6. References

Learning references is one of the major rites of passage in Perl. Introduced in Perl 5, references opened the way for complex data structures and object-oriented programming. References are the key to organizing data and passing it around as a unit. If you want to move to the next level in Perl, you need references.

Although this chapter shows you some reference tricks, your greatest benefit will come from your effective creation and manipulation of data structures. You’ll develop those skills with practice, so don’t be afraid to start using them.