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I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
key. But it doesn't work! Can anyone tell me what's wrong?

#!/usr/bin/perl -w
$hash{"test"}{["one", "two"]} = 42;
$hash{"test"}{["three", "four"]} = 23;
my $key = "test";
foreach(keys %{$hash{$key}}){
print "Value for $_ is $hash{$key}{$_}\n"; # ARRAY(0x804c95
# print "@$_\n"; # Can't use string ("ARRAY(0x804c95") as an ARRAY ref
}

The output is:
Value for ARRAY(0x804c95 is 23

Why does it print only *one* value? Why can't I dereference
the array ref $_?

Thanks!

Markus Dehmann <> writes:
> I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
> key. But it doesn't work! Can anyone tell me what's wrong?

You can't use an array as a hash key. The very first paragraph of
perldata says:

Hashes are unordered collections of scalar values indexed by
their associated string key.

So when you try to index a hash with an array like this:

> $hash{"test"}{["one", "two"]} = 42;

what's happening instead is that ["one","two"] is being stringified
into something like ARRAY(0x804c95, and that string is what your
second-level hash is being subscripted by.
> The output is:
> Value for ARRAY(0x804c95 is 23
>
> Why does it print only *one* value? Why can't I dereference
> the array ref $_?

Because it's not an array ref anymore, it's a string. Only strings
can be stored as the keys of hashes-- the values can be anything you
like.

-=Eric
--
Come to think of it, there are already a million monkeys on a million
typewriters, and Usenet is NOTHING like Shakespeare.
-- Blair Houghton.

Eric Schwartz wrote:

> You can't use an array as a hash key.

It's not impossible to use array refs as keys, but it does require some
additional steps that aren't needed when you use strings as keys. Have a
look at Tie::RefHash. (It's a core module in my copy of 5.8.1 - I don't
know about earlier.)

sherm--

--
Cocoa programming in Perl: http://camelbones.sourceforge.net
Hire me! My resume: http://www.dot-app.org

Markus Dehmann wrote:
> I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
> key.

No you are not. A hash key cannot be an array.

But it doesn't work! Can anyone tell me what's wrong?
>
> #!/usr/bin/perl -w
> $hash{"test"}{["one", "two"]} = 42;
> $hash{"test"}{["three", "four"]} = 23;

Try this:

use Data:umper;
print Dumper \%hash;

> my $key = "test";
> foreach(keys %{$hash{$key}}){
> print "Value for $_ is $hash{$key}{$_}\n"; # ARRAY(0x804c95
> # print "@$_\n"; # Can't use string ("ARRAY(0x804c95") as an ARRAY ref
> }
>
> The output is:
> Value for ARRAY(0x804c95 is 23
>
> Why does it print only *one* value?

Because there is only one value.

> Why can't I dereference the array ref $_?

See Eric's answer about that.

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

Markus Dehmann <> wrote:

> I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
> key.


You cannot have arrays as keys in Perl hashes.


> But it doesn't work!


What were you hoping that it would do?


> Can anyone tell me what's wrong?


You are trying to create an impossible data structure.

If you had told us what you really want, then we would have a
chance of showing you how to refactor your data structure.


> #!/usr/bin/perl -w
> $hash{"test"}{["one", "two"]} = 42;


Hash keys are forced to be strings.

If you give it an array ref as a hash key, you will get a stringified
representation of the reference, which can no longer be used to
access the array.


> $hash{"test"}{["three", "four"]} = 23;


Do you want the 2nd level hash to have 4 key/value pairs in it?

$hash{test}{one} = 42;
$hash{test}{two} = 42;
$hash{test}{three} = 23;
$hash{test}{four} = 23;

or, by using a "hash slice":

@hash{ qw/ one two three four / } = (42, 42, 23, 23);


If you wanted something else, try telling us what that something else is.


> my $key = "test";
> foreach(keys %{$hash{$key}}){
> print "Value for $_ is $hash{$key}{$_}\n"; # ARRAY(0x804c95
> # print "@$_\n"; # Can't use string ("ARRAY(0x804c95") as an ARRAY ref
> }
>
> The output is:
> Value for ARRAY(0x804c95 is 23
>
> Why does it print only *one* value?


Because there is only one key ("test") in the hash, your 2nd
assignment stomped over the value of the 1st assignment.


> Why can't I dereference
> the array ref $_?


Because it is NOT an array ref, it is a string.


--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas

Sherm Pendley wrote:
> Eric Schwartz wrote:
>> You can't use an array as a hash key.
>
> It's not impossible to use array refs as keys, but it does require some
> additional steps that aren't needed when you use strings as keys. Have a
> look at Tie::RefHash.

While giving Eric right, "perldoc perlref" mentions that Tie::RefHash
provides a *workaround*. The distinction seems to be important to
understand this limitation with Perl hashes.

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

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:31:39 -0500, Markus Dehmann
<> wrote:

>I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
>key. But it doesn't work! Can anyone tell me what's wrong?

>
>#!/usr/bin/perl -w
>$hash{"test"}{["one", "two"]} = 42;
>$hash{"test"}{["three", "four"]} = 23;

Hash keys are strings, so the array reference is converted to a string.
You need to look at the Tie::RefHash module, which I believe is a core
module, to do what you're after.

--
Eric Amick
Columbia, MD

Eric Amick wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:31:39 -0500, Markus Dehmann
> <> wrote:
>
>
>>I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
>>key. But it doesn't work! Can anyone tell me what's wrong?
>
>
>>#!/usr/bin/perl -w
>>$hash{"test"}{["one", "two"]} = 42;
>>$hash{"test"}{["three", "four"]} = 23;
>
>
> Hash keys are strings, so the array reference is converted to a string.
> You need to look at the Tie::RefHash module, which I believe is a core
> module, to do what you're after.

But if using Tie::RefHash you can't look up an element using
$hash{"test"}{["three", "four"]} because the ["three", "four"] creates a
new array. It may have the same content as the array that's used as a
key but it is not the same array.

Tad McClellan wrote:

> Markus Dehmann <> wrote:
>
>> I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
>> key.
>
>
> You cannot have arrays as keys in Perl hashes.
>
>> But it doesn't work!
>
> What were you hoping that it would do?

Thanks for all your comments. Now I know why it didn't work.

> If you had told us what you really want, then we would have a
> chance of showing you how to refactor your data structure.
>
> Do you want the 2nd level hash to have 4 key/value pairs in it?
>
> $hash{test}{one} = 42;
> $hash{test}{two} = 42;
> $hash{test}{three} = 23;
> $hash{test}{four} = 23;
>
> or, by using a "hash slice":
>
> @hash{ qw/ one two three four / } = (42, 42, 23, 23);
>
> If you wanted something else, try telling us what that something else is.

If you know C++ and STL you'll understand this data structure:

map< string, map< set<string>, double > > myHash;

That's what I wanted in Perl.

I understand that I could use Tie::RefHash. But I now used another
workaround:

$hash{test}{"one two"} = 42;
$hash{test}{"three four"} = 23;

Instead of the array as a 2nd key, I use a string "one two" that I just
split when I work with it.

Markus

Markus Dehmann <> wrote:
> Tad McClellan wrote:
>> Markus Dehmann <> wrote:
>>
>>> I am using a two-dim hash with a string as first key, and an array as 2nd
>>> key.


>> If you wanted something else, try telling us what that something else is.


> But I now used another
> workaround:
>
> $hash{test}{"one two"} = 42;
> $hash{test}{"three four"} = 23;
>
> Instead of the array as a 2nd key, I use a string "one two" that I just
> split when I work with it.


Maybe you want a _3_ dimensional data structure?

$hash{test}{one}{two} = 42;


--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas