Perl 4 used ' as a package name separator when importing packages. Perl 5 provides the same feature, but uses :: to separate package names. Use colons rather than quotes to separate packages.

Noncompliant Code Example

This noncompliant code example uses the Perl 4 ' syntax to import an external package. This code does successfully require the package, but because Perl 5 is over 15 years old, the Perl 4 syntax has largely been forgotten. Consequently, the code can be seen as confusing or arcane.

require DBI'SQL'Nano;

Compliant Solution

This compliant solution uses Perl 5's :: syntax to import an external package:

require DBI::SQL::Nano;

Risk Assessment

Recommendation

Severity

Likelihood

Remediation Cost

Priority

Level

DCL05-PL

Low

Improbable

Low

P6

L2

Automated Detection

Tool

Diagnostic

Perl::Critic

Variables::ProhibitPerl4PackageNames

Bibliography

[CPAN] Elliot Shank, Perl-Critic-1.116 Variables::ProhibitPerl4PackageNames