runtime variables and runtime attributes.

[Koschei]

Ok, Perl 5.8.0 introduces runtime application of variable attributes. All fine and dandy. However, I'd like to be able to pass variables in my attribute declarations. For example:

my $bar = 3; my Cat $foo : Legs($bar);

As perldelta (perl58delta for bleaders) says:

In particular, however, this allows variable attributes to be useful for "tie" interfaces, which was a deficiency of earlier releases.

So, how does one actually evaluate the $bar? MODIFY_SCALAR_ATTRIBUTES gets called with a string "Legs($bar)" and no hook into the appropriate namespace.

-- Iain, aka Koschei.

[IlyaM]

Not sure if it will work but you can try to get access to variables using Devel::LexAlias.

OTOH after playing with attributes I decided for myself to do not use them because they have too many limitations (my favorite is that Perl insists that the entire attribute be on one line).

--
Ilya Martynov (http://martynov.org/)

[Koschei]

Joyously, most of the modules required for LexAlias, and perhaps LexAlias itself, need patching to work on threaded Perl, so I'm afraid my investigations have been put on hold for a bit. The relevant authors are onto it though, so I expect things will be hunky dory LexAlias wise by the end of the week =)

So, anyone for Poker?

Yes, I could go and compile myself a non-threading Perl, but I'm on a P120 and it would take about the same time as for the new versions of PadWalker, Devel::Caller and so on to come out =)

-- Iain, aka Koschei.