---
name: "Test::Identity"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libtest-identity-perl"
version: "0.01-4"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Test::Identity"
---

# Test::Identity(3pm)

assert the referential identity of a reference

## NAME

"Test::Identity" - assert the referential identity of a reference

## SYNOPSIS

```
 use Test::More tests => 2;
 use Test::Identity;
 use Thingy;
 {
    my $thingy;
    sub get_thingy { return $thingy }
    sub set_thingy { $thingy = shift; }
 }
 identical( get_thingy, undef, 'get_thingy is undef' );
 my $test_thingy = Thingy->new;
 set_thingy $test_thingy;
 identical( get_thingy, $thingy, 'get_thingy is now $test_thingy' );
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module provides a single testing function, `"identical"`. It asserts that a given reference is as expected; that is, it either refers to the same object or is `"undef"`. It is similar to `"Test::More::is"` except that it uses `"refaddr"`, ensuring that it behaves correctly even if the references under test are objects that overload stringification or numification.

It also provides better diagnostics if the test fails:

```
 $ perl -MTest::More=tests,1 -MTest::Identity -e'identical [], {}'
 1..1
 not ok 1
 #   Failed test at -e line 1.
 # Expected an anonymous HASH ref, got an anonymous ARRAY ref
 # Looks like you failed 1 test of 1.
 $ perl -MTest::More=tests,1 -MTest::Identity -e'identical [], []'
 1..1
 not ok 1
 #   Failed test at -e line 1.
 # Expected an anonymous ARRAY ref to the correct object
 # Looks like you failed 1 test of 1.
```

## FUNCTIONS

### identical( $got, $expected, $name )

Asserts that `$got` refers to the same object as `$expected`.

## AUTHOR

Paul Evans \<leonerd@leonerd.org.uk\>