Re: sub STDERR { *STDERR } -- nearly works !

The idea with using $FH instead of FH is to avoid messing with other scope, being affected by other scopes, and to ensure timely garbage collection.

None of those benefits are achieved by using $STDERR instead of STDERR — the variable is global even if you pretend it isn't — so you're needlessly complicating your code. I hope that you will revert to using STDERR now that you figured this parsing puzzle.

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Re^2: sub STDERR { *STDERR } -- nearly works ! by gone2015 (Deacon) on Apr 09, 2008 at 08:39 UTC
Using `$FH` also allows the filehandle to be passed around, assigned, stored in other structures and objects, etc... so that it's a first class thing, not a bag on the back. I have a collection of "useful widgets" in a module which I use in all my modules and programs. What that currently does is export `$STDERR` (etc), which is set `$STDERR = main::STDERR{IO}`. So my `$STDERR` is almost as global as `STDERR`. This brings the `STDxxx` filehandles into line with all other filehandles in my code, sharing all the benefits of being first class variables. If the `sub STDERR {STDERR}` worked, then it would be implicitly global and no export of a variable would be required. /sigh/	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^3: sub STDERR { *STDERR } -- nearly works ! by ikegami (Patriarch) on Apr 09, 2008 at 09:06 UTC
`*STDERR` is already a perfectly fine first class variable. No need to duplicate it as `$STDERR`. It's especially curious that you point out that a `STDERR` function would be even better in the last paragraph, contradicting the rest of your post (which argues for conformity with other file handles).	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^4: sub STDERR { *STDERR } -- nearly works ! by gone2015 (Deacon) on Apr 09, 2008 at 10:07 UTC
Up to a point... `print *FH ....` causes Perl to throw up, where `print $FH ....` doesn't. It appears that a `$STDERR` is more general. Well, yes, I put my hand up on the inconsistency. But, declaring `$STDERR` and exporting it to everywhere it's used is a bit ugly. ...but brother ysth points out the error in my thinking, `$STDERR` does need to be exported after all. So I don't need the `sub` trick after all.	[reply] [d/l] [select]