NAME
Meow - Object ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ Orientation
VERSION
Version 0.21
SYNOPSIS
This module is experimental. Many basic features do not yet exist.
package Cat;
use Meow;
use Basic::Types::XS qw/Str Num/;
ro name => Str;
rw age => Default(Num, 0);
make_immutable;
1;...
package Siberian;
use Meow;
extends qw/Cat/;
make_immutable;
1;...
my $cat = Siberian->new(
name => 'Simba',
age => 10
);
$cat->name; # Simba;
$cat->age; # 10;
$cat->age(11);DESCRIPTION
Meow provides a fast, minimalist object system in XS, supporting:
Read-write (
rw) and read-only (ro) attributesAttribute specification with a Type,
Default,Coerce,Trigger, andBuilderMultiple inheritance via
extendsPerl-style constructor (
new)
EXPORTS
rw $name, $spec
Defines a read-write attribute.
ro $name, $spec
Defines a read-only attribute.
Default $spec, $value
Sets a default value for an attribute.
Coerce $spec, $coderef
Sets a coercion coderef for an attribute.
Trigger $spec, $coderef
Sets a trigger coderef to be called when the attribute is set.
Builder $spec, $coderef
Sets a builder coderef for lazy attribute construction.
extends @parents
Adds one or more parent classes to @ISA and copies their attribute specs.
new %args
Constructs a new object, applying defaults, coercions, triggers, and builders as specified.
slot $package, $attr_name
Returns the numeric slot index for an attribute in a package. Returns -1 if the attribute is not found.
my $NAME_IDX = slot('Cat', 'name');
my $name = $cat->[$NAME_IDX];Slot Variables
When make_immutable is called, uppercase read-only package variables are automatically created for each attribute's slot index:
package Cat {
use Meow;
ro name => Str;
ro age => Int;
make_immutable; # Creates $Cat::NAME, $Cat::AGE
}
# Direct slot access - 43M ops/sec (vs 25M for ->name)
my $n = $cat->[$Cat::NAME];PERFORMANCE
Meow uses JIT-compiled XS accessors for maximum performance:
Access Method ops/sec Notes
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
$cat->name (JIT accessor) 25M Recommended - clean API
$cat->[$Cat::NAME] 43M Direct slot accessFor typical use, the standard $obj->attr syntax is recommended. For performance-critical hot paths, use the slot variables for direct access.
Direct Slot Access Example
use strict;
use warnings;
no warnings 'once'; # Meow creates variables at runtime
package Point {
use Meow;
ro x => ();
ro y => ();
make_immutable; # Creates $Point::X, $Point::Y
}
# Standard access - clean API
my $p = Point->new(x => 10, y => 20);
print $p->x; # 25M ops/sec
# Direct slot access - maximum speed
print $p->[$Point::X]; # 43M ops/secBENCHMARK
{
package Foo::Mouse;
use Mouse;
use Types::Standard qw/Str Num/;
has one => (
is => 'ro',
isa => Str,
default => sub { 100 },
);
has two => (
is => 'ro',
isa => Num,
default => sub { 200 },
);
1;
}
{
package Foo::Extends::Mouse;
use Mouse;
extends qw/Foo::Mouse/;
1;
}
{
package Foo::Moo;
use Moo;
use Types::Standard qw/Str Num/;
has one => (
is => 'ro',
isa => Str,
default => sub { 100 },
);
has two => (
is => 'ro',
isa => Num,
default => sub { 200 },
);
1;
}
{
package Foo::Extends::Moo;
use Moo;
extends qw/Foo::Moo/;
1;
}
{
package Foo::Meow;
use Meow;
use Basic::Types::XS qw/Str Num/;
ro one => Default(Str, 100);
ro two => Default(Num, 200);
make_immutable;
1;
}
{
package Foo::Extends::Meow;
use Meow;
extends qw/Foo::Meow/;
make_immutable;
1;
}
{
package Foo::Marlin;
use Types::Common -lexical, qw/Int/;
use Marlin
'one' => { isa => Int, default => 100 },
'two' => { isa => Int, default => 200 };
1;
}
{
package Foo::Extends::Marlin;
use Marlin
-extends => [qw/Foo::Marlin/];
1;
}
my $ONE = $Foo::Extends::Meow::ONE;
my $TWO = $Foo::Extends::Meow::TWO;
my $r = timethese(5000000, {
'Moo' => sub {
my $foo = Foo::Extends::Moo->new();
$foo->one;
$foo->two;
},
'Meow' => sub {
my $foo = Foo::Extends::Meow->new();
$foo->one;
$foo->two;
},
'Meow (direct)' => sub {
my $foo = Foo::Extends::Meow->new();
my $one = $foo->[$ONE];
my $two = $foo->[$TWO];
},
'Mouse' => sub {
my $foo = Foo::Extends::Mouse->new();
$foo->one;
$foo->two;
},
'Marlin' => sub {
my $foo = Foo::Extends::Marlin->new();
$foo->one;
$foo->two;
},
});
cmpthese $r;...
============================================================
Meow Benchmark
============================================================
Benchmark: 5,000,000 iterations
------------------------------------------------------------
Benchmark: running Marlin, Meow, Meow (direct), Moo, Mouse for at least 5 CPU seconds...
Marlin: 5 wallclock secs ( 5.16 usr + 0.14 sys = 5.30 CPU) @ 4766685.66/s (n=25263434)
Meow: 5 wallclock secs ( 5.38 usr + 0.03 sys = 5.41 CPU) @ 6183117.56/s (n=33450666)
Meow (direct): 5 wallclock secs ( 5.00 usr + 0.02 sys = 5.02 CPU) @ 7230451.20/s (n=36296865)
Moo: 5 wallclock secs ( 5.20 usr + 0.02 sys = 5.22 CPU) @ 831828.16/s (n=4342143)
Mouse: 6 wallclock secs ( 5.21 usr + 0.00 sys = 5.21 CPU) @ 1631554.89/s (n=8500401)
Rate Moo Mouse Marlin Meow Meow (direct)
Moo 831828/s -- -49% -83% -87% -88%
Mouse 1631555/s 96% -- -66% -74% -77%
Marlin 4766686/s 473% 192% -- -23% -34%
Meow 6183118/s 643% 279% 30% -- -14%
Meow (direct) 7230451/s 769% 343% 52% 17% --... so without types and against python
# Python slots class - fastest Python OO pattern
class Foo:
__slots__ = ('_one', '_two')
def __init__(self):
self._one = 100
self._two = 200
@property
def one(self):
return self._one
@property
def two(self):
return self._two
class FooExtends(Foo):
__slots__ = ()
def benchmark():
"""Run benchmark and return elapsed time."""
start = time.perf_counter()
for _ in range(ITERATIONS):
foo = FooExtends()
_ = foo.one
_ = foo.two
return time.perf_counter() - start... Meow
{
package Foo::Meow;
use Meow;
ro one => Default(100);
ro two => Default(200);
make_immutable;
1;
}
{
package Foo::Extends::Meow;
use Meow;
extends 'Foo::Meow';
make_immutable;
1;
}
sub benchmark {
my $start = time();
my $ONE = $Foo::Extends::Meow::ONE;
my $TWO = $Foo::Extends::Meow::TWO;
for (1 .. $ITERATIONS) {
my $foo = Foo::Meow->new();
my $one = $foo->[$ONE];
my $two = $foo->[$TWO];
}
return time() - $start;
}...
============================================================
Python Direct Benchmark (slots + property accessors)
============================================================
Python version: 3.9.6 (default, Dec 2 2025, 07:27:58)
[Clang 17.0.0 (clang-1700.6.3.2)]
Iterations: 5,000,000
Runs: 5
------------------------------------------------------------
Run 1: 0.649s (7,704,306/s)
Run 2: 0.647s (7,733,902/s)
Run 3: 0.646s (7,736,307/s)
Run 4: 0.648s (7,720,909/s)
Run 5: 0.649s (7,702,520/s)
------------------------------------------------------------
Median rate: 7,720,909/s
============================================================
Results saved to bench-direct-python.json
============================================================
Perl/Meow Direct Benchmark (slots mode)
============================================================
Perl version: 5.042000
Iterations: 5000000
Runs: 5
------------------------------------------------------------
Run 1: 0.674s (7,421,151/s)
Run 2: 0.640s (7,810,950/s)
Run 3: 0.640s (7,808,876/s)
Run 4: 0.639s (7,819,011/s)
Run 5: 0.639s (7,825,363/s)
------------------------------------------------------------
Median rate: 7,810,950/s
============================================================AUTHOR
LNATION, <email at lnation.org>
BUGS
Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-meow at rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at https://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Meow. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.
SUPPORT
You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.
perldoc MeowYou can also look for information at:
RT: CPAN's request tracker (report bugs here)
Search CPAN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT
This software is Copyright (c) 2025 by LNATION.
This is free software, licensed under:
The Artistic License 2.0 (GPL Compatible)