Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jpl-devvax!lwall
From: lwall@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: subroutine inspecting its calling environment
Message-ID: <7319@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Date: 7 Mar 90 18:56:31 GMT
References: <JBW.90Mar5185907@bucsf.bu.edu> <7283@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> <100405@convex.convex.com>
Reply-To: lwall@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Larry Wall)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Lines: 41

In article <100405@convex.convex.com> tchrist@convex.COM (Tom Christiansen) writes:
: Really?  $#_ has always worked for me:
: 
: 
:     #!/usr/bin/perl
: 
:     &callme;
:     &callme('blue');
:     &callme(0);
:     &callme(7,1);
:     &callme();
: 
:     exit 0;
: 
:     sub callme {
: 	local($count) = $#_ + 1;  # assumes $[ == 0
: 	printf "i was called with %s argument%s\n", 
: 		    $count, ($count == 1) ? '' : 's';
:     } 
: 
: 
: Is there some reason this is not reliable?

#!/usr/bin/perl

    &callme;
    &callfrom(1,2,3);

    exit 0;

    sub callme {
        local($count) = $#_ + 1;  # assumes $[ == 0
        printf "i was called with %s argument%s\n",
                    $count, ($count == 1) ? '' : 's';
    }

    sub callfrom {
	&callme;
    }

Larry