See, I don't get this:

create(id)

Creates a Foo object with the id parameter set accordingly. id should be a valid record identifier.

when put together with this:

So, I have an array @bob = ('Bob') which I want to use on this function. Eyeballing it, it looks like it would fit

What part of your brain says that when they wanted a "record identifier" (whatever that is, but it looks to be a single value), you can hand it an array?! That's the part that's off here. It's not Perl's fault you're trying to jam in something that doesn't make sense. And Perl has every right to given you surprising (to you) results when you've wandered out into unsuggested territory.

As I saw somewhere in a purl factoid:

You can't just throw random crap together and expect it to work.

If I knew that the function was looking for a scalar ID, and I had that ID as the first element of an array I'd know immediately that I needed to hand it an element:

create($bob[0])
[download]

Case closed.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker

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update: And if you can show me where you "Well, sometimes you've just got to." in actual useful code and not some junky little hypothetical misdesign, I'd be surprised.

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