Learning Perl | O'Reilly Media

Learning Perl, Third Edition Making Easy Things Easy and Hard Things Possible By Randal L. Schwartz, Tom Phoenix
July 2001
Pages: 334

| Table of Contents | Index | Sample Chapter | Colophon

Chapter 1 Introduction
1. Questions and Answers
2. What Does "Perl" Stand For?
3. How Can I Get Perl?
4. How Do I Make a Perl Program?
5. A Whirlwind Tour of Perl
6. Exercises
Chapter 2 Scalar Data
1. What Is Scalar Data?
2. Numbers
3. Strings
4. Perl's Built-in Warnings
5. Scalar Variables
6. Output with print
7. The if Control Structure
8. Getting User Input
9. The chomp Operator
10. The while Control Structure
11. The undef Value
12. The defined Function
13. Exercises
Chapter 3 Lists and Arrays
1. Accessing Elements of an Array
2. Special Array Indices
3. List Literals
4. List Assignment
5. Interpolating Arrays into Strings
6. The foreach Control Structure
7. Perl's Favorite Default: $_
8. Scalar and List Context
9. <STDIN> in List Context
10. Exercises
Chapter 4 Subroutines
1. System and User Functions
2. Defining a Subroutine
3. Invoking a Subroutine
4. Return Values
5. Arguments
6. Private Variables in Subroutines
7. The local Operator
8. Variable-length Parameter Lists
9. Notes on Lexical (my) Variables
10. The use strict Pragma
11. The return Operator
12. Exercises
Chapter 5 Hashes
1. What Is a Hash?
2. Hash Element Access
3. Hash Functions
4. Typical Use of a Hash
5. Exercises
Chapter 6 I/O Basics
1. Input from Standard Input
2. Input from the Diamond Operator
3. The Invocation Arguments
4. Output to Standard Output
5. Formatted Output with printf
6. Exercises
Chapter 7 Concepts of Regular Expressions
1. What Are Regular Expressions?
2. Using Simple Patterns
3. A Pattern Test Program
4. Exercises
Chapter 8 More About Regular Expressions
1. Character Classes
2. General Quantifiers
3. Anchors
4. Memory Parentheses
5. Precedence
6. Exercises
Chapter 9 Using Regular Expressions
1. Matches with m//
2. Option Modifiers
3. The Binding Operator, =~
4. Interpolating into Patterns
5. The Match Variables
6. Substitutions with s///
7. The split Operator
8. The join Function
9. Exercises
Chapter 10 More Control Structures
1. The unless Control Structure
2. The until Control Structure
3. Expression Modifiers
4. The Naked Block Control Structure
5. The elsif Clause
6. Autoincrement and Autodecrement
7. The for Control Structure
8. Loop Controls
9. Logical Operators
10. Exercise
Chapter 11 Filehandles and File Tests
1. What Is a Filehandle?
2. Opening a Filehandle
3. Fatal Errors with die
4. Using Filehandles
5. Reopening a Standard Filehandle
6. File Tests
7. Exercises
Chapter 12 Directory Operations
1. Moving Around the Directory Tree
2. Globbing
3. An Alternate Syntax for Globbing
4. Directory Handles
5. Recursive Directory Listing
6. Exercises
Chapter 13 Manipulating Files and Directories
1. Removing Files
2. Renaming Files
3. Links and Files
4. Making and Removing Directories
5. Modifying Permissions
6. Changing Ownership
7. Changing Timestamps
8. Using Simple Modules
9. Exercises
Chapter 14 Process Management
1. The system Function
2. The exec Function
3. The Environment Variables
4. Using Backquotes to Capture Output
5. Processes as Filehandles
6. Getting Down and Dirty with Fork
7. Sending and Receiving Signals
8. Exercises
Chapter 15 Strings and Sorting
1. Finding a Substring with index
2. Manipulating a Substring with substr
3. Formatting Data with sprintf
4. Advanced Sorting
5. Exercises
Chapter 16 Simple Databases
1. DBM Files and DBM Hashes
2. Manipulating Data with pack and unpack
3. Fixed-length Random-access Databases
4. Variable-length (Text) Databases
5. Exercises
Chapter 17 Some Advanced Perl Techniques
1. Trapping Errors with eval
2. Picking Items from a List with grep
3. Transforming Items from a List with map
4. Unquoted Hash Keys
5. More Powerful Regular Expressions
6. Slices
7. Exercise

Appendix A Exercise Answers
1. Answers to Chapter 2 Exercises
2. Answers to Chapter 3 Exercises
3. Answers to Chapter 4 Exercises
4. Answers to Chapter 5 Exercises
5. Answers to Chapter 6 Exercises
6. Answers to Chapter 7 Exercises
7. Answers to Chapter 8 Exercises
8. Answers to Chapter 9 Exercises
9. Answer to Chapter 10 Exercise
10. Answers to Chapter 11 Exercises
11. Answers to Chapter 12 Exercises
12. Answers to Chapter 13 Exercises
13. Answers to Chapter 14 Exercises
14. Answers to Chapter 15 Exercises
15. Answers to Chapter 16 Exercises
16. Answer to Chapter 17 Exercises
Appendix B Beyond the Llama
1. Further Documentation
2. Regular expressions
3. Packages
4. Extending Perl's Functionality
5. Some Important Modules
6. Pragmas
7. Databases
8. Other Operators and Functions
9. Mathematics
10. Lists and Arrays
11. Bits and Pieces
12. Formats
13. Networking and IPC
14. Security
15. Debugging
16. The Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
17. Command-Line Options
18. Built in Variables
19. Syntax Extensions
20. References
21. Tied Variables
22. Operator Overloading
23. Dynamic Loading
24. Embedding
25. Converting Other Languages to Perl
26. Converting find Command Lines to Perl
27. Command-line Options in Your Programs
28. Embedded Documentation
29. More Ways to Open Filehandles
30. Locales and Unicode
31. Threads and Forking
32. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
33. And More...
Colophon

Return to Learning Perl

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Questions and Answers

What Does "Perl" Stand For?

How Can I Get Perl?

How Do I Make a Perl Program?

A Whirlwind Tour of Perl

Exercises

Chapter 2 Scalar Data

What Is Scalar Data?

Numbers

Strings

Perl's Built-in Warnings

Scalar Variables

Output with print

The if Control Structure

Getting User Input

The chomp Operator

The while Control Structure

The undef Value

The defined Function

Exercises

Chapter 3 Lists and Arrays

Accessing Elements of an Array

Special Array Indices

List Literals

List Assignment

Interpolating Arrays into Strings

The foreach Control Structure

Perl's Favorite Default: $_

Scalar and List Context

<STDIN> in List Context

Exercises

Chapter 4 Subroutines

System and User Functions

Defining a Subroutine

Invoking a Subroutine

Return Values

Arguments

Private Variables in Subroutines

The local Operator

Variable-length Parameter Lists

Notes on Lexical (my) Variables

The use strict Pragma

The return Operator

Exercises

Chapter 5 Hashes

What Is a Hash?

Hash Element Access

Hash Functions

Typical Use of a Hash

Exercises

Chapter 6 I/O Basics

Input from Standard Input

Input from the Diamond Operator

The Invocation Arguments

Output to Standard Output

Formatted Output with printf

Exercises

Chapter 7 Concepts of Regular Expressions

What Are Regular Expressions?

Using Simple Patterns

A Pattern Test Program

Exercises

Chapter 8 More About Regular Expressions

Character Classes

General Quantifiers

Anchors

Memory Parentheses

Precedence

Exercises

Chapter 9 Using Regular Expressions

Matches with m//

Option Modifiers

The Binding Operator, =~

Interpolating into Patterns

The Match Variables

Substitutions with s///

The split Operator

The join Function