in reply to Re: my $a outside sort block incompatibility
in thread my $a outside sort block incompatibility

Thanks for replying. I guess I wasn't clear enough. Actually, the two $a variables are supposed to be unrelated. The "my $a" is hypothetically a reasonably appropriate name chosen for the variable given its meaning, but it happens to conflict with perl's use of global $a.
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Re^3: my $a outside sort block incompatibility
by dsheroh (Monsignor) on Feb 21, 2009 at 13:16 UTC
    I have significant difficulty in accepting that hypothesis.

    $i/$j/(occasionally) $k are sufficiently widely-used and well-known that they are acceptable as loop counters. $x/$y/$z are appropriate for geometric coordinates, again due to long and widespread use.

    Offhand, I can think of no other cases in which a single-character variable name is "reasonably appropriate", regardless of whether it happens to conflict with a magical name built into the language or not.

[reply]
      Offhand, I can think of no other cases in which a single-character variable name is "reasonably appropriate",

      How about the long standing convention of my( $r, $g, $b );?

      Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
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[reply]
[d/l]

      $u and $v are also standard for coordinates, as of course is $r (in the company of a $theta).

      And plenty of other things use single-letter variables by convention. If I were implementing a quadratic equation solver, for example, I would consider it obfuscation to name the coefficients anything other than $a, $b, and $c.

      The question should never be "does this variable name meet some arbitrary standard", but rather "will my successor, trying to maintain this code in a few years' time, immediately grasp what this variable is for". If the answer is "yes" (and can be justified!), then any name is potentially appropriate, regardless of length.

[reply]

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