Array::Slice - context-dependent array iterator

NAME

Array::Slice - context-dependent array iterator

SYNOPSIS

    use Array::Slice qw(slice);

Iterate over an array assigning several items per cycle. Three:

    while ( my ( $x, $y, $z) = slice @arr) { ... }

or two:

    while ( my ( undef, $second) = slice @arr) { ... }

or even forty-two:

    while ( @a = slice @arr, 42) { ... }

DESCRIPTION

I've always wanted the power of foreach(@arr) to be applied to arrays working with more than one item at a time. Perl6 does it, Perl5 with source filtering can do it, close, but no cigar. This module is an small step towards the idea, an attempt to produce a way of slicing a single array with least obtrusive syntax I can think of.

The module works by attaching an integer counter to each scalar using perl magic API, advancing the counter on each slice.

slice @array, [ $howmany ]
Iterates over an array, returning $howmany items perl call. If called without $howmany, deduces the number depending on the calling context.

reset @array, [ $whereto ]
Resets the array iterator to $whereto or 0. $whereto can be negavtive, as in native array indexing.

BUGS

Array items are copied, not aliased as in for/foreach.

Doesn't work with lists. This is one big TODO.

SEE ALSO

the Array::Each::Override manpage, the Array::Each manpage, the Want manpage, the List::MoreUtils manpage, Synopsis 04(The 'for' statement).

THANKS

Aaron Crane for implementation of the Array::Each::Override manpage, which code was used as base for this module.

AUTHOR

Dmitry Karasik, <dmitry@karasik.eu.org>.

 Array::Slice - context-dependent array iterator