Subs and lists
 

How to modify a list in a subfunction? E.g. I want to pass a list as
an argument, and append it another list? Something like

sub append {
my $listRef = shift;
my @list = @$listref;

@list = (@list, @anotherlist);

return \@list;
}

Right now I have to return the pointer to make it work, can I find a
way to modify the imput argument without having to return the result,
or is that against Perl's coding style?

Another thing, I am also looking for an elegent way of initializing a
hash table with two lists, or a list an a value, e.g. sth like
@hash{@keyList} = @valueList or @hash{@keyList} = $value, which does
not work.

THanks

Bolin

Re: Subs and lists
 

Please don't start new threads in this group. It's defunct. Use
comp.lang.perl.misc instead.

Bolin wrote:
> How to modify a list in a subfunction? E.g. I want to pass a list
> as an argument, and append it another list? Something like
>
> sub append {
> my $listRef = shift;
> my @list = @$listref;
>
> @list = (@list, @anotherlist);
>
> return \@list;
> }
>
> Right now I have to return the pointer to make it work, can I find
> a way to modify the imput argument without having to return the
> result,

Sure. Just don't assign the dereferenced reference to a new variable:

sub append {
my $listRef = shift;
push @$listRef, @anotherlist;
}

> or is that against Perl's coding style?

Not as far as I know.

> Another thing, I am also looking for an elegent way of initializing
> a hash table with two lists, or a list an a value, e.g. sth like
> @hash{@keyList} = @valueList or @hash{@keyList} = $value, which
> does not work.

Can't see why the first example would "not work". You'd better post
some illustrative complete code.

--
Gunnar Hjalmarsson
Email: http://www.gunnar.cc/cgi-bin/contact.pl

Re: Subs and lists
 

gao_bolin@voila.fr (Bolin) wrote in message news:<93c5215b.0311020733.1618bbe3@posting.google. com>...
> Another thing, I am also looking for an elegent way of initializing a
> hash table with two lists, or a list an a value, e.g. sth like
> @hash{@keyList} = @valueList or @hash{@keyList} = $value, which does
> not work.

(1) (@rlist = reverse @valueList) and (%hash = map {$_ , pop @rlist} @keyList);

(2) %hash = map {$_ , $value} @keyList;

Re: Subs and lists
 

aplasia wrote:
>
> (1) (@rlist = reverse @valueList) and (%hash = map {$_ , pop @rlist} @keyList);

Out of curiosity: What's wrong with populating a hash slice with a
list, just as OP suggested?

@hash{@keyList} = @valueList;

--
Gunnar Hjalmarsson
Email: http://www.gunnar.cc/cgi-bin/contact.pl

Re: Subs and lists
 

Gunnar Hjalmarsson <noreply@gunnar.cc> wrote in message news:<glgpb.36154$dP1.120625@newsc.telia.net>...
> aplasia wrote:
> >
> > (1) (@rlist = reverse @valueList) and (%hash = map {$_ , pop @rlist} @keyList);
>
> Out of curiosity: What's wrong with populating a hash slice with a
> list, just as OP suggested?
>
> @hash{@keyList} = @valueList;

(1) @list1=("lip","lip");
@list2=("stick");
@hash{@list1}=@list2;

Then $hash{"lip"}'s value will be undefined.

(2) @hash{@keyList}=($value) x @keyList;

also populates %hash with $value (TMTOWTDI)

(3) better use

@rlist = reverse @valueList;
%hash = map{$_ , pop @rlist} @keyList;

in case @valueList could be empty and you wanna set values
to be undefined (hence "exists $hash{$key}" yielding true for all
$key in @keyList (even if the value of $key is undefined)).

Re: Subs and lists
 

aplasia wrote:
> Gunnar Hjalmarsson wrote:
>>aplasia wrote:
>>
>>>(1) (@rlist = reverse @valueList) and (%hash = map {$_ , pop @rlist} @keyList);
>>
>>Out of curiosity: What's wrong with populating a hash slice
>>with a list, just as OP suggested?
>>
>> @hash{@keyList} = @valueList;
>
> (1) @list1=("lip","lip");
> @list2=("stick");
> @hash{@list1}=@list2;
>
> Then $hash{"lip"}'s value will be undefined.

Yes, but so it would with your construct as well.

perldoc -f pop
"If there are no elements in the array, returns the undefined value..."

<snip>

> in case @valueList could be empty and you wanna set values to
> be undefined (hence "exists $hash{$key}" yielding true for all
> $key in @keyList (even if the value of $key is undefined)).

Sure, but that's true with

@hash{@keyList} = @valueList;

as well.

--
Gunnar Hjalmarsson
Email: http://www.gunnar.cc/cgi-bin/contact.pl

Re: Subs and lists
 

Gunnar Hjalmarsson <noreply@gunnar.cc> wrote in message news:<Moypb.36301$dP1.121175@newsc.telia.net>...
> aplasia wrote:
> > Gunnar Hjalmarsson wrote:
> >>aplasia wrote:
> >>
> >>>(1) (@rlist = reverse @valueList) and (%hash = map {$_ , pop @rlist} @keyList);
> >>
> >>Out of curiosity: What's wrong with populating a hash slice
> >>with a list, just as OP suggested?
> >>
> >> @hash{@keyList} = @valueList;
> >
> > (1) @list1=("lip","lip");
> > @list2=("stick");
> > @hash{@list1}=@list2;
> >
> > Then $hash{"lip"}'s value will be undefined.
>
> Yes, but so it would with your construct as well.
>
> perldoc -f pop
> "If there are no elements in the array, returns the undefined value..."
>
> <snip>
>
> > in case @valueList could be empty and you wanna set values to
> > be undefined (hence "exists $hash{$key}" yielding true for all
> > $key in @keyList (even if the value of $key is undefined)).
>
> Sure, but that's true with
>
> @hash{@keyList} = @valueList;
>
> as well.


of course, the construct @hash{@keyList} = @valueList;
works perfectly well