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perlvar: Add link to remaining legal $# use #23252

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3 changes: 2 additions & 1 deletion pod/perlvar.pod
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Expand Up @@ -2626,7 +2626,8 @@ using it now triggers a compilation error: C<$# is no longer supported>.

This is not the sigil you use in front of an array name to get the
last index, like C<$#array>. That's still how you get the last index
of an array in Perl. The two have nothing to do with each other.
of an array in Perl. (See L<perlintro/Arrays>.)
The two have nothing to do with each other.
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@guest20 guest20 May 4, 2025

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The paragraph about $#array in perldata... :

  • is a page or more into the Scalar values section
  • doesn't mention that there used to be a perlvar with a similar name
  • doesn't have a heading, it can't be linked to
  • is difficult to identify as being the part of the doc the link from perlvar wants me to read about

Since I generally think it makes more sense for docs to tell you what something is, not what it isn't, it might be a good idea to move the whole conversation to a =head2 confusion between $# and $#array† section in perldata

The perlvar section should just be "$# is could easily be confused with the $#array sigil - please see L<perldata/confusion between $# and $#array>"‡ followed by the current explanation of $# used to be.

The perlvar entry should just be a tomb stone for anthropology and pub trivia purposes.

__
†. Not exactly that, but like that.
‡. reading this section means either you're working on code that's more than 15 years old, or you're confusing the perlvar with the sigil

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@guest20 guest20 May 4, 2025

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A picture is worth 1000 words, so

screen shot of perldoc.perl.org with a crudely drawn mspaint arrow pointing at a very not-standing-out $# paragraph

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@Grinnz Grinnz May 4, 2025

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I think the confusion will be limited as there has never been much usage of the variable $#, and those users will find the perlvar section quite readily, so I don't think it's worth reorganizing perldata on its behalf. On the other hand, a more explicit section or subsection on the $#foo variable form may be useful (but is a matter for another issue/PR).

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@guest20 guest20 May 4, 2025

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My main point is that the link does not go to the place it should - it links to a full 7 paragraphs before the intended documentation...


Deprecated in Perl 5.

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