NAME

Regexp::Copy - copy Regexp objects

SYNOPSIS

  use Regexp::Copy qw( re_copy );

  my $re1 = qr/Hello!/;
  my $re2 = qr/Goodbye!/;

  re_copy($re1, $re2);

  print "ok\n" if 'Goodbye!' =~ $re1;

DESCRIPTION

"Regexp::Copy" allows you to copy the contents of one Regexp object to another. A problem that I have found with the qr// operator is that the Regexp objects that it creates are is impossible to dereference. This causes problems if you want to change the data in the regexp without losing the reference to it. Its impossible. Regexp::Copy allows you to change the Regexp by copying one object created through qr// to another.

This module came about through discussions on the London.pm mailing list in regards to attempts various people had made to serialize objects with qr// created Regexp objects in them. The Regex::Copy distribution also loads Regexp::Storable, which provides hooks to allow the Storable persistence method to freeze and thaw Regexp objects created by qr//.

FUNCTIONS

re_copy(FROM, TO): The "re_copy" function copies the regular expression magic contained within the variable FROM to the variable named in TO.

THANKS TO

Piers Cawley, who provided the magic Pixie::Info code, that forms the basis of Regexp::Copy.

AUTHOR

James A. Duncan <jduncan@fotango.com>

COPYRIGHT

This module is released under the same license as Perl itself.