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NAME

       Scalar::Util - A selection of general-utility scalar subroutines

SYNOPSIS

           use Scalar::Util qw(blessed dualvar isdual readonly refaddr reftype
                               tainted weaken isweak isvstring looks_like_number
                               set_prototype);
                               # and other useful utils appearing below

DESCRIPTION

       "Scalar::Util" contains a selection of subroutines that people have expressed would be
       nice to have in the perl core, but the usage would not really be high enough to warrant
       the use of a keyword, and the size would be so small that being individual extensions
       would be wasteful.

       By default "Scalar::Util" does not export any subroutines.

   Core Perl "builtin" Functions
       Many functions in this module have served as the inspiration for a new experimental
       facility in recent versions of Perl. From various development versions, starting at
       5.35.7, equivalent functions to many of these utilities are available in the "builtin::"
       package.

           use Scalar::Util qw(blessed);

           $class = blessed $obj;

           $class = builtin::blessed $obj;  # equivalent

       For more information, see the documentation on builtin.

FUNCTIONS FOR REFERENCES

       The following functions all perform some useful activity on reference values.

   blessed
           my $pkg = blessed( $ref );

       If $ref is a blessed reference, the name of the package that it is blessed into is
       returned. Otherwise "undef" is returned.

           $scalar = "foo";
           $class  = blessed $scalar;           # undef

           $ref    = [];
           $class  = blessed $ref;              # undef

           $obj    = bless [], "Foo";
           $class  = blessed $obj;              # "Foo"

       Take care when using this function simply as a truth test (such as in "if(blessed
       $ref)...") because the package name "0" is defined yet false.

       Since Perl version 5.35.7 an equivalent function is available as "builtin::blessed".

   refaddr
           my $addr = refaddr( $ref );

       If $ref is reference, the internal memory address of the referenced value is returned as a
       plain integer. Otherwise "undef" is returned.

           $addr = refaddr "string";           # undef
           $addr = refaddr \$var;              # eg 12345678
           $addr = refaddr [];                 # eg 23456784

           $obj  = bless {}, "Foo";
           $addr = refaddr $obj;               # eg 88123488

       Since Perl version 5.35.7 an equivalent function is available as "builtin::refaddr".

   reftype
           my $type = reftype( $ref );

       If $ref is a reference, the basic Perl type of the variable referenced is returned as a
       plain string (such as "ARRAY" or "HASH"). Otherwise "undef" is returned.

           $type = reftype "string";           # undef
           $type = reftype \$var;              # SCALAR
           $type = reftype [];                 # ARRAY

           $obj  = bless {}, "Foo";
           $type = reftype $obj;               # HASH

       Note that for internal reasons, all precompiled regexps ("qr/.../") are blessed
       references; thus "ref()" returns the package name string "Regexp" on these but "reftype()"
       will return the underlying C structure type of "REGEXP" in all capitals.

       Since Perl version 5.35.7 an equivalent function is available as "builtin::refaddr".

   weaken
           weaken( $ref );

       The lvalue $ref will be turned into a weak reference. This means that it will not hold a
       reference count on the object it references. Also, when the reference count on that object
       reaches zero, the reference will be set to undef. This function mutates the lvalue passed
       as its argument and returns no value.

       This is useful for keeping copies of references, but you don't want to prevent the object
       being DESTROY-ed at its usual time.

           {
             my $var;
             $ref = \$var;
             weaken($ref);                     # Make $ref a weak reference
           }
           # $ref is now undef

       Note that if you take a copy of a scalar with a weakened reference, the copy will be a
       strong reference.

           my $var;
           my $foo = \$var;
           weaken($foo);                       # Make $foo a weak reference
           my $bar = $foo;                     # $bar is now a strong reference

       This may be less obvious in other situations, such as "grep()", for instance when grepping
       through a list of weakened references to objects that may have been destroyed already:

           @object = grep { defined } @object;

       This will indeed remove all references to destroyed objects, but the remaining references
       to objects will be strong, causing the remaining objects to never be destroyed because
       there is now always a strong reference to them in the @object array.

       Since Perl version 5.35.7 an equivalent function is available as "builtin::weaken".

   unweaken
           unweaken( $ref );

       Since version 1.36.

       The lvalue "REF" will be turned from a weak reference back into a normal (strong)
       reference again. This function mutates the lvalue passed as its argument and returns no
       value. This undoes the action performed by "weaken".

       This function is slightly neater and more convenient than the otherwise-equivalent code

           my $tmp = $REF;
           undef $REF;
           $REF = $tmp;

       (because in particular, simply assigning a weak reference back to itself does not work to
       unweaken it; "$REF = $REF" does not work).

       Since Perl version 5.35.7 an equivalent function is available as "builtin::unweaken".

   isweak
           my $weak = isweak( $ref );

       Returns true if $ref is a weak reference.

           $ref  = \$foo;
           $weak = isweak($ref);               # false
           weaken($ref);
           $weak = isweak($ref);               # true

       NOTE: Copying a weak reference creates a normal, strong, reference.

           $copy = $ref;
           $weak = isweak($copy);              # false

       Since Perl version 5.35.7 an equivalent function is available as "builtin::isweak".

OTHER FUNCTIONS

   dualvar
           my $var = dualvar( $num, $string );

       Returns a scalar that has the value $num in a numeric context and the value $string in a
       string context.

           $foo = dualvar 10, "Hello";
           $num = $foo + 2;                    # 12
           $str = $foo . " world";             # Hello world

   isdual
           my $dual = isdual( $var );

       Since version 1.26.

       If $var is a scalar that has both numeric and string values, the result is true.

           $foo = dualvar 86, "Nix";
           $dual = isdual($foo);               # true

       Note that a scalar can be made to have both string and numeric content through standard
       operations:

           $foo = "10";
           $dual = isdual($foo);               # false
           $bar = $foo + 0;
           $dual = isdual($foo);               # true

       The $! variable is commonly dual-valued, though it is also magical in other ways:

           $! = 1;
           $dual = isdual($!);                 # true
           print("$!\n");                      # "Operation not permitted"

       CAUTION: This function is not as useful as it may seem. Dualvars are not a distinct
       concept in Perl, but a standard internal construct of all scalar values. Almost any value
       could be considered as a dualvar by this function through the course of normal operations.

   isvstring
           my $vstring = isvstring( $var );

       If $var is a scalar which was coded as a vstring, the result is true.

           $vs   = v49.46.48;
           $fmt  = isvstring($vs) ? "%vd" : "%s"; #true
           printf($fmt,$vs);

   looks_like_number
           my $isnum = looks_like_number( $var );

       Returns true if perl thinks $var is a number. See "looks_like_number" in perlapi.

   openhandle
           my $fh = openhandle( $fh );

       Returns $fh itself, if $fh may be used as a filehandle and is open, or if it is a tied
       handle. Otherwise "undef" is returned.

           $fh = openhandle(*STDIN);           # \*STDIN
           $fh = openhandle(\*STDIN);          # \*STDIN
           $fh = openhandle(*NOTOPEN);         # undef
           $fh = openhandle("scalar");         # undef

   readonly
           my $ro = readonly( $var );

       Returns true if $var is readonly.

           sub foo { readonly($_[0]) }

           $readonly = foo($bar);              # false
           $readonly = foo(0);                 # true

   set_prototype
           my $code = set_prototype( $code, $prototype );

       Sets the prototype of the function given by the $code reference, or deletes it if
       $prototype is "undef". Returns the $code reference itself.

           set_prototype \&foo, '$$';

   tainted
           my $t = tainted( $var );

       Return true if $var is tainted.

           $taint = tainted("constant");       # false
           $taint = tainted($ENV{PWD});        # true if running under -T

DIAGNOSTICS

       Module use may give one of the following errors during import.

       Vstrings are not implemented in this version of perl
           The version of perl that you are using does not implement Vstrings, to use "isvstring"
           you will need to use a newer release of perl.

KNOWN BUGS

       There is a bug in perl5.6.0 with UV's that are >= 1<<31. This will show up as tests 8 and
       9 of dualvar.t failing

SEE ALSO

       List::Util

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright (c) 1997-2007 Graham Barr <gbarr@pobox.com>. All rights reserved.  This program
       is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl
       itself.

       Additionally "weaken" and "isweak" which are

       Copyright (c) 1999 Tuomas J. Lukka <lukka@iki.fi>. All rights reserved.  This program is
       free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as perl
       itself.

       Copyright (C) 2004, 2008  Matthijs van Duin.  All rights reserved.  Copyright (C) 2014
       cPanel Inc.  All rights reserved.  This program is free software; you can redistribute it
       and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.