9.2. Homonyms
If you declare a subroutine with the same name as a built-in function, subsequent invocations of that name will still call the builtin...except when occasionally they don't. For example: sub lock { my ($file) = @_; return flock $file, LOCK_SH; } sub link { my ($text, $url) = @_; return qq{<a href="$url">$text</a>}; } lock($file); # Calls 'lock' subroutine; built-in 'lock' hidden print link($text, $text_url); # Calls built-in 'link'; 'link' subroutine hidden Perl considers some of its builtins (like link) to be "more built-in" than others (like lock), and chooses accordingly whether to call your subroutine of the same name. If the builtin is "strongly built-in", an ambiguous call will invoke it, in preference to any subroutine of the same name. On the other hand, if the builtin is "weakly built-in", an ambiguous call will invoke the subroutine of the same name instead. Even if these subroutines did always work as expected, it's simply too hard to maintain code where the program-specific subroutines and the language's keywords overlap: sub crypt { return "You're in the tomb of @_\n" } sub map { return "You have found a map of @_\n" } sub chop { return "You have chopped @_\n" } sub close { return "The @_ is now closed\n" } sub hex { return "A hex has been cast on @_\n" } print crypt( qw( Vlad Tsepes ) ); # Subroutine or builtin? for my $reward (qw( treasure danger) ) { print map($reward, 'in', $location); # Subroutine or builtin? } print hex('the Demon'); # Subroutine or builtin? print chop('the Demon'); # Subroutine or builtin? There is an inexhaustible supply of subroutine names available; names that are more descriptive and unambiguous. Use them: sub in_crypt { return "You're in the tomb of @_\n" } sub find_map { return "You have found a map of @_\n" } sub chop_at { return "You have chopped @_\n" } sub close_the { return "The @_ is now closed\n" } sub hex_upon { return "A hex has been cast on @_\n" } print in_crypt( qw( Vlad Tsepes ) ); for my $reward (qw( treasure danger )) { print find_map($reward, 'in', $location); } print hex_upon('the Demon'); print chop_at('the Demon'); |