NAME

Acme::MetaSyntactic - Themed metasyntactic variables

SYNOPSIS

use Acme::MetaSyntactic;

my $meta = Acme::MetaSyntactic->new( 'shadok' );

print $meta->name;            # return a single name
my @names = $meta->name( 4 ); # return 4 distinct names (if possible)

# you can temporarily switch theme (NOT RECOMMENDED)
my $foo = $meta->foo;       # return 1 name from theme foo
my @foo = $meta->foo(2);    # return 2 names from theme foo


# but why would you need an instance variable?
use Acme::MetaSyntactic 'batman';

print metaname;
my @names = metaname( 4 );

# the convenience functions are still here:
print join $/, metabatman( 5 );

# but a one-liner is even better
perl -MAcme::MetaSyntactic=batman -le 'print metaname'

DESCRIPTION

When writing code examples, it's always easy at the beginning:

my $foo = "bar";
$foo .= "baz";   # barbaz

But one gets quickly stuck with the same old boring examples. Does it have to be this way? I say "No".

Here is Acme::MetaSyntactic, designed to fulfill your metasyntactic needs. Never again will you scratch your head in search of a good variable name!

METHODS & FUNCTIONS

Acme::MetaSyntactic has an object-oriented interface, as well as a functionnal one.

Methods

If you choose to use the OO interface, the following methods are available:

new( $theme )

Create a new instance of Acme::MetaSyntactic with the theme $theme. If $theme is omitted, the default theme is foo.

name( $count )

Return $count items from the theme given in the constructor.

There is also one class method:

add_theme( theme => [ @items ], ... )

This class method adds a new theme to the list. It also creates all the convenience methods needed.

Convenience methods also exists for all the themes. The methods are named after the theme.

Functions

The functional interface provides the following functions:

metaname( $count )

See name(). The default is the same as for the OO interface.

metabatman

metadilbert

metadonmartin

metaflintstones

metafoo

metapynchon

metarobin

metashadok

metatoto

The convenience functions are exported as expected.

If new themes are added with the add_theme() class method, the convenience functions will be created (and exported) as well.

THEMES

The following themes are available in this version:

batman

The fight sound effects from the 60s serial.

dilbert

Characters from the Dilbert daily strip.

donmartin

The sound effects from Don Martin's comics.

flintstones

The characters from the popular serial.

foo

The classic. This is the default theme.

pynchon

Character names from Thomas Pynchon's books.

robin

Robin's exclamations, from the Batman 60's serial (it's a great source of metasyntac^Wsilly stuff).

shadok

The whole shadok vocabulary. 4 words.

toto

The French metasyntactic names.

AUTHOR

Philippe 'BooK' Bruhat, <book@cpan.org>

BUGS

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-acme-metasyntactic@rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.

If you think this modules lacks a particular set of metasyntactic variables, please send me a list, as well as a generation algorithm (either one of the built-ins any, list, combine, or a new one from your invention)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This module could not have been possible without:

Some sillyness

See http://use.perl.org/~BooK/journal/22301, and the follow-up http://use.perl.org/~BooK/journal/22710.

The Batman serial from the 60s (it was shown in France in the 80s).

All the bat sounds come from this page: http://www.usfamily.net/web/wpattinson/otr/batman/batfight.htm

The list of Robin's exclamations comes from this page: http://members.tripod.com/~AdamWest/robin.htm

Robin's exclamations are also recorded here, with additional details: http://www.usfamily.net/web/wpattinson/otr/batman/batholy.htm

RFC 3092 - Etymology of "Foo"

Rafael Garcia-Suarez,

who apparently plans to use it. Especially now that it's usable in one-liners.

Vahe Sarkissian,

who suggested the sound effects from Don Martin's comic-books, and provided a link to a comprehensive list:

http://www.collectmad.com/madcoversite/dmd-alphabetical.html

Sébastien Aperghis-Tramoni,

who compiled a short list of Dilbert-related names.

David Landgren,

who not only named all the machines in the mongueurs.net (stencil, sferics and profane) after characters from Thomas Pynchon's books, but also provided a first list.

The pynchon list will probably grow in future versions, as he goes through his books.

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE

Copyright 2005 Philippe 'BooK' Bruhat, All Rights Reserved.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

cpanm Acme::MetaSyntactic

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Acme::MetaSyntactic