NAME Scope::Upper - Act on upper scopes. VERSION Version 0.05 SYNOPSIS package X; use Scope::Upper qw/reap localize localize_elem localize_delete/; sub desc { shift->{desc} } sub set_tag { my ($desc) = @_; # First localize $x so that it gets destroyed last localize '$x' => bless({ desc => $desc }, __PACKAGE__) => 1; reap sub { my $pkg = caller; my $x = do { no strict 'refs'; ${$pkg.'::x'} }; # Get the $x in the scope print $x->desc . ": done\n"; } => 1; localize_elem '%SIG', '__WARN__' => sub { my $pkg = caller; my $x = do { no strict 'refs'; ${$pkg.'::x'} }; # Get the $x in the scope CORE::warn($x->desc . ': ' . join('', @_)); } => 1; localize_delete '@ARGV', $#ARGV => 1; # delete last @ARGV element } package Y; { X::set_tag('pie'); # $x is now a X object, and @ARGV has one element less warn 'what'; # warns "pie: what at ..." ... } # "pie: done" is printed package Z; use Scope::Upper qw/unwind want_at :words/; sub try (&) { my @result = shift->(); my $cx = SUB UP SUB; unwind +(want_at($cx) ? @result : scalar @result) => $cx; } ... sub zap { try { return @things; # returns to try() and then outside zap() } } my @what = zap(); # @what contains @things DESCRIPTION This module lets you defer actions that will take place when the control flow returns into an upper scope. Currently, you can hook an upper scope end, or localize variables, array/hash values or deletions of elements in higher contexts. You can also return to an upper level and know which context was in use then. FUNCTIONS "reap $callback, $level" Add a destructor that calls $callback when the $level-th upper scope ends, where 0 corresponds to the current scope. "localize $what, $value, $level" A "local" delayed to the time of first return into the $level-th upper scope. $what can be : * A glob, in which case $value can either be a glob or a reference. "localize" follows then the same syntax as "local *x = $value". For example, if $value is a scalar reference, then the "SCALAR" slot of the glob will be set to $$value - just like "local *x = \1" sets $x to 1. * A string beginning with a sigil, representing the symbol to localize and to assign to. If the sigil is '$', "localize" follows the same syntax as "local $x = $value", i.e. $value isn't dereferenced. For example, localize '$x', \'foo' => 0; will set $x to a reference to the string 'foo'. Other sigils ('@', '%', '&' and '*') require $value to be a reference of the corresponding type. When the symbol is given by a string, it is resolved when the actual localization takes place and not when "localize" is called. This means that sub tag { localize '$x', $_[0] => 1; } will localize in the caller's namespace. "localize_elem $what, $key, $value, $level" Similar to "localize" but for array and hash elements. If $what is a glob, the slot to fill is determined from which type of reference $value is ; otherwise it's inferred from the sigil. $key is either an array index or a hash key, depending of which kind of variable you localize. "localize_delete $what, $key, $level" Similiar to "localize", but for deleting variables or array/hash elements. $what can be: * A glob, in which case $key is ignored and the call is equivalent to "local *x". * A string beginning with '@' or '%', for which the call is equivalent to respectiveley "local $a[$key]; delete $a[$key]" and "local $h{$key}; delete $h{$key}". * A string beginning with '&', which more or less does "undef &func" in the upper scope. It's actually more powerful, as &func won't even "exists" anymore. $key is ignored. "unwind @values, $level" Returns @values *from* the context indicated by $level, i.e. from the subroutine, eval or format just above $level. The upper level isn't coerced onto @values, which is hence always evaluated in list context. This means that my $num = sub { my @a = ('a' .. 'z'); unwind @a => 0; }->(); will set $num to 'z'. You can use "want_at" to handle these cases. "want_at $level" Like "wantarray", but for the subroutine/eval/format context just above $level. The previous example can then be "corrected" : my $num = sub { my @a = ('a' .. 'z'); unwind +(want_at(0) ? @a : scalar @a) => 0; }->(); will righteously set $num to 26. WORDS "TOP" Returns the level that currently represents the highest scope. "HERE" The current level - i.e. 0. "UP $from" The level of the scope just above $from. "DOWN $from" The level of the scope just below $from. "SUB $from" The level of the closest subroutine context above $from. "EVAL $from" The level of the closest eval context above $from. If $from is omitted in any of those functions, the current level is used as the reference level. "CALLER $stack" The level of the $stack-th upper subroutine/eval/format context. It kind of corresponds to the context represented by "caller $stack", but while e.g. "caller 0" refers to the caller context, "CALLER 0" will refer to the top scope in the current context. For example, reap ... => CALLER(0) will fire the destructor when the current subroutine/eval/format ends. EXPORT The functions "reap", "localize", "localize_elem", "localize_delete", "unwind" and "want_at" are only exported on request, either individually or by the tags ':funcs' and ':all'. Same goes for the words "TOP", "HERE", "UP", "DOWN", "SUB", "EVAL" and "CALLER" that are only exported on request, individually or by the tags ':words' and ':all'. CAVEATS Be careful that local variables are restored in the reverse order in which they were localized. Consider those examples: local $x = 0; { reap sub { print $x } => 0; local $x = 1; ... } # prints '0' ... { local $x = 1; reap sub { $x = 2 } => 0; ... } # $x is 0 The first case is "solved" by moving the "local" before the "reap", and the second by using "localize" instead of "reap". "reap", "localize" and "localize_elem" effects can't cross "BEGIN" blocks, hence calling those functions in "import" is deemed to be useless. This is an hopeless case because "BEGIN" blocks are executed once while localizing constructs should do their job at each run. DEPENDENCIES XSLoader (standard since perl 5.006). SEE ALSO Alias, Hook::Scope, Scope::Guard, Guard. AUTHOR Vincent Pit, "", . You can contact me by mail or on "irc.perl.org" (vincent). BUGS Please report any bugs or feature requests to "bug-scope-upper at rt.cpan.org", or through the web interface at . I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes. SUPPORT You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command. perldoc Scope::Upper Tests code coverage report is available at . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Inspired by Ricardo Signes. COPYRIGHT & LICENSE Copyright 2008-2009 Vincent Pit, all rights reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.