What are best practices for working with IO layers and binmode?

Working with IO layers and binmode in Perl can significantly improve the way you handle file and data operations. Here are some best practices to follow:

• Always use binmode on binary files: This prevents Perl from interpreting newlines and end-of-file characters incorrectly.
• Manage encoding explicitly: When handling text data, specify the appropriate encoding to avoid issues with character representation.
• Check for errors: Always check for errors after opening files or performing IO operations to ensure robust code.
• Leverage IO layers: Utilize Perl's IO layers to seamlessly handle different types of data (like compression or encryption) without changing your code structure.
• Close files properly: Always close filehandles to free up system resources and avoid unexpected behavior.
• Use three-argument open: This helps avoid security issues related to file handling.

# Example of using binmode with file handle
use strict;
use warnings;

my $filename = 'example.txt';
open(my $fh, '<:encoding(UTF-8)', $filename) or die "Could not open file '$filename' $!";
binmode($fh);  # Ensure the file handle is in binary mode if needed

# Read from the file
while (my $line = <$fh>) {
    print $line;
}

close($fh);  # Always close the filehandle