Reference

strict(3pm)

Perl pragma to restrict unsafe constructs

NAME

strict - Perl pragma to restrict unsafe constructs

SYNOPSIS

    use strict;


    use strict "vars";
    use strict "refs";
    use strict "subs";


    use strict;
    no strict "vars";

DESCRIPTION

If no import list is supplied, all possible restrictions are assumed. (This is the safest mode to operate in, but is sometimes too strict for casual programming.) Currently, there are three possible things to be strict about: "subs", "vars", and "refs".

strict refs

This generates a runtime error if you use symbolic references (see the perlref manpage).

    use strict 'refs';
    $ref = \$foo;
    print $$ref;        # ok
    $ref = "foo";
    print $$ref;        # runtime error; normally ok
strict vars

This generates a compile-time error if you access a variable that wasn't declared via use vars, localized via my() or wasn't fully qualified. Because this is to avoid variable suicide problems and subtle dynamic scoping issues, a merely local() variable isn't good enough. See the my entry in the perlfunc manpage and the local entry in the perlfunc manpage.

    use strict 'vars';
    $X::foo = 1;         # ok, fully qualified
    my $foo = 10;        # ok, my() var
    local $foo = 9;      # blows up


    package Cinna;
    use vars qw/ $bar /;        # Declares $bar in current package
    $bar = 'HgS';               # ok, global declared via pragma

The local() generated a compile-time error because you just touched a global name without fully qualifying it.

strict subs

This disables the poetry optimization, generating a compile-time error if you try to use a bareword identifier that's not a subroutine, unless it appears in curly braces or on the left hand side of the "=>" symbol.

    use strict 'subs';
    $SIG{PIPE} = Plumber;       # blows up
    $SIG{PIPE} = "Plumber";     # just fine: bareword in curlies always ok
    $SIG{PIPE} = \&Plumber;     # preferred form

See the section on Pragmatic Modules in the perlmodlib manpage.

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