Perl — page 4 of 5

498 terms

Perl terms

operator overloading A kind of "overloading" that you can do on built-in operators to make them work on objects as if the objects were ordinary scalar values, but with the…
options Contracts which give the holder the right to buy (call options) or sell (put option) a fixed amount of a certain stock at a specified price within a…
overloading Using one identifier to refer to multiple items in the same scope. In the Java programming language, you can overload methods but not variables or…
overriding Providing a different implementation of a method in a subclass of the class that originally defined the method.
Owner The only security principal who has an inherent right to allow or deny permission to access an object.
package A group of files that modify Windows features. Package types include service packs, security updates, language packs, and hotfixes.
PAD Short for "scratchpad".
parameter A value or measurement that varies with circumstances, and is used as a reference to quantify a situation or a process.
parent class See "base class".
parse tree See "syntax tree".
parsing Usually applied to the action of a compiler in analyzing a program source file for syntax errors.
patch A downloadable update that fixes bugs, improves stability and introduces new features to a program.
path The hierarchical description of where a directory, folder, or file is located on a computer or network.
pathname The path to a file or directory located on a disk. Pathnames are always specific to the computer operating system.
pattern Can describe where active fish are holding, or what techniques are working to catch fish, especially larger fish.
Pattern Matching A generic term that describes any process that compares one files content with another files content.
permission bits Bits that the "owner" of a file sets or unsets to allow or disallow access to other people.
Pern What you get when you do Perl++ twice. Doing it only once will curl your hair. You have to increment it eight times to shampoo your hair.
pipe A circular conduit constructed of any one of a number of materials that conveys water by gravity or under pressure.
pipeline A series of processes all in a row, linked by pipes, where each passes its output stream to the next.
platform A generic radar term, often used to encompass the pedestal and antenna assembly; sometimes including the radar control, display and analysis hardware and…
POD (1) Plan of the Day. (2) Probability of Detection. (3) Port of Debarkation.
Pointer A pointer is an index entry in the directory of a disc (or other storage medium) that identifies the space on the disc in which an electronic document or…
polymorphism (PAH-lee-MOR-fih-zum) A common variation or mutation in DNA.
Port An implanted device through which blood may be withdrawn and drugs may be infused without repeated needle sticks. Also called port-a-cath.
portable Portability is the quality of a program that makes it possible to run it on different types of computers.
porter Someone who "carries" software from one "platform" to another. Porting programs written in platform-dependent languages such as C can be difficult work…
POSIX Portable Operating System Interface.
postfix An "operator" that follows its "operand", as in $x++.
PP (1) Parallel Processing. (2) Principal Polarization. (3) Post Processing. (4) Program Plan.
pragma A standard module whose practical hints and suggestions are received (and possibly ignored) at compile time. Pragmas are named in all lowercase.
precedence 1. A designator, which indicates the order in which a number of messages shall be served.
prefix An "operator" that precedes its "operand", as in ++$x.
preprocessing What some helper "process" did to transform the incoming data into a form more suitable for the current process. Often done with an incoming "pipe".
procedure The rules for the conduct of a lawsuit; there are rules of civil, criminal, evidence, bankruptcy, and appellate procedure.
process A method of making something, a process of operating something or a process of using something. Under U.S. law, one of the statutory classes of inventions.
program generator A system that algorithmically writes code for you in a high-level language. See also "code generator".
progressive matching Pattern matching that picks up where it left off before.
property For this survey, property means real estate; that is, land and anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings and those things attached to…
protocol An action plan for a clinical trial. The plan states what the study will do, how, and why.
prototype An optional part of a "subroutine" declaration telling the Perl compiler how many and what flavor of arguments may be passed as "actual arguments", so…
pseudofunction A construct that sometimes looks like a function but really isn't. Usually reserved for "lvalue" modifiers like my, for "context" modifiers like scalar…
pseudohash A reference to an array whose initial element happens to hold a reference to a hash.
pseudoliteral An "operator" that looks something like a "literal", such as the output-grabbing operator, `command`.
public domain Something not owned by anybody. Perl is copyrighted and is thus not in the public domain--it's just "freely available" and "freely redistributable".
pumpkin A notional "baton" handed around the Perl community indicating who is the lead integrator in some arena of development.
pumpking A "pumpkin" holder, the person in charge of pumping the pump, or at least priming it. Must be willing to play the part of the Great Pumpkin now and then.
PV A "pointer value", which is Perl Internals Talk for a char*.
qualified Possessing a complete name. The symbol $Ent::moot is qualified; $moot is unqualified. A fully qualified filename is specified from the top-level directory.
quantifier A component of a "regular expression" specifying how many times the foregoing "atom" may occur.
readable With respect to files, one that has the proper permission bit set to let you access the file.
reaping The last rites performed by a parent "process" on behalf of a deceased child process so that it doesn't remain a "zombie".
record All the documents and evidence plus transcripts of oral proceedings in a case.
recursion Recursion results from a method being invoked when an existing call to the same method has not yet returned.
reference A document that discloses subject matter that is material to a determination of the patentability of a claimed invention. MPEP 2126, MPEP 2126.
referent Whatever a reference refers to, which may or may not have a name. Common types of referents include scalars, arrays, hashes, and subroutines.
regex See "regular expression".
regular expression A single entity with various interpretations, like an elephant. To a computer scientist, it's a grammar for a little language in which some strings are…
regular expression modifier An option on a pattern or substitution, such as /i to render the pattern case insensitive. See also "cloister".
regular file A "file" that's not a "directory", a "device", a named "pipe" or "socket", or a "symbolic link".
relational operator An "operator" that says whether a particular ordering relationship is "true" about a pair of operands.
reserved words A word with a specific, built-in meaning to a "compiler", such as if or delete.
return value The value of the expression used in a return statement.
RFC River Forecast Center. Centers that serve groups of Weather Service Forecast offices and Weather Forecast offices, in providing hydrologic guidance and is…
right shift A "bit shift" that divides a number by some power of 2.
root To trap a target in place/stuck using a "root" type spell such as Entangling Roots.
RTFM What you are told when someone thinks you should Read The Fine Manual.
run phase Any time after Perl starts running your main program. See also "compile phase".
run time The time when Perl is actually doing what your code says to do, as opposed to the earlier period of time when it was trying to figure out whether what you…
run-time pattern A pattern that contains one or more variables to be interpolated before parsing the pattern as a "regular expression", and that therefore cannot be…
RV See Reentry Vehicle.
rvalue A "value" that you might find on the right side of an "assignment". See also "lvalue".
Scalar A constant number. 1, -16, .3534, 7346 are all scalars.
scalar context The situation in which an "expression" is expected by its surroundings (the code calling it) to return a single "value" rather than a "list" of values.
scalar literal A number or quoted "string"--an actual "value" in the text of your program, as opposed to a "variable".
scalar value A value that happens to be a "scalar" as opposed to a "list".
scalar variable A "variable" prefixed with 0/code> that holds a single value.
scope what is included - as in the scope of a claim
scratchpad The area in which a particular invocation of a particular file or subroutine keeps some of its temporary values, including any lexically scoped variables.
script A text "file" that is a program intended to be executed directly rather than compiled to another form of file before execution.
Script kiddie A "cracker" who is not a "hacker", but knows just enough to run canned scripts. A cargo-cult programmer.
SED Software Engineering Division. 261
semaphore A fancy kind of interlock that prevents multiple threads or processes from using up the same resources simultaneously.
separator A "character" or "string" that keeps two surrounding strings from being confused with each other. The split function works on separators.
serialization The encoding of objects, and the objects reachable from them, into a stream of bytes and the complementary reconstruction of the object graph from the…
Server Any computer on a network that contains data or applications shared by users of the network on their client PCs.
Service See Services
setgid Same as "setuid", only having to do with giving away "group" privileges.
setuid A process which can set its effective user to super-user (root). That is, although any user can run the process, the process can then execute operations…
shared memory A piece of "memory" accessible by two different processes who otherwise would not see each other's memory.
shebang Irish for the whole McGillicuddy. In Perl culture, a portmanteau of "sharp" and "bang", meaning the #!
shell See shoulder.
side effects Something extra that happens when you evaluate an "expression". Nowadays it can refer to almost anything.
signal A bolt out of the blue; that is, an event triggered by the "operating system", probably when you're least expecting it.
signal handler A "subroutine" that, instead of being content to be called in the normal fashion, sits around waiting for a bolt out of the blue before it will deign to…
single inheritance In Java, a class may not extend more than one class. This means that Java has a single inheritance model for class inheritance.
slice A selection of any number of elements from a "list", "array", or "hash".
slurp To read an entire "file" into a "string" in one operation.
socket An endpoint for network communication among multiple processes that works much like a telephone or a post office box.
soft reference See "symbolic reference".

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Perl Glossary 498 definitions