Difference between &function and function() in perl [duplicate]

by

It has very specific uses:

  • & tells Perl to ignore the sub’s prototype.
  • & can allow you to use the caller’s @_. (&foo; with no parens or arguments).
  • goto &foo; and defined &foo.
  • Getting a reference (e.g. \&foo).

Some people (mostly beginners) use it to distinguish user subs from builtin functions, since builtin functions cannot be preceded by &.

More Related Contents:

  1. search using perl one liner within a file [closed]
  2. How to re-direct the contents to a file instead of printing it to terminal
  3. How do I remove duplicate items from an array in Perl?
  4. How to fix a locale setting warning from Perl
  5. How can I fire and forget a process in Perl?
  6. What’s the best way to make a deep copy of a data structure in Perl?
  7. Getting STDOUT, STDERR, and response code from external *nix command in perl
  8. What is the difference between new Some::Class and Some::Class->new() in Perl?
  9. Iterating hash based on the insertion order?
  10. Why can’t I match my string from standard input in Perl?
  11. How do I choose a package name for a custom Perl module that does not collide with builtin or CPAN packages names?
  12. What’s broken about exceptions in Perl?
  13. Delete ClearCase Views Script
  14. How to pass a variable from a child process (fork by Parallel::ForkManager)?
  15. What’s the difference between single and double quotes in Perl?
  16. How do I get the full path to a Perl script that is executing?
  17. Perl subroutine arguments
  18. What does the function declaration “sub function($$)” mean?
  19. How can I call a shell command in my Perl script?
  20. Which cpan installer is the right one? (CPAN.pm/CPANPLUS/cpanminus)
  21. How do I lock a file in Perl?
  22. Why is the Switch module deprecated in Perl?
  23. How do I tell what type of value is in a Perl variable?
  24. What should I use for a Perl script’s shebang line?
  25. How can I find memory leaks in long-running Perl program?
  26. Why do Perl variables need to start with $, %,@ (sigils)?
  27. Print lines from one file that are not contained in another file
  28. Perl DBD::Oracle Module installation
  29. Explain the deviousness of the Perl “preamble”
  30. Why doesn’t Perl’s each() iterate through the entire hash the second time?

Leave a Comment