package bytes; our $VERSION = '1.00'; $bytes::hint_bits = 0x00000008; sub import { $^H |= $bytes::hint_bits; } sub unimport { $^H &= ~$bytes::hint_bits; } sub AUTOLOAD { require "bytes_heavy.pl"; goto &$AUTOLOAD; } sub length ($); 1; __END__ =head1 NAME bytes - Perl pragma to force byte semantics rather than character semantics =head1 SYNOPSIS use bytes; no bytes; =head1 DESCRIPTION The C pragma disables character semantics for the rest of the lexical scope in which it appears. C can be used to reverse the effect of C within the current lexical scope. Perl normally assumes character semantics in the presence of character data (i.e. data that has come from a source that has been marked as being of a particular character encoding). When C is in effect, the encoding is temporarily ignored, and each string is treated as a series of bytes. As an example, when Perl sees C<$x = chr(400)>, it encodes the character in UTF-8 and stores it in $x. Then it is marked as character data, so, for instance, C returns C<1>. However, in the scope of the C pragma, $x is treated as a series of bytes - the bytes that make up the UTF8 encoding - and C returns C<2>: $x = chr(400); print "Length is ", length $x, "\n"; # "Length is 1" printf "Contents are %vd\n", $x; # "Contents are 400" { use bytes; print "Length is ", length $x, "\n"; # "Length is 2" printf "Contents are %vd\n", $x; # "Contents are 198.144" } For more on the implications and differences between character semantics and byte semantics, see L. =head1 SEE ALSO L, L =cut