HTTP/2 200 server: nginx content-type: text/plain;charset=UTF-8 content-encoding: gzip content-security-policy: default-src 'self'; connect-src 'self' *.google-analytics.com; img-src 'self' data: www.google-analytics.com www.googletagmanager.com; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' www.google-analytics.com www.googletagmanager.com; style-src 'self'; report-uri /csp-reports accept-ranges: bytes age: 0 date: Thu, 31 Jul 2025 11:20:11 GMT via: 1.1 varnish x-served-by: cache-bom-vanm7210025-BOM x-cache: MISS x-cache-hits: 0 x-timer: S1753960811.633785,VS0,VE818 vary: Accept-Encoding strict-transport-security: max-age=31557600 content-length: 1538 =over =item goto LABEL X X X =item goto EXPR =item goto &NAME C transfers execution to a specified point in the program. Unlike a function call, execution does not return to C. The C form finds the statement labeled with LABEL and resumes execution there. It can't be used to get out of a block or subroutine given to L|/sort SUBNAME LIST>. It can be used to go almost anywhere else within the dynamic scope, including out of subroutines, but it's usually better to use some other construct such as L|/last LABEL> or L|/die LIST>. The author of Perl has never felt the need to use this form of C (in Perl, that is; C is another matter). (The difference is that C does not offer named loops combined with loop control. Perl does, and this replaces most structured uses of C in other languages.) The C form expects to evaluate C to a code reference or a label name. If it evaluates to a code reference, it will be handled like C, below. This is especially useful for implementing tail recursion via C. If the expression evaluates to a label name, its scope will be resolved dynamically. This allows for computed Cs per FORTRAN, but isn't necessarily recommended if you're optimizing for maintainability: goto ("FOO", "BAR", "GLARCH")[$i]; As shown in this example, C is exempt from the "looks like a function" rule. A pair of parentheses following it does not (necessarily) delimit its argument. C is equivalent to C. Also, unlike most named operators, this has the same precedence as assignment. Use of C or C to jump into a construct is deprecated and will issue a warning; it will become a fatal error in Perl 5.42. While still available, it may not be used to go into any construct that requires initialization, such as a subroutine, a C loop, or a C block. In general, it may not be used to jump into the parameter of a binary or list operator, but it may be used to jump into the I parameter of a binary operator. (The C<=> assignment operator's "first" operand is its right-hand operand.) It also can't be used to go into a construct that is optimized away. The C form is quite different from the other forms of C. In fact, it isn't a goto in the normal sense at all, and doesn't have the stigma associated with other gotos. Instead, it exits the current subroutine (losing any changes set by L|/local EXPR>) and immediately calls in its place the named subroutine using the current value of L|perlvar/@_>. This is used by C subroutines that wish to load another subroutine and then pretend that the other subroutine had been called in the first place (except that any modifications to L|perlvar/@_> in the current subroutine are propagated to the other subroutine.) After the C, not even L|/caller EXPR> will be able to tell that this routine was called first. NAME needn't be the name of a subroutine; it can be a scalar variable containing a code reference or a block that evaluates to a code reference. =back