trusty (3) Return::Value.3pm.gz
NAME
Return::Value - polymorphic return values (deprecated)
VERSION
version 1.666003
SYNOPSIS
Used with basic function-call interface:
use Return::Value;
sub send_over_network {
my ($net, $send) = @_:
if ( $net->transport( $send ) ) {
return success;
} else {
return failure "Was not able to transport info.";
}
}
my $result = $net->send_over_network( "Data" );
# boolean
unless ( $result ) {
# string
print $result;
}
Or, build your Return::Value as an object:
sub build_up_return {
my $return = failure;
if ( ! foo() ) {
$return->string("Can't foo!");
return $return;
}
if ( ! bar() ) {
$return->string("Can't bar");
$return->prop(failures => \@bars);
return $return;
}
# we're okay if we made it this far.
$return++;
return $return; # success!
}
DESCRIPTION
Polymorphic return values are a horrible idea, but this library was written based on the notion that they
were useful. Often, we just want to know if something worked or not. Other times, we'd like to know
what the error text was. Still others, we may want to know what the error code was, and what the error
properties were. We don't want to handle objects or data structures for every single return value, but
we do want to check error conditions in our code because that's what good programmers do.
When functions are successful they may return true, or perhaps some useful data. In the quest to provide
consistent return values, this gets confusing between complex, informational errors and successful return
values.
This module provides these features with a simplistic API that should get you what you're looking for in
each context a return value is used in.
Attributes
All return values have a set of attributes that package up the information returned. All attributes can
be accessed or changed via methods of the same name, unless otherwise noted. Many can also be accessed
via overloaded operations on the object, as noted below.
type
A value's type is either "success" or "failure" and (obviously) reflects whether the value is
returning success or failure.
errno
The errno attribute stores the error number of the return value. For success-type results, it is by
default undefined. For other results, it defaults to 1.
string
The value's string attribute is a simple message describing the value.
data
The data attribute stores a reference to a hash or array, and can be used as a simple way to return
extra data. Data stored in the data attribute can be accessed by dereferencing the return value
itself. (See below.)
prop
The most generic attribute of all, prop is a hashref that can be used to pass an arbitrary number of
data structures, just like the data attribute. Unlike the data attribute, though, these structures
must be retrieved via method calls.
NAME
Return::Value - (deprecated) polymorphic return values
DO NOT USE THIS LIBRARY
Return::Value was a bad idea. I'm sorry that I had it, sorry that I followed through, and sorry that it
got used in other useful libraries. Fortunately there are not many things using it. One of those things
is Email::Send which is also deprecated in favor of Email::Sender.
There's no reason to specify a new module to replace Return::Value. In general, routines should return
values of uniform type or throw exceptions. Return::Value tried to be a uniform type for all routines,
but has so much weird behavior that it ends up being confusing and not very Perl-like.
Objects that are false are just a dreadful idea in almost every circumstance, especially when the object
has useful properties.
Please do not use this library. You will just regret it later.
A release of this library in June 2009 promised that deprecation warnings would start being issued in
June 2010. It is now December 2012, and the warnings are now being issued. They can be disabled through
means made clear from the source.
FUNCTIONS
The functional interface is highly recommended for use within functions that are using "Return::Value"
for return values. It's simple and straightforward, and builds the entire return value in one statement.
success
The "success" function returns a "Return::Value" with the type "success".
Additional named parameters may be passed to set the returned object's attributes. The first,
optional, parameter is the string attribute and does not need to be named. All other parameters must
be passed by name.
# simplest possible case
return success;
failure
"failure" is identical to "success", but returns an object with the type "failure"
METHODS
The object API is useful in code that is catching "Return::Value" objects.
new
my $return = Return::Value->new(
type => 'failure',
string => "YOU FAIL",
prop => {
failed_objects => \@objects,
},
);
Creates a new "Return::Value" object. Named parameters can be used to set the object's attributes.
bool
print "it worked" if $result->bool;
Returns the result in boolean context: true for success, false for failure.
prop
printf "%s: %s',
$result->string, join ' ', @{$result->prop('strings')}
unless $result->bool;
Returns the return value's properties. Accepts the name of a property returned, or returns the
properties hash reference if given no name.
other attribute accessors
Simple accessors exist for the object's other attributes: "type", "errno", "string", and "data".
Overloading
Several operators are overloaded for "Return::Value" objects. They are listed here.
Stringification
print "$result\n";
Stringifies to the string attribute.
Boolean
print $result unless $result;
Returns the "bool" representation.
Numeric
Also returns the "bool" value.
Dereference
Dereferencing the value as a hash or array will return the value of the data attribute, if it matches
that type, or an empty reference otherwise. You can check "ref $result->data" to determine what kind
of data (if any) was passed.
AUTHORS
• Ricardo SIGNES <rjbs@cpan.org> • Casey West
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
This software is copyright (c) 2005 by Casey West.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5
programming language system itself.