NAME
Scope::Upper - Act on upper scopes.
VERSION
Version 0.20
SYNOPSIS
"reap", "localize", "localize_elem", "localize_delete" and "WORDS" :
package Scope;
use Scope::Upper qw<
reap localize localize_elem localize_delete
:words
>;
sub new {
my ($class, $name) = @_;
localize '$tag' => bless({ name => $name }, $class) => UP;
reap { print Scope->tag->name, ": end\n" } UP;
}
# Get the tag stored in the caller namespace
sub tag {
my $l = 0;
my $pkg = __PACKAGE__;
$pkg = caller $l++ while $pkg eq __PACKAGE__;
no strict 'refs';
${$pkg . '::tag'};
}
sub name { shift->{name} }
# Locally capture warnings and reprint them with the name prefixed
sub catch {
localize_elem '%SIG', '__WARN__' => sub {
print Scope->tag->name, ': ', @_;
} => UP;
}
# Locally clear @INC
sub private {
for (reverse 0 .. $#INC) {
# First UP is the for loop, second is the sub boundary
localize_delete '@INC', $_ => UP UP;
}
}
...
package UserLand;
{
Scope->new("top"); # initializes $UserLand::tag
{
Scope->catch;
my $one = 1 + undef; # prints "top: Use of uninitialized value..."
{
Scope->private;
eval { require Cwd };
print $@; # prints "Can't locate Cwd.pm in @INC
} # (@INC contains:) at..."
require Cwd; # loads Cwd.pm
}
} # prints "top: done"
package Try;
use Scope::Upper qw<unwind want_at :words>;
sub try (&) {
my @result = shift->();
my $cx = SUB UP; # Point to the sub above this one
unwind +(want_at($cx) ? @result : scalar @result) => $cx;
}
...
sub zap {
try {
my @things = qw<a b c>;
return @things; # returns to try() and then outside zap()
# not reached
};
# not reached
}
my @stuff = zap(); # @stuff contains qw<a b c>
my $stuff = zap(); # $stuff contains 3
package Uplevel;
use Scope::Upper qw<uplevel CALLER>;
sub target {
faker(@_);
}
sub faker {
uplevel {
my $sub = (caller 0)[3];
print "$_[0] from $sub()";
} @_ => CALLER(1);
}
target('hello'); # "hello from Uplevel::target()"
"uid" and "validate_uid" :
use Scope::Upper qw<uid validate_uid>;
my $uid;
{
$uid = uid();
{
if ($uid eq uid(UP)) { # yes
...
}
if (validate_uid($uid)) { # yes
...
}
}
}
if (validate_uid($uid)) { # no
...
}
DESCRIPTION
This module lets you defer actions at run-time that will take place when the control flow returns into an upper scope. Currently, you can:
hook an upper scope end with "reap" ;
localize variables, array/hash values or deletions of elements in higher contexts with respectively "localize", "localize_elem" and "localize_delete" ;
return values immediately to an upper level with "unwind", "yield" and "leave" ;
gather information about an upper context with "want_at" and "context_info" ;
execute a subroutine in the setting of an upper subroutine stack frame with "uplevel" ;
uniquely identify contextes with "uid" and "validate_uid".
FUNCTIONS
In all those functions, $context
refers to the target scope.
You have to use one or a combination of "WORDS" to build the $context
passed to these functions. This is needed in order to ensure that the module still works when your program is ran in the debugger. The only thing you can assume is that it is an absolute indicator of the frame, which means that you can safely store it at some point and use it when needed, and it will still denote the original scope.
reap
reap { ... };
reap { ... } $context;
&reap($callback, $context);
Adds a destructor that calls $callback
(in void context) when the upper scope represented by $context
ends.
localize
localize $what, $value;
localize $what, $value, $context;
Introduces a local
delayed to the time of first return into the upper scope denoted by $context
. $what
can be :
A glob, in which case
$value
can either be a glob or a reference. "localize" follows then the same syntax aslocal *x = $value
. For example, if$value
is a scalar reference, then theSCALAR
slot of the glob will be set to$$value
- just likelocal *x = \1
sets$x
to1
.A string beginning with a sigil, representing the symbol to localize and to assign to. If the sigil is
'$'
, "localize" follows the same syntax aslocal $x = $value
, i.e.$value
isn't dereferenced. For example,localize '$x', \'foo' => HERE;
will set
$x
to a reference to the string'foo'
. Other sigils ('@'
,'%'
,'&'
and'*'
) require$value
to be a reference of the corresponding type.When the symbol is given by a string, it is resolved when the actual localization takes place and not when "localize" is called. Thus, if the symbol name is not qualified, it will refer to the variable in the package where the localization actually takes place and not in the one where the "localize" call was compiled. For example,
{ package Scope; sub new { localize '$tag', $_[0] => UP } } { package Tool; { Scope->new; ... } }
will localize
$Tool::tag
and not$Scope::tag
. If you want the other behaviour, you just have to specify$what
as a glob or a qualified name.Note that if
$what
is a string denoting a variable that wasn't declared beforehand, the relevant slot will be vivified as needed and won't be deleted from the glob when the localization ends. This situation never arises withlocal
because it only compiles when the localized variable is already declared. Although I believe it shouldn't be a problem as glob slots definedness is pretty much an implementation detail, this behaviour may change in the future if proved harmful.
localize_elem
localize_elem $what, $key, $value;
localize_elem $what, $key, $value, $context;
Introduces a local $what[$key] = $value
or local $what{$key} = $value
delayed to the time of first return into the upper scope denoted by $context
. Unlike "localize", $what
must be a string and the type of localization is inferred from its sigil. The two only valid types are array and hash ; for anything besides those, "localize_elem" will throw an exception. $key
is either an array index or a hash key, depending of which kind of variable you localize.
If $what
is a string pointing to an undeclared variable, the variable will be vivified as soon as the localization occurs and emptied when it ends, although it will still exist in its glob.
localize_delete
localize_delete $what, $key;
localize_delete $what, $key, $context;
Introduces the deletion of a variable or an array/hash element delayed to the time of first return into the upper scope denoted by $context
. $what
can be:
A glob, in which case
$key
is ignored and the call is equivalent tolocal *x
.A string beginning with
'@'
or'%'
, for which the call is equivalent to respectiveleylocal $a[$key]; delete $a[$key]
andlocal $h{$key}; delete $h{$key}
.A string beginning with
'&'
, which more or less doesundef &func
in the upper scope. It's actually more powerful, as&func
won't evenexists
anymore.$key
is ignored.
unwind
unwind;
unwind @values, $context;
Returns @values
from the subroutine, eval or format context pointed by or just above $context
, and immediately restart the program flow at this point - thus effectively returning @values
to an upper scope. If @values
is empty, then the $context
parameter is optional and defaults to the current context (making the call equivalent to a bare return;
) ; otherwise it is mandatory.
The upper context isn't coerced onto @values
, which is hence always evaluated in list context. This means that
my $num = sub {
my @a = ('a' .. 'z');
unwind @a => HERE;
# not reached
}->();
will set $num
to 'z'
. You can use "want_at" to handle these cases.
yield
yield;
yield @values, $context;
Returns @values
from the context pointed by or just above $context
, and immediately restart the program flow at this point. If @values
is empty, then the $context
parameter is optional and defaults to the current context ; otherwise it is mandatory.
"yield" differs from "unwind" in that it can target any upper scope (besides a s///e
substitution context) and not necessarily a sub, an eval or a format. Hence you can use it to return values from a do
or a map
block :
my $now = do {
local $@;
eval { require Time::HiRes } or yield time() => HERE;
Time::HiRes::time();
};
my @uniq = map {
yield if $seen{$_}++; # returns the empty list from the block
...
} @things;
Like for "unwind", the upper context isn't coerced onto @values
. You can use the fifth value returned by "context_info" to handle context coercion.
leave
leave;
leave @values;
Immediately returns @values
from the current block, whatever it may be (besides a s///e
substitution context). leave
is actually a synonym for unwind HERE
, while leave @values
is a synonym for yield @values, HERE
.
Like for "yield", you can use the fifth value returned by "context_info" to handle context coercion.
want_at
my $want = want_at;
my $want = want_at $context;
Like "wantarray" in perlfunc, but for the subroutine, eval or format context located at or just above $context
.
It can be used to revise the example showed in "unwind" :
my $num = sub {
my @a = ('a' .. 'z');
unwind +(want_at(HERE) ? @a : scalar @a) => HERE;
# not reached
}->();
will rightfully set $num
to 26
.
context_info
my ($package, $filename, $line, $subroutine, $hasargs,
$wantarray, $evaltext, $is_require, $hints, $bitmask,
$hinthash) = context_info $context;
Gives information about the context denoted by $context
, akin to what "caller" in perlfunc provides but not limited only to subroutine, eval and format contexts. When $context
is omitted, it defaults to the current context.
The values returned are, in order :
(index 0) : the namespace in use when the context was created ;
(index 1) : the name of the file at the point where the context was created ;
(index 2) : the line number at the point where the context was created ;
(index 3) : the name of the subroutine called for this context, or
undef
if this is not a subroutine context ;(index 4) : a boolean indicating whether a new instance of
@_
was set up for this context, orundef
if this is not a subroutine context ;(index 5) : the context (in the sense of "wantarray" in perlfunc) in which the context (in our sense) is executed ;
(index 6) : the contents of the string being compiled for this context, or
undef
if this is not an eval context ;(index 7) : a boolean indicating whether this eval context was created by
require
, orundef
if this is not an eval context ;(index 8) : the value of the lexical hints in use when the context was created ;
(index 9) : a bit string representing the warnings in use when the context was created ;
(index 10) : a reference to the lexical hints hash in use when the context was created (only on perl 5.10 or greater).
uplevel
my @ret = uplevel { ...; return @ret };
my @ret = uplevel { my @args = @_; ...; return @ret } @args, $context;
my @ret = &uplevel($callback, @args, $context);
Executes the code reference $callback
with arguments @args
as if it were located at the subroutine stack frame pointed by $context
, effectively fooling caller
and die
into believing that the call actually happened higher in the stack. The code is executed in the context of the uplevel
call, and what it returns is returned as-is by uplevel
.
sub target {
faker(@_);
}
sub faker {
uplevel {
map { 1 / $_ } @_;
} @_ => CALLER(1);
}
my @inverses = target(1, 2, 4); # @inverses contains (0, 0.5, 0.25)
my $count = target(1, 2, 4); # $count is 3
Note that if @args
is empty, then the $context
parameter is optional and defaults to the current context ; otherwise it is mandatory.
Sub::Uplevel also implements a pure-Perl version of uplevel
. Both are identical, with the following caveats :
The Sub::Uplevel implementation of
uplevel
may execute a code reference in the context of any upper stack frame. The Scope::Upper version can only uplevel to a subroutine stack frame, and will croak if you try to target aneval
or a format.Exceptions thrown from the code called by this version of
uplevel
will not be caught byeval
blocks between the target frame and the uplevel call, while they will for Sub::Uplevel's version. This means that :eval { sub { local $@; eval { sub { uplevel { die 'wut' } CALLER(2); # for Scope::Upper # uplevel(3, sub { die 'wut' }) # for Sub::Uplevel }->(); }; print "inner block: $@"; $@ and exit; }->(); }; print "outer block: $@";
will print "inner block: wut..." with Sub::Uplevel and "outer block: wut..." with Scope::Upper.
Sub::Uplevel globally overrides the Perl keyword
caller
, while Scope::Upper does not.
A simple wrapper lets you mimic the interface of "uplevel" in Sub::Uplevel :
use Scope::Upper;
sub uplevel {
my $frame = shift;
my $code = shift;
my $cxt = Scope::Upper::CALLER($frame);
&Scope::Upper::uplevel($code => @_ => $cxt);
}
Albeit the three exceptions listed above, it passes all the tests of Sub::Uplevel.
uid
my $uid = uid;
my $uid = uid $context;
Returns an unique identifier (UID) for the context (or dynamic scope) pointed by $context
, or for the current context if $context
is omitted. This UID will only be valid for the life time of the context it represents, and another UID will be generated next time the same scope is executed.
my $uid;
{
$uid = uid;
if ($uid eq uid()) { # yes, this is the same context
...
}
{
if ($uid eq uid()) { # no, we are one scope below
...
}
if ($uid eq uid(UP)) { # yes, UP points to the same scope as $uid
...
}
}
}
# $uid is now invalid
{
if ($uid eq uid()) { # no, this is another block
...
}
}
For example, each loop iteration gets its own UID :
my %uids;
for (1 .. 5) {
my $uid = uid;
$uids{$uid} = $_;
}
# %uids has 5 entries
The UIDs are not guaranteed to be numbers, so you must use the eq
operator to compare them.
To check whether a given UID is valid, you can use the "validate_uid" function.
validate_uid
my $is_valid = validate_uid $uid;
Returns true if and only if $uid
is the UID of a currently valid context (that is, it designates a scope that is higher than the current one in the call stack).
my $uid;
{
$uid = uid();
if (validate_uid($uid)) { # yes
...
}
{
if (validate_uid($uid)) { # yes
...
}
}
}
if (validate_uid($uid)) { # no
...
}
CONSTANTS
SU_THREADSAFE
True iff the module could have been built when thread-safety features.
WORDS
Constants
TOP
my $top_context = TOP;
Returns the context that currently represents the highest scope.
HERE
my $current_context = HERE;
The context of the current scope.
Getting a context from a context
For any of those functions, $from
is expected to be a context. When omitted, it defaults to the the current context.
UP
my $upper_context = UP;
my $upper_context = UP $from;
The context of the scope just above $from
.
SUB
my $sub_context = SUB;
my $sub_context = SUB $from;
The context of the closest subroutine above $from
. Note that $from
is returned if it is already a subroutine context ; hence SUB SUB == SUB
.
EVAL
my $eval_context = EVAL;
my $eval_context = EVAL $from;
The context of the closest eval above $from
. Note that $from
is returned if it is already an eval context ; hence EVAL EVAL == EVAL
.
Getting a context from a level
Here, $level
should denote a number of scopes above the current one. When omitted, it defaults to 0
and those functions return the same context as "HERE".
SCOPE
my $context = SCOPE;
my $context = SCOPE $level;
The $level
-th upper context, regardless of its type.
CALLER
my $context = CALLER;
my $context = CALLER $level;
The context of the $level
-th upper subroutine/eval/format. It kind of corresponds to the context represented by caller $level
, but while e.g. caller 0
refers to the caller context, CALLER 0
will refer to the top scope in the current context.
Examples
Where "reap" fires depending on the $cxt
:
sub {
eval {
sub {
{
reap \&cleanup => $cxt;
...
} # $cxt = SCOPE(0) = HERE
...
}->(); # $cxt = SCOPE(1) = UP = SUB = CALLER(0)
...
}; # $cxt = SCOPE(2) = UP UP = UP SUB = EVAL = CALLER(1)
...
}->(); # $cxt = SCOPE(3) = SUB UP SUB = SUB EVAL = CALLER(2)
...
Where "localize", "localize_elem" and "localize_delete" act depending on the $cxt
:
sub {
eval {
sub {
{
localize '$x' => 1 => $cxt;
# $cxt = SCOPE(0) = HERE
...
}
# $cxt = SCOPE(1) = UP = SUB = CALLER(0)
...
}->();
# $cxt = SCOPE(2) = UP UP = UP SUB = EVAL = CALLER(1)
...
};
# $cxt = SCOPE(3) = SUB UP SUB = SUB EVAL = CALLER(2)
...
}->();
# $cxt = SCOPE(4), UP SUB UP SUB = UP SUB EVAL = UP CALLER(2) = TOP
...
Where "unwind", "yield", "want_at", "context_info" and "uplevel" point to depending on the $cxt
:
sub {
eval {
sub {
{
unwind @things => $cxt; # or yield @things => $cxt
# or uplevel { ... } $cxt
...
}
...
}->(); # $cxt = SCOPE(0) = SCOPE(1) = HERE = UP = SUB = CALLER(0)
...
}; # $cxt = SCOPE(2) = UP UP = UP SUB = EVAL = CALLER(1) (*)
...
}->(); # $cxt = SCOPE(3) = SUB UP SUB = SUB EVAL = CALLER(2)
...
# (*) Note that uplevel() will croak if you pass that scope frame,
# because it cannot target eval scopes.
EXPORT
The functions "reap", "localize", "localize_elem", "localize_delete", "unwind", "yield", "leave", "want_at", "context_info" and "uplevel" are only exported on request, either individually or by the tags ':funcs'
and ':all'
.
The constant "SU_THREADSAFE" is also only exported on request, individually or by the tags ':consts'
and ':all'
.
Same goes for the words "TOP", "HERE", "UP", "SUB", "EVAL", "SCOPE" and "CALLER" that are only exported on request, individually or by the tags ':words'
and ':all'
.
CAVEATS
Be careful that local variables are restored in the reverse order in which they were localized. Consider those examples:
local $x = 0;
{
reap sub { print $x } => HERE;
local $x = 1;
...
}
# prints '0'
...
{
local $x = 1;
reap sub { $x = 2 } => HERE;
...
}
# $x is 0
The first case is "solved" by moving the local
before the reap
, and the second by using "localize" instead of "reap".
The effects of "reap", "localize" and "localize_elem" can't cross BEGIN
blocks, hence calling those functions in import
is deemed to be useless. This is an hopeless case because BEGIN
blocks are executed once while localizing constructs should do their job at each run. However, it's possible to hook the end of the current scope compilation with B::Hooks::EndOfScope.
Some rare oddities may still happen when running inside the debugger. It may help to use a perl higher than 5.8.9 or 5.10.0, as they contain some context-related fixes.
Calling goto
to replace an "uplevel"'d code frame does not work :
for a
perl
older than the 5.8 series ;for a
DEBUGGING
perl
run with debugging flags set (as inperl -D ...
) ;when the runloop callback is replaced by another module.
In those three cases, "uplevel" will look for a goto &sub
statement in its callback and, if there is one, throw an exception before executing the code.
Moreover, in order to handle goto
statements properly, "uplevel" currently has to suffer a run-time overhead proportional to the size of the the callback in every case (with a small ratio), and proportional to the size of all the code executed as the result of the "uplevel" call (including subroutine calls inside the callback) when a goto
statement is found in the "uplevel" callback. Despite this shortcoming, this XS version of "uplevel" should still run way faster than the pure-Perl version from Sub::Uplevel.
DEPENDENCIES
perl 5.6.
A C compiler. This module may happen to build with a C++ compiler as well, but don't rely on it, as no guarantee is made in this regard.
XSLoader (core since perl 5.006).
SEE ALSO
"local" in perlfunc, "Temporary Values via local()" in perlsub.
Alias, Hook::Scope, Scope::Guard, Guard.
Continuation::Escape is a thin wrapper around Scope::Upper that gives you a continuation passing style interface to "unwind". It's easier to use, but it requires you to have control over the scope where you want to return.
AUTHOR
Vincent Pit, <perl at profvince.com>
, http://www.profvince.com.
You can contact me by mail or on irc.perl.org
(vincent).
BUGS
Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-scope-upper at rt.cpan.org
, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Scope-Upper. 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 Scope::Upper
Tests code coverage report is available at http://www.profvince.com/perl/cover/Scope-Upper.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Inspired by Ricardo Signes.
Thanks to Shawn M. Moore for motivation.
COPYRIGHT & LICENSE
Copyright 2008,2009,2010,2011,2012 Vincent Pit, all rights reserved.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.