<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<rss version="2.0" xmlns:blogChannel="http://backend.userland.com/blogChannelModule">

<channel>
<title><![CDATA[Perl 6: WITCH colon]]></title>
<link>http://www.perlfoundation.org/perl6/index.cgi?witch_colon</link>
<description></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:11:55 -0000</pubDate>
<webMaster>synedra@gmail.com</webMaster>
<generator>Socialtext Workspace v2.14.7.2</generator>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[WITCH colon]]></title>
<link>http://www.perlfoundation.org/perl6/index.cgi?witch_colon</link>
<description><![CDATA[<div class="wiki">
<h1 id="mnemonics">Mnemonics</h1>
<p>
 &quot;pair&quot;, &quot;name&quot;, &quot;imposter&quot;, &quot;aspect&quot;, &quot;ditto&quot;, &quot;mirror&quot;<br />
 -- used to alias identifiers<br />
 -- used to create adverbs and pairs<br />
 -- used to control what is visible<br />
 -- <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S01.html#Random_Thoughts">everyone wants the colon<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "everyone wants the colon"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S01.html#Random_Thoughts> --></a></p>
<hr />
<h1 id="used_alone">Used alone</h1>
<p>
: is not quite but <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Named_arguments">almost the sigil for Pair<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "almost the sigil for Pair"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Named_arguments> --></a> objects<br />
: after a identifier at a statement boundary <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Literals">creates a label<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "creates a label"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Literals> --></a> as in common parlance<br />
: after an identifier is an <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Invocant_marker">invocant marker<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "invocant marker"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Invocant_marker> --></a> for indirect object syntax</p>
<h1 id="operators_containing_this_character">Operators containing this character</h1>
<p>
:: <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Names">sigil and subset separator<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "sigil and subset separator"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Names> --></a> for packages (and consequently, types)<br />
:() creates a <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Names_and_Variables">Signature object<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "Signature object"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Names_and_Variables> --></a> and is used in <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Closure_parameters">closure parameters<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "closure parameters"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Closure_parameters> --></a><br />
:= aliases an identifier via <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Item_assignment_precedence">runtime binding<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "runtime binding"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Item_assignment_precedence> --></a><br />
::= aliases an identifier via <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Item_assignment_precedence">compile time binding<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "compile time binding"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Item_assignment_precedence> --></a><br />
.: <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Method_postfix_precedence">dotted postfix form<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "dotted postfix form"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Method_postfix_precedence> --></a> of prefix operator<br />
.:: a <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Method_postfix_precedence">class qualified method call<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "class qualified method call"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Method_postfix_precedence> --></a><br />
=:= <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Item_assignment_precedence">container identity comparitor<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "container identity comparitor"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S03.html#Item_assignment_precedence> --></a></p>
<h1 id="when_used_inside_regexes">When used inside regexes</h1>
<p>
: can <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Modifiers">apply adverbs<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "apply adverbs"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Modifiers> --></a> (a.k.a. modifiers, like :i) to individual parts rather than the whole expression<br />
: :? :! :: ::: used like a repeat count performs <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Backtracking_control">backtracking control<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "backtracking control"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Backtracking_control> --></a><br />
&lt;::&gt; inside extensible metasyntax denotes a <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Extensible_metasyntax_(%3C...%3E)">symbolic indirect subrule<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "symbolic indirect subrule"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Extensible_metasyntax_(%3C...%3E)> --></a></p>
<h1 id="special_variables">Special Variables</h1>
<p>
:: <em>may often be seen after sigils with other special symbols but is only for scoping. Look in this section on the other characters' pages.</em></p>
<h1 id="as_an_adverb">As an adverb</h1>
<p>
: introduces an <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Literals">adverbial Pair constructor<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "adverbial Pair constructor"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S02.html#Literals> --></a> which includes also radix in literal numbers. <br />
<em>If you have a short-form adverb you don't understand, see this section in the page for the character after the colon.</em></p>
<h1 id="other_uses">Other Uses</h1>
<p>
: after a parameter name in a Signature <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Invocant_parameters">names the invocant<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "names the invocant"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Invocant_parameters> --></a><br />
: creates <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Named_parameters">named parameters<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "named parameters"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Named_parameters> --></a> in Signatures<br />
: is before entries associated with dashed commondline arguments when using a <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Declaring_a_MAIN_subroutine">MAIN subroutine<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "MAIN subroutine"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S06.html#Declaring_a_MAIN_subroutine> --></a><br />
: for <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S11.html#Exportation">exportation<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "exportation"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S11.html#Exportation> --></a>, <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S11.html#Compile-time_Importation">importation<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "importation"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S11.html#Compile=-time_Importation> --></a> and <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S11.html#Versioning">versioning<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "versioning"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S11.html#Versioning> --></a> is just using <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S12.html#Traits">traits<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "traits"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S12.html#Traits> --></a>, which are merely adverbs, but worth noting<br />
: before a method name makes it a <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S12.html#Pair_query_methods">pair query method<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "pair query method"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S12.html#Pair_query_methods> --></a></p>
<h1 id="old_deprecated_or_other_language_uses">Old, deprecated, or other language uses</h1>
<p>
? : the ternary operator from perl5 and other languages is ?? !! in perl6<br />
: may not be used as a <a target="_blank" title="(external link)" href="http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Regexes_are_now_first-class_language%2C_not_strings">regexe delimiter<!-- wiki-renamed-hyperlink "regexe delimiter"<http://perlcabal.org/syn/S05.html#Regexes_are_now_first=-class_language%2C_not_strings> --></a> as allowed in perl5</p>
</div>
]]></description>
<author>Brian Julin</author>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.perlfoundation.org/perl6/index.cgi?witch_colon</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:11:55 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

</channel>
</rss>