Perl Best Practices [Electronic resources]

Design the module's interface first.

[Chapter 17:

Interfaces ]

Write the test cases before the code.

[Chapter 18:

Test Cases ]

Create standard POD templates for modules and applications.

[Chapter 7:

Boilerplates ]

Use a revision control system.

[Chapter 19:

Revision Control ]

Create consistent command-line and configuration interfaces.

[Chapter 14:

Command-Line Structure , Chapter 19:

Configuration Files ]

Agree upon a coherent layout style and automate it with perltidy.

[Chapter 2:

Automated Layout ]

Code in commented paragraphs.

[Chapter 2:

Chunking ]

Throw exceptions instead of returning special values or setting flags.

[Chapter 13:

Exceptions ]

Add new test cases before you start debugging.

[Chapter 18:

Debugging and Testing ]

Don't optimize codebenchmark it.

[Chapter 19:

Benchmarking ]

Always use strict and use warnings.

[Chapter 18:

Strictures ,

Warnings ]

Use grammatical templates when forming identifiers.

[Chapter 3:

Identifiers, Booleans, Reference Variables, Arrays and Hashes ]

Use lexical variables, not package variables.

[Chapter 5:

Lexical Variables ]

Label every loop that is exited explicitly, and every next, last, or redo.

[Chapter 6:

Loop Labels ]

Don't use bareword filehandles; use indirect filehandles.

[Chapter 10:

Filehandles, Indirect Filehandles ]

In a subroutine, always unpack @_ first, using a hash of named arguments if there are more than three parameters.

[Chapter 9:

Argument Lists, Named Arguments ]

Always return via an explicit return.

[Chapter 9:

Implicit Returns ]

Always use the /x, /m, and /s flags, and the \A and \z anchors.

[Chapter 12:

Extended Formatting, Line Boundaries, Matching Anything, String Boundaries ]

Use capturing parentheses in regexes only when deliberately capturing, then give the captured substrings proper names.

[Chapter 12:

Capturing Parentheses, Capture Variables ]

Never make variables part of a module's interface.

[Chapter 17:

Interface Variables ]

Write tests using the Test::Simple or Test::More modules.

[Chapter 18:

Modular Testing ]

use English for the less familiar punctuation variables.

[Chapter 5:

Punctuation Variables ]

Use named constants created with the Readonly module.

[Chapter 4:

Constants ]

Use the "non-builtin builtins" from Scalar::Util, List::Util, and List::MoreUtils.

[Chapter 8:

Utilities ]

Use IO::Prompt when prompting for interactive input.

[Chapter 10:

Simple Prompting, Power Prompting ]

Use the Carp and Exception::Class modules to create OO exceptions that report from the caller's location.

[Chapter 13:

Reporting Failure, Exception Classes ]

Use the Fatal module to make builtins throw exceptions on failure.

[Chapter 13:

Builtin Failures, Contextual Failure ]

Create aliases using the Data::Alias or Lexical::Alias module.

[Chapter 6:

Necessary Subscripting ]

Use Regexp::Common instead of writing your own regexes.

[Chapter 12:

Canned Regexes ]

Use the Class::Std module to create properly encapsulated classes.

[Chapter 16:

Automating Class Hierarchies, Attribute Demolition, Attribute Building ]