Re: pascal-like "with" was Re: Default filehandles(was Re: commandline option: $|++)

[Dave Storrs]

On Wed, 16 Aug 2000, David L. Nicol wrote:

> Anyone for generalizing "select" to a more general "with" keyword
> which would operate on a limited hash and be syntactic sugar for
> replacing all appearances of unqualified variables that match
> the hash's keys with references into it?
> 
>       %record = loadrecord($studentID);
>       with %record {
>               print <<SPAM;
>       Dear $Name:
>               Your tuition is now due.  Please send in a payment
>       of at least $Minumum.           
> 
>       SPAM
> 
>       # anyone for having a python-like floating left edge for
>       # retaining indentation of hereis strings?
> 
>       };


        I find myself very much of two minds...I think the like the
general idea, but not the implementation.  A couple of thoughts:

        1) The keyword should not be "with".  While that would make it
more familiar to Pascal programmers, I don't feel that should be a major
incentive to choose a suboptimal keyword and, IMHO, we can do better.  I
prefer "express"; it's a synonym of "import", and it seems
descriptive...you are "express"ing the keys of your hash as new scalars.

        2) "express" should guarantee that, before it creates a variable
names $FOO, it first calls "local" on any existing $FOO

        3) The new variables should be lexicals, defined only within the
"express" block, so that you don't pollute your namespace.

                                Dave