Fixed hashes, such as the return from stat() can be handled in the
compiler. (Ala perl5's pseudo hash.)
This could possibly be combined with the proposed direct pack/unpack
handling of structures. So that the stat buffer would be transformed
into a hash refering to a structure buffer.
$stat{ino} could directly access the structure.
$stat{$field} would go via the hash interface.
<chaim>
>>>>> "SS" == Steve Simmons <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>> =head1 IMPLEMENTATION
SS> I strongly support Damiens suggestion on a hashref, and would go so
SS> far as to say it should be a pseudo-hash, with all the attendant
SS> misspelling protections and speed obtained.
SS> Passing lists around can be expensive, manipulating hashes can be
SS> expensive. I'd extend Damiens suggestion to allow the programmer
SS> to specify only the sub-data desired, eg:
SS> # undef context, store results in passed hashref
SS> my %data_wanted = \(mode => 0, nlink => 0);
SS> stat( $filename,\$data_wanted);
SS> This could even be done in a list context, with a possible
SS> implementation suggested:
SS> # List context, return only the two values requested in order
SS> ($mode,$nlink) = stat($filename,\('mode','nlink'));
--
Chaim Frenkel Nonlinear Knowledge, Inc.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] +1-718-236-0183
