Perl 5 version 14.3 documentation
our
- our TYPE EXPR
- our EXPR : ATTRS
- our TYPE EXPR : ATTRS
our
associates a simple name with a package variable in the current package for use within the current scope. Whenuse strict 'vars'
is in effect,our
lets you use declared global variables without qualifying them with package names, within the lexical scope of theour
declaration. In this wayour
differs fromuse vars
, which is package-scoped.Unlike
my
orstate
, which allocates storage for a variable and associates a simple name with that storage for use within the current scope,our
associates a simple name with a package (read: global) variable in the current package, for use within the current lexical scope. In other words,our
has the same scoping rules asmy
orstate
, but does not necessarily create a variable.If more than one value is listed, the list must be placed in parentheses.
An
our
declaration declares a global variable that will be visible across its entire lexical scope, even across package boundaries. The package in which the variable is entered is determined at the point of the declaration, not at the point of use. This means the following behavior holds:Multiple
our
declarations with the same name in the same lexical scope are allowed if they are in different packages. If they happen to be in the same package, Perl will emit warnings if you have asked for them, just like multiplemy
declarations. Unlike a secondmy
declaration, which will bind the name to a fresh variable, a secondour
declaration in the same package, in the same scope, is merely redundant.An
our
declaration may also have a list of attributes associated with it.The exact semantics and interface of TYPE and ATTRS are still evolving. TYPE is currently bound to the use of
fields
pragma, and attributes are handled using theattributes
pragma, or starting from Perl 5.8.0 also via theAttribute::Handlers
module. See Private Variables via my() in perlsub for details, and fields, attributes, and Attribute::Handlers.