Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!wuarchive!psuvax1!news
From: flee@cs.psu.edu (Felix Lee)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: print <FILE>;
Message-ID: <$dG&j&j1@cs.psu.edu>
Date: 8 Apr 91 08:30:53 GMT
References: <1268@sicsun.epfl.ch>
Sender: news@cs.psu.edu (Usenet)
Organization: Penn State Computer Science
Lines: 24
Nntp-Posting-Host: guardian.cs.psu.edu

Welcome to the wonderful world of scalar vs. array contexts.  You can
force a scalar context with the scalar() builtin:
	print scalar(<FILE>);

Does anyone have a complete list of places where scalar and array
contexts are forced?  Here's an incomplete list:
A = forced array context; S = forced scalar context
	@x = A;
	%x = A;
	$x = S;
	$x[S];
	@x[A];
	$x{S};
	@x{A};
	($x, $y) = A;
	scalar(S);
	anylistfunction(A);
	anyotherfunction(S, ...);
	&subroutine(A);
	do subroutine(A);
	S binaryoperator S;
	unaryoperator S;
--
Felix Lee	flee@cs.psu.edu