Hash-CoerceToArray version 0.01

Hash-CoerceToArray version 0.01
===============================

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INSTALLATION

To install this module type the following:

perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

DEPENDENCIES

This module requires standard perl libraries

NAME
Hash::CoerceToArray - Find the depth of any multi-hierarchical HASH
REFERENCE structure - Go to any level of the HASH REFERENCE randomly and
convert the value against a key to an ARRAY REFERENCE if it is HASH
REFERENCE

SYNOPSIS
use Hash::CoerceToArray qw /coerceArray getMaxDepth/;

my $maxDepth = getMaxDepth (\%hash);

my $hashRef = coerceArray(\%hash);
my $hashRef = coerceArray(\%hash, $maxDepth);

map {$hashRef = coerceArray($hashRef,$_);} (1..$maxDepth)

ABSTRACT
This module allow the user the user to get maximum depth of a HASH REFERENCE
variable in a multilevel structure where values are HASH REFERENCES themselves.

Also, user is allowed to change the HASH REFERENCE value at any level randomly
to an ARRAY REFERENCE. By selecting the deepest level of the HASH REFERENCE
structure first and calling coerceArray() subroutine from thereon to depth level
of 1 sequentially, user can change the whole HASH REFERENCE structure
to an ARRAY REFERENCE hierarchy.

DESCRIPTION
Example HashRef.

my $hashRef = { 'L1_1' => {'L2_1' => {'L3_1' => 'V1',
'L3_2' => 'V2',
'L3_3' => 'V3'
},
'L2_2' => {'L3_1' => {'L4_1' => 'V1',
'L4_2' => 'V2',
},
},
},
};
print getMaxDepth($hashRef)
>>>> 4

$hashRef = coerceArray($hashRef);
print Dumper $hashRef;
>>>>>
{
'L1_1' => {
'L2_1' => {
'L3_2' => 'V2',
'L3_3' => 'V3',
'L3_1' => 'V1'
},
'L2_2' => {
'L3_1' => [
'L4_1',
'V1',
'L4_2',
'V2'
]
}
}
};

$hashRef = coerceArray($hashRef,2);
print Dumper $hashRef;
>>>>>
{
'L1_1' => [
'L2_1',
{
'L3_2' => 'V2',
'L3_3' => 'V3',
'L3_1' => 'V1'
},
'L2_2',
{
'L3_1' => [
'L4_1',
'V1',
'L4_2',
'V2'
]
}
]
};

CAVEATS
The coerceArray() routine as of now works only if the Hash References are found continuously,
if any other reference like Array References occur in between, it won't work as desired.

Eg. take the following Hash Reference which has Array Reference at Level 1

{
'L1_1' => [
'L2_1',
{
'L3_2' => 'V2',
'L3_3' => 'V3',
'L3_1' => 'V1'
},
'L2_2',
{
'L3_1' => [
'L4_1',
'V1',
'L4_2',
'V2'
]
}
]
};
Now here $hashRef = coerceArray($hashRef,2);
print Dumper $hashRef; - won't work as desired.
I will look to improve it in a future release.

SUPPORT
[email protected]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
COPYRIGHT & LICENSE
Copyright 2013 Debashish Parasar, all rights reserved.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the same terms as Perl itself.