NAME

Hash::AutoHash::Record - Object-oriented access to hash with implicitly typed fields

VERSION

Version 1.16_01

SYNOPSIS

 use Hash::AutoHash::Record qw(autohash_set);

 # create object and define field-types
 #   name- single-valued, hobbies- multi-valued,
 #   favorites- attribute-single-value pairs, 
 #   family- attribute-multi-value pairs
 # note: when used as initial value, 
 #   {}  means empty attribute-single-value pairs
 #   \{} means empty attribute-multi-value pairs

 my $record=
   new Hash::AutoHash::Record name=>'',hobbies=>[],favorites=>{},family=>\{};

 # set fields
 autohash_set($record,
              name=>'Joe',hobbies=>['chess','cooking'],
              favorites=>{color=>'purple',food=>'pie'},
              family=>{wife=>'Mary',sons=>['Tom','Dick']});

 # update fields one-by-one
 $record->name('Joey');                      # change name to 'Joey'
 $record->hobbies('go');                     # add 'go' to hobbies
 $record->favorites(color=>'red');           # change favorite color to 'red'
 $record->family(daughters=>'Jane');         # add daughter 'Jane' to family

 # access fields one-by-one
 my $name=$record->name;                     # 'Joey'
 my $hobbies=$record->hobbies;               # ['chess','cooking','go']
 my @hobbies=$record->hobbies;               # ('chess','cooking','go')
 my $favorites=$record->favorites;           # Hash::AutoHash in scalar context
 my %favorites=$record->favorites;           # regular hash in array context
 my $family=$record->family;                 # Hash::AutoHash::AVPairsMulti
 my %family=$record->family;                 # regular hash

 # you can also use standard hash notation and functions
 $record->{name}='Joseph';                   # set name to 'Joseph'
 $record->{hobbies}='rowing';                # add 'rowing' to hobbies
 $record->{favorites}={holiday=>'Christmas'};# add favorite holiday
 $record->{family}={daughters=>'Sue'};       # add 2nd daughter 'Sue' to family

 # CAUTION: hash notation doesn't respect array context!
 $record->{hobbies}=('hiking','baking');     # adds last value only
 my @hobbies=$mvhash->{hobbies};             # list of ARRAY (['chess',...])

 my @keys=keys %$record;                     # list of all 4 keys
 my @values=values %$record;                 # list of all 4 values
 delete $record->{hobbies};                  # no more hobbies

 # clearing object restores initial values and preserves field-types
 %$record=();                             

 # alias $record to regular hash for more concise hash notation
 use Hash::AutoHash::Record qw(autohash_alias);
 my %hash;
 autohash_alias($record,%hash);
 # access or change hash elements without using ->
 $hash{name}='Joe';                          # set name to 'Joe'
 @hash{qw(hobbies favorites family)}=        # set remaining fields
   (['chess','cooking'],
    {color=>'purple',food=>'pie'},
    {wife=>'Mary',sons=>['Tom','Dick']});

 my $name=$hash{name};                       # get 1 field
 my($hobbies,$favorites,$family)=            # get remaining fields
   @hash{qw(hobbies favorites family)};

 # set 'unique' in tied object to eliminate duplicates in multi-valued fields
 use Hash::AutoHash::Record qw(autohash_tied);
 autohash_tied($record)->unique(1);
 $record->hobbies('chess','skiing');         # duplicate 'chess' not added

 # field can also be any Hash::AutoHash object, including Record (!!)
 my $address=new Hash::AutoHash::Record lines=>[],city=>'',state=>'',zip=>'';
 $record->address($address);                 # add empty address to record
 # set fields of nested record
 $record->address(lines=>['Suite 123','456 Main St'],city=>'Anytown',
                  state=>'WA',zip=>98765);
 my $state=$record->address->state;          # get field from nested record

DESCRIPTION

Hash::AutoHash::Record is a subclass of Hash::AutoHash designed to represent records parsed from flat files. The fields of the records can be single-valued, multi-valued, or a collection of attribute-value pairs which, in turn, can allow single or multiple values per attribute. A field can also be any Hash::AutoHash object, including a Hash::AutoHash::Record object, which makes it possible to represent nested record structures.

In typical usage, we expect the application to create a Hash::AutoHash::Record object at the outset with appropriate default values, then reuse the object repeatedly as the program processes input lines. Another reasonable pattern is to use dclone from Storable to copy the original Hash::AutoHash::Record object for each input line. It is also possible to create a new Hash::AutoHash::Record object for each input line, but this is likely to be slower.

Hash::AutoHash::Record offers two main features over and above Hash::AutoHash.

1. Special update semantics for each type of field.: The class uses the field-type to process updates in a manner appropriate for each type. For single-valued fields, the new value overwrites the old, just as in a regular HASH. For multi-valued fields, the new value or values are appended to the existing values, as in Hash::AutoHash::MultiValued. For fields that contain a collection of attribute-value pairs, the new values (which must be attribute-value pairs) modify the existing ones. For fields that contain a Hash::AutoHash object, the new values (which must be key=>value pairs) are interpreted as updates to the corresponding elements of the object. If the field contains any other kind of value, the new value overwrites the old, just like a regular HASH.
2. Default values restored when object is cleared.: Default values for each field are set when the object is created. (Defaults can also be set or changed later). Default values can be anything but are often the natural 'empty' value for the field-type, namely, the null string for single-valued fields, an empty ARRAY for multi-valued fields, and an empty collection of attribute-value pairs for a field of that type. Clearing the object restores the default values of all fields.

Example of typical usage

We use this class in a data pipeline that downloads files from many sources, extracts relevant information, and stores the results in a database. The files come in many different formats. An early step in the pipeline converts the files into a simple, common format that suits our needs.

Many of the files we download are tab-delimited text: each line is a record and field consists of arbitrary text up to the next tab (or end-of-line). Some of these files allow fields to be multi-valued using '|'(vertical-bar) to separate values, and to contain attribute-value pairs using ':' to separate attributes from values. Here is a simplified example line from a file that provides basic information about genes.

HTT HD|IT15 review:09-09-26|update:09-09-25 Entrez:3064|MIM:613004|MIM:143100

The first field is the official name of the gene. The next field shows alternate names for the gene. The third field provides dates for the most recent actions on this record. The final field lists databases that contain further information about the gene along with keys for retrieving the information.

The first field is single-valued. The second is multi-valued. The third contains attribute-single-value pairs, ie, attributes cannot be repeated. The fourth contains attribute-multi-value pairs, ie, attributes may be repeated.

We convert this file into multiple tab-delimited files, one for each field. Each line contains the current date (for tracking purposes), and the official gene name (for linking information later). Multi-valued fields are printed to multiple lines, with one value per line. Attribute-value pairs are printed as separate fields.

Here is a sketch of a program for doing this.

 use Hash::AutoHash::Record;
 my $now=localtime;                        # current datetime

 # create object and set initial values. initial values implicitly set defaults 
 # and field-types
 # note: when used to set initial values, 
 #   {}  denotes empty collection of attribute-single-value pairs
 #   \{} denotes empty collection of attribute-multi-value pairs

 my $record=
   new Hash::AutoHash::Record when=>$now,official_name=>'',alternate_names=>[],
                              actions=>{},more_info=>\{};
 while (<>) {            # assume input on STDIN
   parse($record);       # assume parse parses input line into $record
   emit($record);        # assume emit prints fields from $record to outputs
   %$record=();          # clear record to restore defaults for next input line                 
 }

Capabilities inherited from Hash::AutoHash

Like Hash::AutoHash, this class lets you get or set hash elements using hash notation or by invoking a method with the same name as the key. See SYNOPSIS for examples.

Also like Hash::AutoHash, this class provides a full plate of functions for performing hash operations on Hash::AutoHash::Record objects. These are useful if you want to avoid hash notation all together. The following example uses these functions to removes hash elements whose values are empty lists:

use Hash::AutoHash::Record qw(autohash_keys autohash_delete);
my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record name=>'',hobbies=>[];
my @keys=autohash_keys($record);
for my $key (@keys) {
  my $value=$record->$key;
  autohash_delete($record,$key) if 'ARRAY' eq ref $value && !@$value;
}

And also like Hash::AutoHash, you can alias the object to a regular hash for more concise hash notation. See SYNOPSIS for examples. Admittedly, this is a minor convenience, but the reduction in verbosity can be useful in some cases.

As in Hash::AutoHash, the namespace is "clean"; any method invoked on an object is interpreted as a request to access or change an element of the underlying hash. The software accomplishes this by providing all its capabilities through class methods (these are methods, such as 'new', that are invoked on the class rather than on individual objects), functions that must be imported into the caller's namespace, and methods invoked on the tied object implementing the hash.

CAUTION: As of version 1.12, it is not possible to use method notation for keys with the same names as methods inherited from UNIVERSAL (the base class of everything). These are 'can', 'isa', 'DOES', and 'VERSION'. The reason is that as of Perl 5.9.3, calling UNIVERSAL methods as functions is deprecated and developers are encouraged to use method form instead. Previous versions of AutoHash are incompatible with CPAN modules that adopt this style.

Field-types

The type of a field is determined implicitly by its value. When you create a Hash::AutoHash::Record object, you can specify initial values for the fields. These values implicitly set the type of each field. Similarly, when you store a value into a new field (one whose key does not yet exist in the object), that value implicitly sets the type of the new field. To change the type of a field, you can use the 'force' method on the tied object implementing the record to assign a new value to the field without regard to its current type.

Supported field-types are

Single-valued

Strings or numbers. Not references.
Multi-valued

Multiple strings or numbers (not references). Implemented as an ARRAY.
Collection of attribute-single-valued pairs

Each attribute can have just a single value which must be a string or number (not a reference). This type is implemented as a Hash::AutoHash::AVPairsSingle object.
Collection of attribute-multi-valued pairs

Each attribute can have multiple values, and for this reason, the type is implemented as a Hash::AutoHash::AVPairsMulti object.
Hash::AutoHash object

Any object derived from Hash::AutoHash. The attribute-value pair types are special cases of this.
Anything else

Other types of data are allowed, but the class provides no special support.

Special handling of initial values

When setting the initial value of a field, the class interprets an unblessed HASH or unblessed reference to an unblessed HASH as a collection of attribute-value pairs if the HASH contains suitable data. This occurs when setting initial values via 'new' as illustrated in the SYNOPSIS and other examples, when setting the value of a new field, when forcibly changing the value and possibly type of a field via 'force', and when setting defaults via 'defaults'.

Initial unblessed HASH

If the HASH is empty or all elements are single-valued (strings or numbers, not references), the class treats it as a collection of attribute-single-value pairs and instantiates a Hash::AutoHash::AVPairsSingle object to represent the value. Else, if all elements are single- or multi-valued (strings or numbers, not references), the class considers it to be a collection of attribute-multi-value pairs and instantiates a Hash::AutoHash::AVPairsMulti object. Else, the class uses the value as is.
```
my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record
  avp_single=>{attr1=>'value1'},avp_multi=>{attr2=>['value21','value22']},
  hash=>{key3=>{key31=>'value31'}};
```
CAVEAT: This usage makes it difficult to set the initial value of a field to a regular HASH. You can workaround the problem by a blessed HASH. Here is an example.
```
my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record hash=>bless {};
```
Initial unblessed reference to unblessed HASH

If the referent HASH is empty or all elements are single- or multi-valued (strings or numbers, not references), the class interprets it as a collection of attribute-multi-value pairs and instantiates a Hash::AutoHash::AVPairsMulti object. Else, the class uses the value as is.
```
my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record
  avp_multi1=>\{attr1=>'value1'},avp_multi2=>{attr2=>['value21','value22']},
  hash=>{key3=>{key31=>'value31'}};
```
CAVEAT: This usage makes it difficult to set the initial value of a field to a real reference to a HASH. Sorry. You can workaround the problem by using a reference to any blessed HASH. Here is an example.
```
my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record ref_to_hash=>\bless {};
```

Field-update semantics

The field-type controls which updates are legal and how they are processed.

Single-valued

The new value must also be single-valued and not a reference. The new value overwrites the old, just like a regular HASH.

$record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record single=>'value1';
$record->single('value2');                  # sets field to 'value2'
$record->single('value3','value4');         # illegal - multiple new values

Multi-valued

The new value or values are appended to the end of the existing values, as in Hash::AutoHash::AVPairsMulti. The new values must be strings or numbers, not references. It is okay to pass in an ARRAY which the code flattens to a list.

$record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record multi=>['value1'];
$record->multi('value2');                  # appends 'value2' to old value
$record->multi('value3','value4');         # appends 'value3','value4'
$record->multi(['value4','value5']);       # appends 'value4','value5'
$record->multi({key6=>'value6'});          # illegal - reference

Collection of attribute-single-value pairs

The new values must be attribute-value pairs. (A HASH will work as will a list or ARRAY with an even number of elements). For each attribute that already exists in the collection, the new value overwrites the old. For each new attribute, the pair is added to the collection.

$record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record avp_single=>{attr1=>'value1'};
$record->avp_single(attr1=>'new_value1');  # sets attr1 to 'new_value1'
$record->avp_single(attr2=>'value2');      # adds attr2=>'value2'
$record->avp_single([attr3=>'value3']);    # adds attr3=>'value3'
$record->avp_single({attr4=>'value4'});    # adds attr4=>'value4'
$record->avp_single(attr5=>['value5']);    # illegal - value is reference
$record->avp_single('attr6');              # ignored. no value

Collection of attribute-multi-value pairs

The new values must be attribute-value pairs. (A HASH will work as will a list or ARRAY with an even number of elements). For each attribute that already exists in the collection, the new value or values are appended to the existing ones. For each new attribute, the pair is added to the collection.

$record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record avp_multi=>\{attr1=>'value1'};
$record->avp_multi(attr1=>'new_value1');   # appends 'new_value1' to attr1
$record->avp_multi(attr2=>'value2');       # adds attr2=>'value2'
$record->avp_multi([attr2=>'new_value2']); # appends 'new_value2 to attr2
$record->avp_multi({attr3=>'value3'});     # adds attr3=>'value3'
$record->avp_multi(attr3=>['new_value2']); # appends new_value3 to attr3
$record->avp_multi(attr4=>{key=>value});   # illegal - value is reference
$record->avp_multi('attr5');               # ignored. no value

Hash::AutoHash object

Any object derived from Hash::AutoHash. The attribute-value pair types are special cases of this.

The new values must be key=>value pairs. (A HASH will work as will a list or ARRAY with an even number of elements). The values are set in the object using method notation.

$autohash=new Hash::AutoHash key1=>'value1';
$record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record autohash=>$autohash;
$record->autohash(key1=>'new_value1');    # runs $autohash->key1('new_value1')
$record->autohash(key2=>'value2');        # runs $autohash->key2('value2')
$record->autohash('key3');                # ignored. no value

Anything else

The new value overwrites the old, just like a regular HASH. This includes the case of setting the initial value for a nonexistent key. Thereafter, the type of the new value determines the type of the field , eg, if the new value is an ARRAY, the field becomes multi-valued.

Default values

Default values for each field are set when the object is created, and can be set or changed later via the 'defaults' method. Clearing the object restores the default values.

Duplicate elimination and filtering (multi-valued fields only!!)

By default, multi-valued fields may contain duplicate values. You can change this behavior by setting 'unique' in the tied object implementing the hash to a true value.

 use Hash::AutoHash::Record qw(autohash_tied);
 my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record hobbies=>['chess','chess'];
 autohash_tied($record)->unique(1);        # hobbies now ['chess']
 $record->hobbies('chess');                # duplicate 'chess' not added

When 'unique' is given a true value, duplicate removal occurs immediately by running all existing elements through the duplicate-removal process. Thereafter, duplicate checking occurs on every update including when default values are restored by clearing the object. Continuing the above example:

$record->hobbies('go');                   # hobbies now ['chess','go']
%$record=();                              # hobbies now ['chess']

'unique' can be set to a boolean, as in the example, or to a subroutine (technically, a CODE ref). The subroutine should operate on two values and return true if the values are considered to be equal, and false otherwise.

By default, 'unique' is sub {my($a,$b)=@_; $a eq $b}. The following example shows how to set 'unique' to a subroutine that does case-insensitive duplicate removal.

my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record hobbies=>['CHESS','chess'];
autohash_tied($record)->unique(sub {my($a,$b)=@_; lc($a) eq lc($b)});
# hobbies now ['CHESS']

In many cases, it works fine and is more efficient to perform duplicate removal on-demand rather than on every update. You can accomplish this by setting 'filter' in the tied object implementing the hash to a true value. By default, the filter function is 'uniq' from List::MoreUtils. You can change this by setting 'filter' to a subroutine reference which takes a list of values as input and returns a list of values as output. Though motivated by duplicate removal, the 'filter' function can transform the list in any way you choose.

The following contrived example shows sets 'filter' to a subroutine that performs case-independent duplicate removal and sorts the resulting values.

sub uniq_nocase_sort {
  my %uniq;
  my @values_lc=map { lc($_) } @_;
  @uniq{@values_lc}=@_;
  sort values %uniq;  
}

my $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record hobbies=>['CHESS','chess','go'];
autohash_tied($record)->filter(\&uniq_nocase_sort);
# hobbies now ('chess','go')

You can do the same thing more concisely with this cryptic one-liner.

autohash_tied($record)->filter(sub {my %u; @u{map {lc $_} @_}=@_; sort values %u});

Filtering occurs when you run the 'filter' method. It does not occur on every update.

new

'new' is the constructor.

Title   : new 
Usage   : $record=new Hash::AutoHash::Record
                      name=>'',hobbies=>[],favorites=>{},family=>\{};
Function: Create Hash::AutoHash::Record object and set initial values for each
          field.  This implicitly sets the fields' types and default values.
Returns : Hash::AutoHash::Record object
Args    : Optional list of key=>value pairs which are used to set initial
          values, types, and defaults for each field of the object.

defaults

This method must be invoked on the tied object implementing the hash.

Title   : defaults 
Usage   : %defaults=tied(%$record)->defaults
          -- OR --
          $defaults=tied(%$record)->defaults
          -- OR --
          tied(%$record)->defaults(name=>'Joe',hobbies=>['chess'])
          -- OR --
          tied(%$record)->defaults([name=>'Joe',hobbies=>['chess']])
         -- OR --
          tied(%$record)->defaults({name=>'Joe',hobbies=>['chess']})
           -- OR --
          %defaults=autohash_tied($record)->defaults
          -- OR --
          $defaults=autohash_tied($record)->defaults
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->defaults(name=>'Joe',hobbies=>['chess'])
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->defaults([name=>'Joe',hobbies=>['chess']])
         -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->defaults({name=>'Joe',hobbies=>['chess']})
Function: Get or set option default values.
          Forms 1&2 get the current defaults as a hash or HASH respectively.
          Forms 3-5. Set defaults. The new value replaces the old.
          Forms 6-10 are functionally equivalent to the first three but use the
          autohash_tied function to get the tied object instead of Perl's
          built-in tied function.
          Note the '%' in front of $record in the first five forms and its
          absence in the next five forms.
Returns : defaults as a list or ARRAY depending on context 
Args    : key=>value pairs.

force

This method must be invoked on the tied object implementing the hash.

Title   : force 
Usage   : tied(%$record)->force('favorites',{colors=>['red','blue'])
          -- OR --
           tied(%$record)->force('favorites')
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->force('favorites',{colors=>['red','blue'])
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->force('favorites')
Function: Ignore the current value and type of the field and forcibly assign a
          new value, or, if no new value is given, set the value to undef.
Returns : new value, if any, or undef 
Args    : key and optional new value

unique

This method must be invoked on the tied object implementing the hash.

Title   : unique 
Usage   : $unique=tied(%$record)->unique
          -- OR --
          tied(%$record)->unique($boolean)
          -- OR --
          tied(%$record)->unique(\&function)
          -- OR --
          $unique=autohash_tied($record)->unique
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->unique($boolean)
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->unique(\&function)
Function: Get or set option that controls duplicate elimination for
          multi-valued fields.
          Form 1 gets the current value of the control.  
          Form 2. If the argument is true, duplicate-removal is turned on using 
          'eq' to determine which values are equal. 
          If the argument is false, duplicate-removal is turned off.  
          Form 3 turns on duplicate removal using the given function. 
          Forms 4-6 are functionally equivalent to the first three but use the
          autohash_tied function to get the tied object instead of Perl's
          built-in tied function.
          Note the '%' in front of $record in the first three forms and its
          absence in the next three forms.
Returns : value of the control 
Args    : Forms 2&5. Usually a boolean value, but can be any value which is not
          a CODE reference.  
          Forms 3&6. CODE reference for a function that takes two values and 
          returns true or false.
Notes   : When unique is given a true value (including a CODE ref in forms 3&6)
          duplicate removal occurs immediately by running all existing elements
          through the duplicate-removal process. Thereafter, duplicate checking
          occurs on every update including when default values are restored by 
          clearing the object.

filter

This method must be invoked on the tied object implementing the hash.

Title   : filter 
Usage   : $filter=tied(%$record)->filter
          -- OR --
          tied(%$record)->filter($boolean)
          -- OR --
          tied(%$record)->filter(\&function)
           -- OR --
          $filter=autohash_tied($record)->filter
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->filter($boolean)
          -- OR --
          autohash_tied($record)->filter(\&function)
Function:  Set function used for filtering and perform filtering if true.
          Form 1 filters elements using filter function previously set.
          Form 2. If true, sets the filter function to its default, which is 
          'uniq' from L<List::MoreUtils> and performs filtering.
          If false, turns filtering off.  
          Form 3 sets the filter function to the given function and performs
          filtering.
          Forms 4-6 are functionally equivalent to the first three but use the 
          autohash_tied function to get the tied object instead of Perl's 
          built-in tied function.
          Note the '%' in front of $record in the first three forms and its
          absence in the last three forms.
Returns : value of the control 
Args    : Forms 2&5. Usually a boolean value, but can be any value which is not 
          a CODE reference.  
          Forms 3&6. CODE reference for a function that takes a list and 
          returns a list. The input list is passed in @_.
Notes   : When filter is given a true value (including a CODE ref in forms 3&6)
          filtering occurs immediately by running all existing elements through
          the filter function.

Functions inherited from Hash::AutoHash

The following functions are inherited from Hash::AutoHash and, except for autohash_clear, operate exactly as there. You must import them into your namespace before use.

use Hash::AutoHash::Record
   qw(autohash_alias autohash_tied autohash_get autohash_set
      autohash_clear autohash_delete autohash_each autohash_exists 
      autohash_keys autohash_values 
      autohash_count autohash_empty autohash_notempty)

autohash_alias

Aliasing a Hash::AutoHash object to a regular hash avoids the need to dereference the variable when using hash notation. As a convenience, the autoahash_alias functions can link in either direction depending on whether the given object exists.

Title   : autohash_alias
Usage   : autohash_alias($record,%hash)
Function: Link $record to %hash such that they will have exactly the same value.
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object and hash 
Returns : Hash::AutoHash::Record object

autohash_tied

You can access the object implementing the tied hash using Perl's built-in tied function or the autohash_tied function inherited from Hash::AutoHash. Advantages of autohash_tied are (1) it operates directly on the Hash::AutoHash::Record object without requiring a leading '%', and (2) it provide an arguably simpler syntax for invoking methods on the tied object.

Title   : autohash_tied 
Usage   : $tied=autohash_tied($record)
          -- OR --
          $tied=autohash_tied(%hash)
          -- OR --
          $result=autohash_tied($record,'some_method',@parameters)
          -- OR --
          $result=autohash_tied(%hash,'some_method',@parameters)
Function: The first two forms return the object implementing the tied hash. The
          latter two forms invoke a method on the tied object. 
          In forms 1 and 3, the first argument is the 
          Hash::AutoHash::Record object.
          In forms 2 and 4, the first argument is a hash to which a 
          Hash::AutoHash::Record object has been aliased
Returns : In forms 1&2, object implementing tied hash or undef.
          In forms 3&4, result of invoking method (which can be anything or
          nothing), or undef.
Args    : Form 1. Hash::AutoHash::Record object
          Form 2. hash to which Hash::AutoHash::Record object is aliased
          Form 3. Hash::AutoHash::Record object, method name, optional 
            list of parameters for method
          Form 4. hash to which Hash::AutoHash::Record object is aliased, 
            method name, optional list of parameters for method

autohash_get

Title   : autohash_get
Usage   : ($name,$hobbies)=autohash_get($record,qw(name hobbies))
Function: Get values for multiple keys.
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object and list of keys
Returns : list of argument values

autohash_set

Title   : autohash_set
Usage   : autohash_set($record,name=>'Joe Plumber',first_name=>'Joe')
          -- OR --
          autohash_set($record,['name','first_name'],['Joe Plumber','Joe'])
Function: Set multiple arguments in existing object.
Args    : Form 1. Hash::AutoHash::Record object and list of key=>value pairs
          Form 2. Hash::AutoHash::Record object, ARRAY of keys, ARRAY of values
Returns : Hash::AutoHash::Record object

Functions for hash-like operations

The remaining functions provide hash-like operations on Hash::AutoHash::Record objects. These are useful if you want to avoid hash notation all together.

autohash_clear

Title   : autohash_clear
Usage   : autohash_clear($record,@keys)
Function: Delete entire contents of $record or specified keys. Restore default
          values for those deleted keys that have default values and set the
          others to undef
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object, optional list of keys
Returns : nothing

autohash_delete

Title   : autohash_delete
Usage   : autohash_delete($record,@keys)
Function: Delete keys and their values from $record.
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object, list of keys
Returns : nothing

autohash_exists

Title   : autohash_exists
Usage   : if (autohash_exists($record,$key)) { ... }
Function: Test whether key is present in $record.
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object, key
Returns : boolean

autohash_each

Title   : autohash_each
Usage   : while (my($key,$value)=autohash_each($record)) { ... }
          -- OR --
          while (my $key=autohash_each($record)) { ... }
Function: Iterate over all key=>value pairs or all keys present in $record
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object
Returns : list context: next key=>value pair in $record or empty list at end
          scalar context: next key in $record or undef at end

autohash_keys

Title   : autohash_keys
Usage   : @keys=autohash_keys($record)
Function: Get all keys that are present in $record
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object
Returns : list of keys

autohash_values

Title   : autohash_values
Usage   : @values=autohash_values($record)
Function: Get the values of all keys that are present in $record
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object
Returns : list of values

autohash_count

Title   : autohash_count
Usage   : $count=autohash_count($record)
Function: Get the number keys that are present in $record
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object
Returns : number

autohash_empty

Title   : autohash_empty
Usage   : if (autohash_empty($record)) { ... }
Function: Test whether $record is empty
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object
Returns : boolean

autohash_notempty

Title   : autohash_notempty
Usage   : if (autohash_notempty($record)) { ... }
Function: Test whether $record is not empty. Complement of autohash_empty
Args    : Hash::AutoHash::Record object
Returns : boolean

AUTHOR

Nat Goodman, <natg at shore.net>

BUGS

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-hash-autohash-record at rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Hash-AutoHash-Record. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.

SUPPORT

You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.

perldoc Hash::AutoHash::Record

You can also look for information at:

RT: CPAN's request tracker

http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=Hash-AutoHash-Record
AnnoCPAN: Annotated CPAN documentation

http://annocpan.org/dist/Hash-AutoHash-Record
CPAN Ratings

http://cpanratings.perl.org/d/Hash-AutoHash-Record
Search CPAN

http://search.cpan.org/dist/Hash-AutoHash-Record/

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either: the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; or the Artistic License.

See http://dev.perl.org/licenses/ for more information.

To install Hash::AutoHash::Record, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.

cpanm

cpanm Hash::AutoHash::Record

CPAN shell

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Hash::AutoHash::Record

For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.

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NAME

VERSION

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

Example of typical usage

Capabilities inherited from Hash::AutoHash

Field-types

Special handling of initial values

Field-update semantics

Default values

Duplicate elimination and filtering (multi-valued fields only!!)

new

defaults

force

unique

filter

Functions inherited from Hash::AutoHash

autohash_alias

autohash_tied

autohash_get

autohash_set

Functions for hash-like operations

autohash_clear

autohash_delete

autohash_exists

autohash_each

autohash_keys

autohash_values

autohash_count

autohash_empty

autohash_notempty

SEE ALSO

AUTHOR

BUGS

SUPPORT

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE

Module Install Instructions