Dave Storrs writes:
: < QUOTE LARRY >
: Dave Storrs writes:
: : You know, it would be really cool if you specify the number of
: : lines you wanted like so:
: :
: : <$STDIN # One line
: : *<$STDIN # All available lines
: : *4<$STDIN # Next 4 lines
: :
: : Or even:
: :
: : *$num_lines<$STDIN # Numifies $num_lines, gets that many
: : *int rand(6)<$STDIN # Gets 0-5 lines
: : *&mySub($bar)<$STDIN # mySub returns num, gets that many
:
: Given appropriate overloading on the iterator object:
:
: @foo = $STDIN * 4;
:
: Larry
:
: < END QUOTE>
:
: Actually, on more reflection, I'm going to side with the people who say
: that the single-character version is not an improvement, and that we
: should stick with <>. Also, I'd prefer to use the 'x' operator for
: specifying multiples:
:
: @foo = <$STDIN> x 4;
: @foo = <$STDIN> x &mySub;
:
: The parallel with "$foo = 'bar'x2;", where bar is simply repeated twice,
: is obvious: '<$STDIN' iterates the, uh, iterator, and repeating that
: operation iterates it multiple times. It even reads nicely "Fetch a line
: from STDIN times four" (or, more idiomatically, "...four times").
Um, I don't think so. What I wrote above was just a fancy trick with
straight Perl 5 overloading. You could do that today.
I'd think that what you wrote would have to input one line from $STDIN
and then dup that line 4 times. Either that, or because it's in list
context it inputs all the lines and duplicates each 4 times, just like
@foo = @bar * 2;
maybe ought to multiply each element by two, at least the way some
numericists look at it.
Larry
