Re^4: goto &sub and local question

If you plan on initializing %familySecrets, you need to use a BEGIN block if you are in main. In a module, this isn't necessary. Technically, you can use any one of the other special named blocks that run before your code: BEGIN, UNITCHECK, CHECK, or INIT. See perlmod for more details on these blocks.

{
    my %familySecrets;
    BEGIN { 
        %familySecrets = ( 
            closet           => 'skeleton', 
            herbs_and_spices => 11,
            coke_recipe      => 'sugar, water, shoe polish',
        ); 
    }
  sub s1
  {
    # Read family secrets
  }

  sub s2
  {
    #write family secret
    #call s1
  }
}
[download]

TGI says moo

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Re^5: goto &sub and local question by ikegami (Patriarch) on Nov 25, 2008 at 03:18 UTC
No need to introduce a new block. You can just add `BEGIN` in front of the existing curlies. `BEGIN { my %familySecrets = ( ... ); sub s1 { ... } sub s2 { ... } }` [download] By the way, `BEGIN` is probably not needed in the main script either, but there's no harm in using it.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^6: goto &sub and local question by TGI (Parson) on Nov 25, 2008 at 21:26 UTC
I like the idea of using one block, it's much cleaner. Thank you. Whether you need to use a BEGIN around initializations in your main package really depends on how you write your code. If your initialization occurs in your script before you call any of the subs that rely on it, no BEGIN is needed. If you aren't initializing anything, no BEGIN is needed. When you require or use a module, the code it contains is executed. So, any initializations will occur when the code is required, no matter where they are in the module. If the module is calls its own routines while being required, then the same possibility for problems with uninitialized block scoped variables exists. `# subs first - BEGIN not needed { my $var = 'blah'; sub foo { ... } sub bar { ... } } sub bax { ... } do_stuff_here();` [download] `# subs last - BEGIN needed iff initializing values. do_stuff_here(); # $var has been created but not initialized. { my $var = 'blah'; sub foo { ... } sub bar { ... } } sub bax { ... }` [download] When you say the BEGIN is probably not needed, I interpret your statement to mean that the BEGIN may not be necessary because the OP probably will not have to initialize his block scoped variables. If my understanding is incorrect, is there some other mechanism that you suggest for initializing the variables? TGI says moo	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^7: goto &sub and local question by ikegami (Patriarch) on Nov 26, 2008 at 00:18 UTC
When you say the BEGIN is probably not needed, I interpret your statement to mean that the BEGIN may not be necessary because the OP probably will not have to initialize his block scoped variables. Most code I've seen is organized such that initialization statements come before others. I meant `BEGIN` is probably not needed because the code is probably already executed in the right order without it. If my understanding is incorrect, is there some other mechanism that you suggest for initializing the variables? No, `BEGIN` is just fine. Like I said, even if it's not needed, there's no harm. For example, when I have an inlined module, I do `BEGIN { package ...; ... }` [download] The `BEGIN` is rarely needed there, but it has avoided problem in the past. There's no cost to adding the word `BEGIN`, especially since I already had curlies in place to limit the scope of `package` and any `my` and `our` vars.	[reply] [d/l] [select]