Re: new slurp module

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From:

Gisle Aas

Date:

October 23, 2003 04:57

Subject:

Re: new slurp module

Message ID:

lrismgjhhf.fsf@caliper.activestate.com

Ilya Martynov <ilya@iponweb.net> writes:

> I've seen file::slurp reinvented zillion times even if developers knew
> about it (along "it is so simple module and I don't want another
> external dependancy" line of reasoning).  There must be a core module
> for this!  Both thumbs up for including it in core. And, yeah, I'd
> keep old name.

I agree.  I think File::Slurp is a fine name for this but I don't like
the current API.  The function names to read/write whole files need to
be short and sweet, otherwise why bother.  I always reinvent the
reader as a function called cat() myself but I'm not sure I would
recommend that name.

Other issues with such an API:
   - binmode or not by default
   - how to specify IO layers to use
   - how to report errors
   - should it write directly or write to a temp and then rename

The reader is probably much more useful than the writer and it is
simpler to agree on how it should work.  I would consider only having
that.

The current append_file() and overwrite_file() functions seems useless
to me.  If you want this you are probably better off using open and
friends.

Regards,
Gisle

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