                  =========================================
                    Package "Data::Locations" Version 4.4
                  =========================================


               Copyright (c) 1997, 1998, 1999 by Steffen Beyer.
                             All rights reserved.


Version history:
----------------

Version 4.4   07.05.99

 +  Fixed a bug in method "read()" which prevented empty lines
    to be read back in list context (empty lines were mistaken
    for the end-of-file marker).
 +  When an item in a location has the value "undef", the method
    "read()" now returns the empty string instead. You would have
    mistaken this for the end-of-file marker in previous versions.

Version 4.3   25.02.99

 +  Fixed the bug in "new()" which manifested itself with perl 5.005 and
    which caused ``print $location "Text";'' to fail.
 +  Added a warning to the documentation that class methods such as
    "Data::Locations->dump();" should only be used if your script
    has the exclusive use of the "Data::Locations" module.
 +  Finally managed to add a (still rudimentary) regression test suite.

Version 4.2   07.09.98

 +  Added a warning to the documentation that inheritance is a no-no with
    an example of how to use embedding/delegation instead.
 +  Introduced an additional header "Preface" in the POD documentation to
    avoid clobbering of the information displayed by CPAN.pm et al.
 +  Added the new attributes to "Makefile.PL" for ActiveState's port
    of Perl 5.005 to the Win32 platform.

Version 4.1   06.06.98

 +  Fixed "delete()" to clear the self-references which prevented the eventual
    garbage-collection.
 +  Also fixed "delete()" to free the occupied memory at the time of the call
    of this method rather than at shutdown time of the Perl interpreter.
 +  Removed the unnecessary calls of the "FETCH()" method, resulting in an
    improved performance.
 +  Minor changes to make the code clearer and cleaner.
 +  "Bug fixes" and additions in the documentation.

Version 4.0   23.05.98

 +  Extensive rewrite of this module and its documentation.
 +  The companion modules "Tie::Handle", "Data::Locations::Proxy"
    and "Data::Locations::Shell" are GONE, because "Data::Locations"
    now are OBJECTS *and* FILE HANDLES *at the same time*, making
    these three modules obsolete (this also means that this module
    doesn't need ANY external modules anymore, except the core
    modules from the standard Perl distribution "strict",
    "Exporter", "Carp" and "Symbol").
 +  This module now definitely needs Perl version 5.004 or better.
 +  Enhanced support for Windows NT/95.
 +  Added method "toplevel()".
 +  BEWARE that embedding a top-level location in some other location
    now automatically causes it to lose its "top-level" status, as
    opposed to previous versions of this module.

Version 3.0   29.07.97

 +  Added modules "Data::Locations::Proxy" and "Data::Locations::Shell"
    in order to make statements such as print $FH "text"; and $text = <$FH>;
    possible.
 +  The two methods "set_filename()" and "get_filename()" have been
    replaced by a single method, "filename()".

Version 2.1   25.07.97

 +  Intermediate development version not publicly released.

Version 2.0   24.07.97

 +  Changed the name of this module from "Locations" to "Data::Locations".
 +  Added new methods "printf()", "read()", "reset()" and "tie()".
 +  Introduced a companion module "Tie::Handle" to tie file handles to
    locations, in order to be able to print/read to/from locations using
    Perl's built-in operators for accessing file handles instead of method
    calls.

Version 1.2   18.07.97

 +  Intermediate development version not publicly released.

Version 1.1   16.07.97

 +  Fixed a bug in the automatic detection of potential infinite recursions.
    (This bug did not cause any malfunction, but degraded performance
    unnecessarily.)
 +  Cleanup of the code of remnants such as "carp - exit" instead of "croak".
 +  Improved the documentation.

Version 1.0   14.07.97

 +  First release.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

