What are good alternatives to argument passing (@_), and how do they compare?

In Perl, while argument passing via the special array variable @_ is common, there are several good alternatives you can employ to improve readability and maintainability of your code. Below are some alternatives along with their comparisons.

1. Named Parameters

Using a hash to pass named parameters makes it clearer what each parameter represents.

sub example_named_params { my %params = @_; print "Name: $params{name}, Age: $params{age}\n"; } example_named_params(name => 'John', age => 30);

2. Objects

Using objects allows grouping of related data and functions, enhancing encapsulation.

package Person; sub new { my ($class, %args) = @_; return bless \%args, $class; } package main; my $john = Person->new(name => 'John', age => 30); print "Name: " . $john->{name} . ", Age: " . $john->{age} . "\n";

3. Tied Variables

Tied variables allow you to tie a hash or array to a class, giving more control over data manipulation.

package Tie::Person; use strict; use warnings; use Tie::Hash; sub TIEHASH { my ($class) = @_; return bless {}, $class; } sub STORE { my ($self, $key, $value) = @_; # custom storage logic $self->{$key} = $value; } sub FETCH { my ($self, $key) = @_; # custom fetch logic return $self->{$key}; } package main; tie my %person, 'Tie::Person'; $person{name} = 'John'; print $person{name} . "\n";

Comparison

  • Named Parameters: Highly readable and flexible but requires additional syntax.
  • Objects: Excellent for encapsulating related data and methods but requires understanding of object-oriented programming.
  • Tied Variables: Powerful for custom behavior but introduces complexity.

Perl argument passing named parameters objects tied variables programming best practices

Related Questions

How do I avoid rehashing overhead with std::set in multithreaded code?

How do I find elements with custom comparators with std::set for embedded targets?

How do I erase elements while iterating with std::set for embedded targets?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::unordered_map for large datasets?

How do I reserve capacity ahead of time with std::unordered_map for large datasets?

How do I erase elements while iterating with std::unordered_map in multithreaded code?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::map for embedded targets?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::map in multithreaded code?

How do I avoid rehashing overhead with std::map in performance-sensitive code?

How do I merge two containers efficiently with std::map for embedded targets?