls through; b) the would seem to be considerable overlap with `local $bar;`. Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error. Lingua non convalesco, consenesco et abolesco. -- Rule 1 has a caveat! -- Who broke the cabal? "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". The "good enough" maybe good enough for the now, and perfection maybe unobtainable, but that should not preclude us from striving for perfection, when time, circumstance or desire allow.	[reply] [d/l] [select]