Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error

On Fri, Jan 24, 2014 at 5:31 PM, perlbug@plan9.de
<perlbug-followup@perl.org> wrote:
>
> The perlrun documentation for -M/-m says:
>
>    Note that the "=" form removes the distinction between -m and -M.
>
> I don't think this is correct. The distinction between -m and -M is that
> one doesn't call import and the other does. While = can make -m call
> import, there doesn't seem to be a way to get the effect of -mX with
> -MX=..., i.e. -M always results in import being called.
>
> This is consistent with the documentation for "=": the split... expansion
> is never an explicit empty list as required by use to get the effect of
> "-m".
>
> That also means that, if I was just too dense to figure it out and there
> IS a way to get no important from -M, then the description of the "="
> expansion is wrong.
>

No it is correct. Adding the = makes -m behave like -M.
That is it removes the distinction -m has, making it the same as -M.

    $ perl -mstrict  -E'$_="a";$$_ ++'
    $ perl -mstrict= -E'$_="a";$$_ ++'
    Can't use string ("a") as a SCALAR ref while "strict refs" in use
at -e line 1.

    $ perl -Mstrict  -E'$_="a";$$_ ++'
    Can't use string ("a") as a SCALAR ref while "strict refs" in use
at -e line 1.
    $ perl -Mstrict= -E'$_="a";$$_ ++'
    Can't use string ("a") as a SCALAR ref while "strict refs" in use
at -e line 1.

Perhaps it should be worded better, but what is there is technically correct.

• [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by James E Keenan via RT
• [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by perlbug @ plan9 . de
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Abigail
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Brad Gilbert
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by A. Pagaltzis
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Zefram
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Abigail
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Marc Lehmann
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by demerphq
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Aristotle Pagaltzis
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Marc Lehmann
• Re: [perl #121078] perlrun -M documentation minor error by Marc Lehmann