Perl in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Name

a

Synopsis

a [line] command
                  

Sets an action to be done before the line is executed. The following steps are taken:

• Checks for a breakpoint at this line

• Prints the line if necessary

• Performs any actions associated with the line

• Prompts the user if at a breakpoint or in single-step mode

• Evaluates the line

For example, the following prints the value of $foo (and DB FOUND) every time line 53 is passed:

a 53 print "DB FOUND $foo\n"