4.10. Heredoc Indentation

Use a "theredoc" when a heredoc would compromise your indentation.

Of course, even if your lines are all simple strings, the problem with using a heredoc in the middle of code is that its contents must be left-justified, regardless of the indentation level of the code it's in:

    if ($usage_error) {
        warn <<'END_USAGE';
    Usage: qdump <file> [-full] [-o] [-beans]
    Options:
        -full  : produce a full dump
        -o     : dump in octal
        -beans : source is Java
    END_USAGE
    }

A better practice is to factor out any such heredoc into a predefined constant or a subroutine (a "theredoc"):

    use Readonly;
    Readonly my $USAGE => <<'END_USAGE';
    Usage: qdump file [-full] [-o] [-beans]
    Options:
        -full  : produce a full dump
        -o     : dump in octal
        -beans : source is Java
    END_USAGE

    
# and later...

    if ($usage_error) {
        warn $USAGE;
    }

If the heredoc needs to interpolate variables whose values are not known at compile time, use a subroutine instead, and parameterize the variables:

    sub build_usage {
        my ($prog_name, $filename) = @_;

        return <<"END_USAGE";
    Usage: $prog_name $filename [-full] [-o] [-beans]
    Options:
        -full  : produce a full dump
        -o     : dump in octal
        -beans : source is Java
    END_USAGE
    }

    
# and later...

    if ($usage_error) {
        warn build_usage($PROGRAM_NAME, $requested_file);
    }

The heredoc does compromise the indentation of the subroutine, but that's now a small and isolated section of the code, so it doesn't significantly impair the overall readability of your program.