Re: Forcing array context

[jarich]

I want to use a scalar $string in a very C-like way, that is I want to run through the @string character by character, fiddling with chars along the way.

Try something like

my @chars = split //, $string;

Then @chars has each character in it. So:

foreach my $char (split //, $some_string)
{
        if($char eq " ")
        {
                 print "it was a space!";
                        # change all spaces to |s
                 $char = "|";
        }
}

or something like that. Then of course you join them together when you're done...

$string = join("", @chars);

Hope it helps.

jarich

[jens]

A reasonable solution, but I want to do this without
invoking the regex engine, so split is strictly taboo...Any other ideas?
--
Microsoft delendum est.

[jarich]

If substr's okay, how about this kind of thing:

my $string = "This is a very long string";
foreach (0..length($string))
{
        if(substr($string, $_, 1) eq " ")
        {
                    # Replace this position (space) with a "|"
                substr($string, $_, 1, "|");
        }
}
print $string;

It kinda depends on what you're trying to do, but I think this might help. (Note that you can also replace with the empty string).

Hope it does.

jarich

Update: forgot the length. ;)

[merlyn]

A reasonable solution, but I want to do this without invoking the regex engine

When you say, "I wanna do $X", and the answer is "by doing $Y", and then you say "I wanna do $X but without doing $Y", you are obligated to provide a reason why the best/easiest way ($Y) is so easily dismissed. How close to doing $Y can you get, for example, and why not $Y? {grin}

You haven't yet. Please do so.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker
Be sure to read my standard disclaimer if this is a reply.

[helgi]

What's the deal with imposing ridiculous, artificial restrictions? Split is the correct way to do it, so there.

--
Regards,
Helgi Briem
helgi AT decode DOT is