Abstract

Most Perl programmers were originally trained as C and Unix programmers, so the Perl programs that they write bear a strong resemblance to C programs. However, Perl incorporates many features that have their roots in other languages such as Lisp. These advanced features are not well understood and are rarely used by most Perl programmers, but they are very powerful. They can automate tasks in everyday programming that are difficult to solve in any other way. One of the most powerful of these techniques is writing functions that manufacture or modify other functions. For example, instead of writing ten similar functions, a programmer can write a general pattern or framework that can then create the functions as needed according to the pattern. For several years Mark Jason Dominus has worked to apply functional programming techniques to Perl. Now Mark brings these flexible programming methods that he has successfully taught in numerous tutorials and training sessions to a wider audience.
* Introduces powerful programming methods—new to most Perl programmers—that were previously the domain of computer scientists
* Gradually builds up confidence by describing techniques of progressive sophistication
* Shows how to improve everyday programs and includes numerous engaging code examples to illustrate the methods
“It's well written…everyone who claims to be an expert ought to read it…these techniques allow programmers to accomplish far more than they're used to.” —Gregory V. Wilson, Dr. Dobb's Journal, November 2005 “It is, quite simply, one of the best books on programming I have read for a long time.”—Martin Schweitzer, Computing Reviews, Association for Computing Machinery, July 2005
“Mark Jason Dominus has hit his mark with Higher Order Perl. It is a very informative book that is a must read for Perl programmers who want to take their skills to the next level.” —Mark Rutz, Linux Journal, November 2005 “The chapter on parsing alone is worth the price of this book. I do not know a better text about parsing in Perl.” —Reinhard Voglmaier, Unix Review, November 2005
“Mark Jason Dominus explores recursion so thoroughly he literally turns it inside-out, showing in simple terms how to turn recursive functions into iterators.” —Peter Scott, President, PSDT, November 2005
“Higher-Order Perl is one of the Perl books that should have a place on the bookshelf of every Perl programmer. It offers an in-depth understanding of important programming techniques and fundamental concepts.” Reinhard Voglmaier, UnixReview.com, November 2005
“Higher-Order Perl is a terrific book targeted at the advanced Perl programmer with a significant computer science background. The tone, content, and code make Higher-Order Perl memorable; the knowledge, wisdom, and intuition it provides make it a book any Perl programmer should aim to understand and digest in full.”.” —Teodor Zlatanov, Programmer, Gold Software Systems