PP(3pm) 						User Contributed Perl Documentation						   PP(3pm)

NAME

       Clone::PP - Recursively copy Perl datatypes

SYNOPSIS

	 use Clone::PP qw(clone);

	 $item = { 'foo' => 'bar', 'move' => [ 'zig', 'zag' ]  };
	 $copy = clone( $item );

	 $item = [ 'alpha', 'beta', { 'gamma' => 'vlissides' } ];
	 $copy = clone( $item );

	 $item = Foo->new();
	 $copy = clone( $item );

       Or as an object method:

	 require Clone::PP;
	 push @Foo::ISA, 'Clone::PP';

	 $item = Foo->new();
	 $copy = $item->clone();

DESCRIPTION

       This module provides a general-purpose clone function to make deep copies of Perl data structures. It calls itself recursively to copy
       nested hash, array, scalar and reference types, including tied variables and objects.

       The clone() function takes a scalar argument to copy. To duplicate arrays or hashes, pass them in by reference:

	 my $copy = clone(@array);    my @copy = @{ clone(@array) };
	 my $copy = clone(\%hash);     my %copy = %{ clone(\%hash) };

       The clone() function also accepts an optional second parameter that can be used to limit the depth of the copy. If you pass a limit of 0,
       clone will return the same value you supplied; for a limit of 1, a shallow copy is constructed; for a limit of 2, two layers of copying are
       done, and so on.

	 my $shallow_copy = clone( $item, 1 );

       To allow objects to intervene in the way they are copied, the clone() function checks for a couple of optional methods. If an object pro-
       vides a method named "clone_self", it is called and the result returned without further processing. Alternately, if an object provides a
       method named "clone_init", it is called on the copied object before it is returned.

BUGS

       Some data types, such as globs, regexes, and code refs, are always copied shallowly.

       References to hash elements are not properly duplicated. (This is why two tests in t/dclone.t that are marked "todo".) For example, the
       following test should succeed but does not:

	 my $hash = { foo => 1 };
	 $hash->{bar} = { $hash->{foo} };
	 my $copy = clone( \%hash );
	 $hash->{foo} = 2;
	 $copy->{foo} = 2;
	 ok( $hash->{bar} == $copy->{bar} );

       To report bugs via the CPAN web tracking system, go to "http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=Clone-PP" or send mail to
       "Dist=Clone-PP#rt.cpan.org", replacing "#" with "@".

SEE ALSO

       For a faster implementation in XS, see "clone" in Clone, "clone" in Util, or <Storable/dclone>.

CREDITS AND COPYRIGHT

       Developed by Matthew Simon Cavalletto at Evolution Softworks.  More free Perl software is available at "www.evoscript.org".

       Copyright 2003 Matthew Simon Cavalletto. You may contact the author directly at "evo@cpan.org" or "simonm@cavalletto.org".

       Code initially derived from Ref.pm. Portions Copyright 1994 David Muir Sharnoff.

       Interface based by Clone by Ray Finch with contributions from chocolateboy.  Portions Copyright 2001 Ray Finch. Portions Copyright 2001
       chocolateboy.

       You may use, modify, and distribute this software under the same terms as Perl.

perl v5.8.8							    2008-03-27								   PP(3pm)