README for Tie::DirHandle.pm
CONTENTS
--------
I. Brief Description
II. POD
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I. Brief Description
---------------------
Tie::DirHandle allows for <HANDLE> syntax to be used on a tied filehandle to
a directory handle. That's basically it. There's not much support for a tied
directory, since they can't be written to.
II. POD
-------
NAME
Tie::DirHandle - definitions for tied directory handles
SYNOPSIS
use Tie::DirHandle;
[$ref =] tie *FH, "Tie::DirHandle", *DH, "/usr/local/lib";
while (<FH>){
do_something_with_file($_);
}
(tied *FH)->rewind; # or $ref->rewind;
untie *FH;
DESCRIPTION
This module provides filehandle-like read access to directory
handles. There are not many available methods, because directory
handles are read-only. The only methods are `TIEHANDLE',
`READLINE', `DESTROY', and `rewind'.
To tie a filehandle to a directory handle, the syntax is as
follows: tie *FILEHANDLE, "Tie::DirHandle", *DIRHANDLE,
"/path/to/dir";
The module will open the directory (and croak with an error if
not able to do so). When untying the filehandle, the directory
is closed.
After a filehandle has been tied to a directory handle, you can
read from the directory using the <HANDLE> syntax. This syntax
calls `READLINE'.
To rewind the directory, there are two possible syntaxes: (tied
*FH)->rewind; or $ref->rewind;
The second works if you have stored the return value of the tie
in a variable $ref. The value of `tied *FH' and $ref are the
same.
The variable $ref (or `tied *FH') contains a hash reference,
with three keys. $ref->{HANDLE} returns the directory handle it
references. $ref->{PATH} and $ref->{DIR} are synonymous, and
return the path of the directory.
TIEHANDLE classname, DIRHANDLE, DIR
This ties the specified directory handle to the filehandle
given as the first argument to tie(). DIR is the pathname of
the directory.
READLINE this
This returns the next value (if called in a scalar context)
or the next values (if returned in a list context) of
readdir().
DESTROY this
This closes the directory.
See Also
Look into the perltie manpage, the documentation on the tie()
function.
Author
Jeff Pinyan (CPAN ID: PINYAN)
[email protected]
www.crusoe.net/~jeffp
