----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Pinyan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Aaron Craig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
OTOT (off the original topic)
> Before I answer your question, I have to ask you to not use subroutine
> prototypes. 9 out of 10 Perl programmers use them incorrectly or don't
> know what they do.
>
> The problem is: PROTOTYPES MUST BE SEEN BEFORE THE FUNCTION IS CALLED.
> So few people realize that (for one reason or another[1]).
I've seen this statement before and do not really understand it, having come
from a 'true-compiler' background. It is the 'seen' that puzzles me.
If I have a 'require' then I believe the prototype is inspected.
If the subroutine occurs at the front of the 'main' code (ie before being
used) then I believe the prototype is inspected
However if I have code that goes:
&dummysub( )
&realsub('paulus')
.
.
sub realsub($)
{....}
sub dummysub( )
{...}
Has the realsub prototype been analyzed? I guess what I am asking is what
constitutes seeing?
Please correct glaring mistakes, misapprehensions, omissions and apocryphal
statements.
Regards - Paul Cotter
