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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 single quotation marks 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

Automated Detection

Bibliography