NAME

Perl::Critic::Policy::CodeLayout::RequireTrailingCommaAtNewline - comma at end of list at newline

DESCRIPTION

This policy is part of the "Perl::Critic::Pulp" add-on. It asks you to put a comma at the end of a list etc when it ends with a newline,

    @array = ($one,
              $two     # bad
             );

    @array = ($one,
              $two,    # ok
             );

This makes no difference to how the code runs, so the policy is low severity and under the "cosmetic" theme (see "POLICY THEMES" in Perl::Critic).

The idea is to make it easier when editing the code since you don't have to remember to add a comma to a preceding item when extending or re-arranging lines.

If the closing bracket is on the same line as the last element then no comma is required. It can be be present if desired, but is not required.

    $hashref = { abc => 123,
                 def => 456 };   # ok

Parens around an expression are not a list, so nothing is demanded in for instance

    $foo = (
            1
            + 2        # ok, an expression not a list
           );

But a single element paren expression is a list when it's in an array assignment or a function or method call.

    @foo = (
            1
            + 2        # bad, list of one value
           );
            

    @foo = (
            1
            + 2,       # ok
           );

Return Statement

A "return" statement with a single value is considered an expression so a trailing comma is not required.

    return ($x
            + $y    # ok
            );

Whether such code is a single-value expression or a list of only one value depends on how the function is specified. There's nothing in the text (nor even at runtime) which would say for sure.

It's handy to included parens around a single-value expression to make it clear some big arithmetic is all part of the return, especially if you can't remember precedence levels. In such an expression a newline before the final ")" can help keep a comment together with a term for a cut and paste, or not lose a paren if commenting the last line, etc. So for now the policy is lenient. Would an option be good though?

Here Documents

An exception is made for a single expression ending with a here-document. This is slightly experimental, and might become an option, but the idea is that a newline is necessary for a here-document within parens and so shouldn't demand a comma.

    foo(<<HERE      # ok
    some text
    HERE
       );

This style is a little unusual but some people like the whole here-document at the place its string result will expand. If the code is all on one line (see "<<EOF" in perlop) then trailing comma considerations don't apply. But both forms work and so are a matter of personal preference.

    foo(<<HERE);
    some text
    HERE

Multiple values still require a final comma. Multiple values suggests a list and full commas guards against forgetting to add a comma if extending or rearranging.

    foo(<<HERE,
    one
    HERE
        <<HERE      # bad
    two
    HERE
       );

Disabling

If you don't care about trailing commas like this you can as always disable from .perlcriticrc in the usual way (see "CONFIGURATION" in Perl::Critic),

    [-CodeLayout::RequireTrailingCommaAtNewline]

CONFIGURATION

"except_function_calls" (boolean, default false)

If true then function calls and method calls are not checked, allowing for instance

    foo (
      1,
      2     # ok under except_function_calls
    );

The idea is that if "foo()" takes only two arguments then you don't want to write a trailing comma as it might suggest something more could be added.

Whether you write calls spread out this way is a matter of personal preference. If you do then enable "except_function_calls" with the following in your .perlcriticrc file,

    [CodeLayout::RequireTrailingCommaAtNewline]
    except_function_calls=1

HOME PAGE

<http://user42.tuxfamily.org/perl-critic-pulp/index.html>

COPYRIGHT

Perl-Critic-Pulp is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3, or (at your option) any later version.

Perl-Critic-Pulp is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with Perl-Critic-Pulp. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses>.