IO::Pipe(3pm) Perl Programmers Reference Guide IO::Pipe(3pm)

# [NAME](#NAME)

IO::Pipe - supply object methods for pipes

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

```
        use IO::Pipe;
        $pipe = IO::Pipe->new();
        if($pid = fork()) { # Parent
            $pipe->reader();
            while(<$pipe>) {
                ...
            }
        }
        elsif(defined $pid) { # Child
            $pipe->writer();
            print $pipe ...
        }
        or
        $pipe = IO::Pipe->new();
        $pipe->reader(qw(ls -l));
        while(<$pipe>) {
            ...
        }
```

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

"IO::Pipe" provides an interface to creating pipes between processes.

# [CONSTRUCTOR](#CONSTRUCTOR)

[new ( \[READER, WRITER\] )](#new)

Creates an "IO::Pipe", which is a reference to a newly created symbol (see the Symbol package). "IO::Pipe::new" optionally takes two arguments, which should be objects blessed into "IO::Handle", or a subclass thereof. These two objects will be used for the system call to "pipe". If no arguments are given then method "handles" is called on the new "IO::Pipe" object.

These two handles are held in the array part of the GLOB until either "reader" or "writer" is called.

# [METHODS](#METHODS)

[reader (\[ARGS\])](#reader)

The object is re-blessed into a sub-class of "IO::Handle", and becomes a handle at the reading end of the pipe. If "ARGS" are given then "fork" is called and "ARGS" are passed to exec.

[writer (\[ARGS\])](#writer)

The object is re-blessed into a sub-class of "IO::Handle", and becomes a handle at the writing end of the pipe. If "ARGS" are given then "fork" is called and "ARGS" are passed to exec.

[handles ()](#handles)

This method is called during construction by "IO::Pipe::new" on the newly created "IO::Pipe" object. It returns an array of two objects blessed into "IO::Pipe::End", or a subclass thereof.

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

IO::Handle

# [AUTHOR](#AUTHOR)

Graham Barr. Currently maintained by the Perl Porters. Please report all bugs at &lt;https://github.com/Perl/perl5/issues&gt;.

# [COPYRIGHT](#COPYRIGHT)

Copyright (c) 1996-8 Graham Barr &lt;gbarr@pobox.com&gt;. All rights reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

2026-10-26 perl v5.44.0

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Document: IO::Pipe(3pm) from perl 5.44.0-r3 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://github.com/Perl/perl5.git