NAME
    `List::UtilsBy' - higher-order list utility functions

SYNOPSIS
     use List::UtilsBy qw( nsort_by min_by );

     use File::stat qw( stat );
     my @files_by_age = nsort_by { stat($_)->mtime } @files;

     my $shortest_name = min_by { length } @names;

DESCRIPTION
    This module provides a number of list utility functions, all of which
    take an initial code block to control their behaviour. They are
    variations on similar core perl or `List::Util' functions of similar
    names, but which use the block to control their behaviour. For example,
    the core Perl function `sort' takes a list of values and returns them,
    sorted into order by their string value. The `sort_by' function sorts
    them according to the string value returned by the extra function, when
    given each value.

     my @names_sorted = sort @names;

     my @people_sorted = sort_by { $_->name } @people;

FUNCTIONS
  @vals = sort_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Returns the list of values sorted according to the string values
    returned by the `KEYFUNC' block or function. A typical use of this may
    be to sort objects according to the string value of some accessor, such
    as

     sort_by { $_->name } @people

    The key function is called in scalar context, being passed each value in
    turn as both `$_' and the only argument in the parameters, `@_'. The
    values are then sorted according to string comparisons on the values
    returned.

    This is equivalent to

     sort { $a->name cmp $b->name } @people

    except that it guarantees the `name' accessor will be executed only once
    per value.

    One interesting use-case is to sort strings which may have numbers
    embedded in them "naturally", rather than lexically.

     sort_by { s/(\d+)/sprintf "%09d", $1/eg; $_ } @strings

    This sorts strings by generating sort keys which zero-pad the embedded
    numbers to some level (9 digits in this case), helping to ensure the
    lexical sort puts them in the correct order.

  @vals = nsort_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Similar to `sort_by' but compares its key values numerically.

  @vals = rev_sort_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
  @vals = rev_nsort_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Similar to `sort_by' and `nsort_by' but returns the list in the reverse
    order. Equivalent to

     @vals = reverse sort_by { KEYFUNC } @vals

    except that these functions are slightly more efficient because they
    avoid the final `reverse' operation.

  $optimal = max_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
  @optimal = max_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Returns the (first) value from `@vals' that gives the numerically
    largest result from the key function.

     my $tallest = max_by { $_->height } @people

     use File::stat qw( stat );
     my $newest = max_by { stat($_)->mtime } @files;

    In scalar context, the first maximal value is returned. In list context,
    a list of all the maximal values is returned. This may be used to obtain
    positions other than the first, if order is significant.

    If called on an empty list, an empty list is returned.

    For symmetry with the `nsort_by' function, this is also provided under
    the name `nmax_by' since it behaves numerically.

  $optimal = min_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
  @optimal = min_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Similar to `max_by' but returns values which give the numerically
    smallest result from the key function. Also provided as `nmin_by'

  @vals = uniq_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Returns a list of the subset of values for which the key function block
    returns unique values. The first value yielding a particular key is
    chosen, subsequent values are rejected.

     my @some_fruit = uniq_by { $_->colour } @fruit;

    To select instead the last value per key, reverse the input list. If the
    order of the results is significant, don't forget to reverse the result
    as well:

     my @some_fruit = reverse uniq_by { $_->colour } reverse @fruit;

  %parts = partition_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Returns a key/value list of ARRAY refs containing all the original
    values distributed according to the result of the key function block.
    Each value will be an ARRAY ref containing all the values which returned
    the string from the key function, in their original order.

     my %balls_by_colour = partition_by { $_->colour } @balls;

    Because the values returned by the key function are used as hash keys,
    they ought to either be strings, or at least well-behaved as strings
    (such as numbers, or object references which overload stringification in
    a suitable manner).

  %counts = count_by { KEYFUNC } @vals
    Returns a key/value list of integers, giving the number of times the key
    function block returned the key, for each value in the list.

     my %count_of_balls = count_by { $_->colour } @balls;

    Because the values returned by the key function are used as hash keys,
    they ought to either be strings, or at least well-behaved as strings
    (such as numbers, or object references which overload stringification in
    a suitable manner).

  @vals = zip_by { ITEMFUNC } \@arr0, \@arr1, \@arr2,...
    Returns a list of each of the values returned by the function block,
    when invoked with values from across each each of the given ARRAY
    references. Each value in the returned list will be the result of the
    function having been invoked with arguments at that position, from
    across each of the arrays given.

     my @transposition = zip_by { [ @_ ] } @matrix;

     my @names = zip_by { "$_[1], $_[0]" } \@firstnames, \@surnames;

     print zip_by { "$_[0] => $_[1]\n" } [ keys %hash ], [ values %hash ];

    If some of the arrays are shorter than others, the function will behave
    as if they had `undef' in the trailing positions. The following two
    lines are equivalent:

     zip_by { f(@_) } [ 1, 2, 3 ], [ "a", "b" ]
     f( 1, "a" ), f( 2, "b" ), f( 3, undef )

    The item function is called by `map', so if it returns a list, the
    entire list is included in the result. This can be useful for example,
    for generating a hash from two separate lists of keys and values

     my %nums = zip_by { @_ } [qw( one two three )], [ 1, 2, 3 ];
     # %nums = ( one => 1, two => 2, three => 3 )

    (A function having this behaviour is sometimes called `zipWith', e.g. in
    Haskell, but that name would not fit the naming scheme used by this
    module).

  $arr0, $arr1, $arr2, ... = unzip_by { ITEMFUNC } @vals
    Returns a list of ARRAY references containing the values returned by the
    function block, when invoked for each of the values given in the input
    list. Each of the returned ARRAY references will contain the values
    returned at that corresponding position by the function block. That is,
    the first returned ARRAY reference will contain all the values returned
    in the first position by the function block, the second will contain all
    the values from the second position, and so on.

     my ( $firstnames, $lastnames ) = unzip_by { m/^(.*?) (.*)$/ } @names;

    If the function returns lists of differing lengths, the result will be
    padded with `undef' in the missing elements.

    This function is an inverse of `zip_by', if given a corresponding
    inverse function.

  @vals = extract_by { SELECTFUNC } @arr
    Removes elements from the referenced array on which the selection
    function returns true, and returns a list containing those elements.
    This function is similar to `grep', except that it modifies the
    referenced array to remove the selected values from it, leaving only the
    unselected ones.

     my @red_balls = extract_by { $_->color eq "red" } @balls;

     # Now there are no red balls in the @balls array

    This function modifies a real array, unlike most of the other functions
    in this module. Because of this, it requires a real array, not just a
    list.

    This function is implemented by invoking `splice()' on the array, not by
    constructing a new list and assigning it. One result of this is that
    weak references will not be disturbed.

     extract_by { !defined $_ } @refs;

    will leave weak references weakened in the `@refs' array, whereas

     @refs = grep { defined $_ } @refs;

    will strengthen them all again.

  @vals = weighted_shuffle_by { WEIGHTFUNC } @vals
    Returns the list of values shuffled into a random order. The
    randomisation is not uniform, but weighted by the value returned by the
    `WEIGHTFUNC'. The probabilty of each item being returned first will be
    distributed with the distribution of the weights, and so on recursively
    for the remaining items.

  @vals = bundle_by { BLOCKFUNC } $number, @vals
    Similar to a regular `map' functional, returns a list of the values
    returned by `BLOCKFUNC'. Values from the input list are given to the
    block function in bundles of `$number'.

    If given a list of values whose length does not evenly divide by
    `$number', the final call will be passed fewer elements than the others.

TODO
    * XS implementations
        These functions are currently all written in pure perl. Some at
        least, may benefit from having XS implementations to speed up their
        logic.

    * Merge into List::Util or List::MoreUtils
        This module shouldn't really exist. The functions should instead be
        part of one of the existing modules that already contain many list
        utility functions. Having Yet Another List Utilty Module just
        worsens the problem.

        I have attempted to contact the authors of both of the above
        modules, to no avail; therefore I decided it best to write and
        release this code here anyway so that it is at least on CPAN. Once
        there, we can then see how best to merge it into an existing module.

AUTHOR
    Paul Evans <leonerd@leonerd.org.uk>

