Dumper(3) User Contributed Perl Documentation Dumper(3)
NAME
Data::Dumper - stringified perl data structures, suitable for both
printing and "eval"
SYNOPSIS
use Data::Dumper;
# simple procedural interface
print Dumper($foo, $bar);
# extended usage with names
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$foo, $bar], [qw(foo *ary)]);
# configuration variables
{
local $Data::Dumper::Purity = 1;
eval Data::Dumper->Dump([$foo, $bar], [qw(foo *ary)]);
}
# OO usage
$d = Data::Dumper->new([$foo, $bar], [qw(foo *ary)]);
...
print $d->Dump;
...
$d->Purity(1)->Terse(1)->Deepcopy(1);
eval $d->Dump;
DESCRIPTION
Given a list of scalars or reference variables, writes out their
contents in perl syntax. The references can also be objects. The
content of each variable is output in a single Perl statement. Handles
self-referential structures correctly.
The return value can be "eval"ed to get back an identical copy of the
original reference structure. (Please do consider the security
implications of eval'ing code from untrusted sources!)
Any references that are the same as one of those passed in will be
named $VARn (where n is a numeric suffix), and other duplicate
references to substructures within $VARn will be appropriately labeled
using arrow notation. You can specify names for individual values to
be dumped if you use the "Dump()" method, or you can change the default
$VAR prefix to something else. See $Data::Dumper::Varname and
$Data::Dumper::Terse below.
The default output of self-referential structures can be "eval"ed, but
the nested references to $VARn will be undefined, since a recursive
structure cannot be constructed using one Perl statement. You should
set the "Purity" flag to 1 to get additional statements that will
correctly fill in these references. Moreover, if "eval"ed when
strictures are in effect, you need to ensure that any variables it
accesses are previously declared.
In the extended usage form, the references to be dumped can be given
user-specified names. If a name begins with a "*", the output will
describe the dereferenced type of the supplied reference for hashes and
arrays, and coderefs. Output of names will be avoided where possible
if the "Terse" flag is set.
In many cases, methods that are used to set the internal state of the
object will return the object itself, so method calls can be
conveniently chained together.
Several styles of output are possible, all controlled by setting the
"Indent" flag. See "Configuration Variables or Methods" below for
details.
Methods
PACKAGE->new(ARRAYREF [, ARRAYREF])
Returns a newly created "Data::Dumper" object. The first argument
is an anonymous array of values to be dumped. The optional second
argument is an anonymous array of names for the values. The names
need not have a leading "$" sign, and must be comprised of
alphanumeric characters. You can begin a name with a "*" to
specify that the dereferenced type must be dumped instead of the
reference itself, for ARRAY and HASH references.
The prefix specified by $Data::Dumper::Varname will be used with a
numeric suffix if the name for a value is undefined.
Data::Dumper will catalog all references encountered while dumping
the values. Cross-references (in the form of names of substructures
in perl syntax) will be inserted at all possible points, preserving
any structural interdependencies in the original set of values.
Structure traversal is depth-first, and proceeds in order from the
first supplied value to the last.
$OBJ->Dump or PACKAGE->Dump(ARRAYREF [, ARRAYREF])
Returns the stringified form of the values stored in the object
(preserving the order in which they were supplied to "new"),
subject to the configuration options below. In a list context, it
returns a list of strings corresponding to the supplied values.
The second form, for convenience, simply calls the "new" method on
its arguments before dumping the object immediately.
$OBJ->Seen([HASHREF])
Queries or adds to the internal table of already encountered
references. You must use "Reset" to explicitly clear the table if
needed. Such references are not dumped; instead, their names are
inserted wherever they are encountered subsequently. This is
useful especially for properly dumping subroutine references.
Expects an anonymous hash of name => value pairs. Same rules apply
for names as in "new". If no argument is supplied, will return the
"seen" list of name => value pairs, in a list context. Otherwise,
returns the object itself.
$OBJ->Values([ARRAYREF])
Queries or replaces the internal array of values that will be
dumped. When called without arguments, returns the values as a
list. When called with a reference to an array of replacement
values, returns the object itself. When called with any other type
of argument, dies.
$OBJ->Names([ARRAYREF])
Queries or replaces the internal array of user supplied names for
the values that will be dumped. When called without arguments,
returns the names. When called with an array of replacement names,
returns the object itself. If the number of replacment names
exceeds the number of values to be named, the excess names will not
be used. If the number of replacement names falls short of the
number of values to be named, the list of replacment names will be
exhausted and remaining values will not be renamed. When called
with any other type of argument, dies.
$OBJ->Reset
Clears the internal table of "seen" references and returns the
object itself.
Functions
Dumper(LIST)
Returns the stringified form of the values in the list, subject to
the configuration options below. The values will be named $VARn in
the output, where n is a numeric suffix. Will return a list of
strings in a list context.
Configuration Variables or Methods
Several configuration variables can be used to control the kind of
output generated when using the procedural interface. These variables
are usually "local"ized in a block so that other parts of the code are
not affected by the change.
These variables determine the default state of the object created by
calling the "new" method, but cannot be used to alter the state of the
object thereafter. The equivalent method names should be used instead
to query or set the internal state of the object.
The method forms return the object itself when called with arguments,
so that they can be chained together nicely.
o $Data::Dumper::Indent or $OBJ->Indent([NEWVAL])
Controls the style of indentation. It can be set to 0, 1, 2 or 3.
Style 0 spews output without any newlines, indentation, or spaces
between list items. It is the most compact format possible that
can still be called valid perl. Style 1 outputs a readable form
with newlines but no fancy indentation (each level in the structure
is simply indented by a fixed amount of whitespace). Style 2 (the
default) outputs a very readable form which takes into account the
length of hash keys (so the hash value lines up). Style 3 is like
style 2, but also annotates the elements of arrays with their index
(but the comment is on its own line, so array output consumes twice
the number of lines). Style 2 is the default.
o $Data::Dumper::Purity or $OBJ->Purity([NEWVAL])
Controls the degree to which the output can be "eval"ed to recreate
the supplied reference structures. Setting it to 1 will output
additional perl statements that will correctly recreate nested
references. The default is 0.
o $Data::Dumper::Pad or $OBJ->Pad([NEWVAL])
Specifies the string that will be prefixed to every line of the
output. Empty string by default.
o $Data::Dumper::Varname or $OBJ->Varname([NEWVAL])
Contains the prefix to use for tagging variable names in the
output. The default is "VAR".
o $Data::Dumper::Useqq or $OBJ->Useqq([NEWVAL])
When set, enables the use of double quotes for representing string
values. Whitespace other than space will be represented as
"[\n\t\r]", "unsafe" characters will be backslashed, and
unprintable characters will be output as quoted octal integers.
Since setting this variable imposes a performance penalty, the
default is 0. "Dump()" will run slower if this flag is set, since
the fast XSUB implementation doesn't support it yet.
o $Data::Dumper::Terse or $OBJ->Terse([NEWVAL])
When set, Data::Dumper will emit single, non-self-referential
values as atoms/terms rather than statements. This means that the
$VARn names will be avoided where possible, but be advised that
such output may not always be parseable by "eval".
o $Data::Dumper::Freezer or $OBJ->Freezer([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a method name, or to an empty string to disable the
feature. Data::Dumper will invoke that method via the object
before attempting to stringify it. This method can alter the
contents of the object (if, for instance, it contains data
allocated from C), and even rebless it in a different package. The
client is responsible for making sure the specified method can be
called via the object, and that the object ends up containing only
perl data types after the method has been called. Defaults to an
empty string.
If an object does not support the method specified (determined
using UNIVERSAL::can()) then the call will be skipped. If the
method dies a warning will be generated.
o $Data::Dumper::Toaster or $OBJ->Toaster([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a method name, or to an empty string to disable the
feature. Data::Dumper will emit a method call for any objects that
are to be dumped using the syntax "bless(DATA, CLASS)->METHOD()".
Note that this means that the method specified will have to perform
any modifications required on the object (like creating new state
within it, and/or reblessing it in a different package) and then
return it. The client is responsible for making sure the method
can be called via the object, and that it returns a valid object.
Defaults to an empty string.
o $Data::Dumper::Deepcopy or $OBJ->Deepcopy([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a boolean value to enable deep copies of structures.
Cross-referencing will then only be done when absolutely essential
(i.e., to break reference cycles). Default is 0.
o $Data::Dumper::Quotekeys or $OBJ->Quotekeys([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a boolean value to control whether hash keys are
quoted. A defined false value will avoid quoting hash keys when it
looks like a simple string. Default is 1, which will always
enclose hash keys in quotes.
o $Data::Dumper::Bless or $OBJ->Bless([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a string that specifies an alternative to the "bless"
builtin operator used to create objects. A function with the
specified name should exist, and should accept the same arguments
as the builtin. Default is "bless".
o $Data::Dumper::Pair or $OBJ->Pair([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a string that specifies the separator between hash
keys and values. To dump nested hash, array and scalar values to
JavaScript, use: "$Data::Dumper::Pair = ' : ';". Implementing
"bless" in JavaScript is left as an exercise for the reader. A
function with the specified name exists, and accepts the same
arguments as the builtin.
Default is: " => ".
o $Data::Dumper::Maxdepth or $OBJ->Maxdepth([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a positive integer that specifies the depth beyond
which we don't venture into a structure. Has no effect when
"Data::Dumper::Purity" is set. (Useful in debugger when we often
don't want to see more than enough). Default is 0, which means
there is no maximum depth.
o $Data::Dumper::Useperl or $OBJ->Useperl([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a boolean value which controls whether the pure Perl
implementation of "Data::Dumper" is used. The "Data::Dumper" module
is a dual implementation, with almost all functionality written in
both pure Perl and also in XS ('C'). Since the XS version is much
faster, it will always be used if possible. This option lets you
override the default behavior, usually for testing purposes only.
Default is 0, which means the XS implementation will be used if
possible.
o $Data::Dumper::Sortkeys or $OBJ->Sortkeys([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a boolean value to control whether hash keys are
dumped in sorted order. A true value will cause the keys of all
hashes to be dumped in Perl's default sort order. Can also be set
to a subroutine reference which will be called for each hash that
is dumped. In this case "Data::Dumper" will call the subroutine
once for each hash, passing it the reference of the hash. The
purpose of the subroutine is to return a reference to an array of
the keys that will be dumped, in the order that they should be
dumped. Using this feature, you can control both the order of the
keys, and which keys are actually used. In other words, this
subroutine acts as a filter by which you can exclude certain keys
from being dumped. Default is 0, which means that hash keys are not
sorted.
o $Data::Dumper::Deparse or $OBJ->Deparse([NEWVAL])
Can be set to a boolean value to control whether code references
are turned into perl source code. If set to a true value,
"B::Deparse" will be used to get the source of the code reference.
Using this option will force using the Perl implementation of the
dumper, since the fast XSUB implementation doesn't support it.
Caution : use this option only if you know that your coderefs will
be properly reconstructed by "B::Deparse".
o $Data::Dumper::Sparseseen or $OBJ->Sparseseen([NEWVAL])
By default, Data::Dumper builds up the "seen" hash of scalars that
it has encountered during serialization. This is very expensive.
This seen hash is necessary to support and even just detect
circular references. It is exposed to the user via the "Seen()"
call both for writing and reading.
If you, as a user, do not need explicit access to the "seen" hash,
then you can set the "Sparseseen" option to allow Data::Dumper to
eschew building the "seen" hash for scalars that are known not to
possess more than one reference. This speeds up serialization
considerably if you use the XS implementation.
Note: If you turn on "Sparseseen", then you must not rely on the
content of the seen hash since its contents will be an
implementation detail!
Exports
Dumper
EXAMPLES
Run these code snippets to get a quick feel for the behavior of this
module. When you are through with these examples, you may want to add
or change the various configuration variables described above, to see
their behavior. (See the testsuite in the Data::Dumper distribution
for more examples.)
use Data::Dumper;
package Foo;
sub new {bless {'a' => 1, 'b' => sub { return "foo" }}, $_[0]};
package Fuz; # a weird REF-REF-SCALAR object
sub new {bless \($_ = \ 'fu\'z'), $_[0]};
package main;
$foo = Foo->new;
$fuz = Fuz->new;
$boo = [ 1, [], "abcd", \*foo,
{1 => 'a', 023 => 'b', 0x45 => 'c'},
\\"p\q\'r", $foo, $fuz];
########
# simple usage
########
$bar = eval(Dumper($boo));
print($@) if $@;
print Dumper($boo), Dumper($bar); # pretty print (no array indices)
$Data::Dumper::Terse = 1; # don't output names where feasible
$Data::Dumper::Indent = 0; # turn off all pretty print
print Dumper($boo), "\n";
$Data::Dumper::Indent = 1; # mild pretty print
print Dumper($boo);
$Data::Dumper::Indent = 3; # pretty print with array indices
print Dumper($boo);
$Data::Dumper::Useqq = 1; # print strings in double quotes
print Dumper($boo);
$Data::Dumper::Pair = " : "; # specify hash key/value separator
print Dumper($boo);
########
# recursive structures
########
@c = ('c');
$c = \@c;
$b = {};
$a = [1, $b, $c];
$b->{a} = $a;
$b->{b} = $a->[1];
$b->{c} = $a->[2];
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$a,$b,$c], [qw(a b c)]);
$Data::Dumper::Purity = 1; # fill in the holes for eval
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$a, $b], [qw(*a b)]); # print as @a
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$b, $a], [qw(*b a)]); # print as %b
$Data::Dumper::Deepcopy = 1; # avoid cross-refs
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$b, $a], [qw(*b a)]);
$Data::Dumper::Purity = 0; # avoid cross-refs
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$b, $a], [qw(*b a)]);
########
# deep structures
########
$a = "pearl";
$b = [ $a ];
$c = { 'b' => $b };
$d = [ $c ];
$e = { 'd' => $d };
$f = { 'e' => $e };
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$f], [qw(f)]);
$Data::Dumper::Maxdepth = 3; # no deeper than 3 refs down
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$f], [qw(f)]);
########
# object-oriented usage
########
$d = Data::Dumper->new([$a,$b], [qw(a b)]);
$d->Seen({'*c' => $c}); # stash a ref without printing it
$d->Indent(3);
print $d->Dump;
$d->Reset->Purity(0); # empty the seen cache
print join "----\n", $d->Dump;
########
# persistence
########
package Foo;
sub new { bless { state => 'awake' }, shift }
sub Freeze {
my $s = shift;
print STDERR "preparing to sleep\n";
$s->{state} = 'asleep';
return bless $s, 'Foo::ZZZ';
}
package Foo::ZZZ;
sub Thaw {
my $s = shift;
print STDERR "waking up\n";
$s->{state} = 'awake';
return bless $s, 'Foo';
}
package main;
use Data::Dumper;
$a = Foo->new;
$b = Data::Dumper->new([$a], ['c']);
$b->Freezer('Freeze');
$b->Toaster('Thaw');
$c = $b->Dump;
print $c;
$d = eval $c;
print Data::Dumper->Dump([$d], ['d']);
########
# symbol substitution (useful for recreating CODE refs)
########
sub foo { print "foo speaking\n" }
*other = \&foo;
$bar = [ \&other ];
$d = Data::Dumper->new([\&other,$bar],['*other','bar']);
$d->Seen({ '*foo' => \&foo });
print $d->Dump;
########
# sorting and filtering hash keys
########
$Data::Dumper::Sortkeys = \&my_filter;
my $foo = { map { (ord, "$_$_$_") } 'I'..'Q' };
my $bar = { %$foo };
my $baz = { reverse %$foo };
print Dumper [ $foo, $bar, $baz ];
sub my_filter {
my ($hash) = @_;
# return an array ref containing the hash keys to dump
# in the order that you want them to be dumped
return [
# Sort the keys of %$foo in reverse numeric order
$hash eq $foo ? (sort {$b <=> $a} keys %$hash) :
# Only dump the odd number keys of %$bar
$hash eq $bar ? (grep {$_ % 2} keys %$hash) :
# Sort keys in default order for all other hashes
(sort keys %$hash)
];
}
BUGS
Due to limitations of Perl subroutine call semantics, you cannot pass
an array or hash. Prepend it with a "\" to pass its reference instead.
This will be remedied in time, now that Perl has subroutine prototypes.
For now, you need to use the extended usage form, and prepend the name
with a "*" to output it as a hash or array.
"Data::Dumper" cheats with CODE references. If a code reference is
encountered in the structure being processed (and if you haven't set
the "Deparse" flag), an anonymous subroutine that contains the string
'"DUMMY"' will be inserted in its place, and a warning will be printed
if "Purity" is set. You can "eval" the result, but bear in mind that
the anonymous sub that gets created is just a placeholder. Someday,
perl will have a switch to cache-on-demand the string representation of
a compiled piece of code, I hope. If you have prior knowledge of all
the code refs that your data structures are likely to have, you can use
the "Seen" method to pre-seed the internal reference table and make the
dumped output point to them, instead. See "EXAMPLES" above.
The "Useqq" and "Deparse" flags makes Dump() run slower, since the XSUB
implementation does not support them.
SCALAR objects have the weirdest looking "bless" workaround.
Pure Perl version of "Data::Dumper" escapes UTF-8 strings correctly
only in Perl 5.8.0 and later.
NOTE
Starting from Perl 5.8.1 different runs of Perl will have different
ordering of hash keys. The change was done for greater security, see
"Algorithmic Complexity Attacks" in perlsec. This means that different
runs of Perl will have different Data::Dumper outputs if the data
contains hashes. If you need to have identical Data::Dumper outputs
from different runs of Perl, use the environment variable
PERL_HASH_SEED, see "PERL_HASH_SEED" in perlrun. Using this restores
the old (platform-specific) ordering: an even prettier solution might
be to use the "Sortkeys" filter of Data::Dumper.
AUTHOR
Gurusamy Sarathy gsar AT activestate.com
Copyright (c) 1996-98 Gurusamy Sarathy. All rights reserved. This
program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the same terms as Perl itself.
VERSION
Version 2.145 (March 15 2013))
SEE ALSO
perl(1)
perl v5.16.3 2013-03-15 Dumper(3)
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