http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=31714

Item Description: takes a variable ( or reference to a variable) and 'unrolls' or dumps it out for inspection

Review Synopsis: invaluable for object design and debugging complicated data structure

Data::Dumper is in the standard Perl distribution. it's probably the easiest module to use, just issue a 'use Data::Dumper' call, and then either print to STDOUT ( with 'print Dumper \@foo ') or stick into some html used by an application ( i prefer to wrap it in <pre> tags, so the output isn't mangled.) Data::Dumper also works keenly with objects, and gives you the class into which your variable is blessed. (with makes debugging object relations really quick.)

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
RE (tilly) 1: Data::Dumper
by tilly (Archbishop) on Sep 11, 2000 at 03:42 UTC
    Stupid Data::Dumper trick. Set $Data::Dumper::Indent to 1 and dump a reference to a data structure. What you get is readable to humans, and makes a very convenient format for a configuration file. Just do the file to read the configuration. No work definining a format. No worries about whether or not everything is escaped...
RE: Data::Dumper (Adam: Sample Usage)
by Adam (Vicar) on Oct 27, 2000 at 23:00 UTC
    I'm always forgeting the way to get Data::Dumper to print a hash and put the name of the hash in-place of the "$VAR". So this is as good a place as any to stick it where I can find it quickly, and other people can see an example usage.
    use strict; use Data::Dumper; my %hash = ( 'some' => 'stuff' ); print Data::Dumper->Dump([\%hash], ["hashname"]), $/;

      Here's an example of how I use Data::Dumper, on one line, during debugging. It produces a pretty clean output of the data structure:

      print Data::Dumper->new([\%hash],[qw(hash)])->Indent(3)->Quotekeys(0)->Dump;
RE: Data::Dumper
by Anonymous Monk on Nov 10, 2000 at 06:51 UTC
    Another Data::Dumper trick- For quick and dirty state persistence over multiple invocations of a program, use a single hash for all your state info. Dumper() a reference to it into a file when the program exits, and require() that file the next time the program starts up. booom. You're right back where you left off.
RE: Data::Dumper
by lachoy (Parson) on Oct 18, 2000 at 03:13 UTC

    Big 'me too' along with tilly for using Data::Dumper for configuration files.

    In addition I must say that my debugging life would be much more painful in a world without Data::Dumper. Curious about what's in that hairy list of hashes of lists of hashes? Just Dump It!

    All hail Data::Dumper!

      However, your curiosity for the contents of code refs will never be satisfied, nor will you serialize them to disk, or ever de-serialize them and resurrect them, for this is not possible in Perl5. And probably not Perl 6.

      But it is a serious shortcoming that doesn't exist in many other scripting languages.

      Prince "Why cant we preview replies?!" Pawn

Re: Data::Dumper
by premchai21 (Curate) on May 07, 2001 at 21:10 UTC
      Look At Data::TreeDumper. Muchhh more readable.