Perl memset equivalent?

jkoval has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Perl memset equivalent? by moritz (Cardinal) on Jun 26, 2012 at 18:37 UTC
You don't have direct memory access in Perl, so talking about an equivalent is a bit misleading. If you want to set a range of array elements to zero, you can do that as `@array[0..4] = (0) x 5;` [download] If you want to create a string of zero-bytes, you can write `my $s = "\0" x 5;` [download] (Update: fixed off-by-one error noticed by martin++). Perl 6 - the future is here, just unevenly distributed	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: Perl memset equivalent? by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Jun 26, 2012 at 18:37 UTC
Ostensibly: `use constant STN_NAME_LEN => 5; $stn_names[ $recordCount ] = chr(0) x STN_NAME_LEN;` [download] But there is bound to be more behind this question than you are telling us. With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday' Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error. "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice. The start of some sanity?	[reply] [d/l]
Re: Perl memset equivalent? by sauoq (Abbot) on Jun 26, 2012 at 18:43 UTC
It's hard to guess what you are trying to achieve exactly... Do you want: `@stn_names = (0) x STN_NAME_LEN;` [download] which gives you an array filled with five zeros? Or do you want something more like: `my $s = pack "c5", (0)x5;` [download] which will give you a string packed with 5 nulls? `-sauoq "My two cents aren't worth a dime.";`	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: Perl memset equivalent? by Anonymous Monk on Jun 27, 2012 at 00:18 UTC
C has no "smart" or particularly "clever" data structures; nothing like a hash or what Perl refers-to as an array. When you look at an existing C program, study what it does ... not how it does it. The choices that a programmer must make when using one language are partly dependent on the task and mostly dependent on the language. The only things that should carry-forward in a reimplementation project are the tasks to be performed, not how it is being done by the program that is being replaced.	[reply]


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