creating a username from a csv file

[jrp370]

Im working on a script that reads in a csv file and then prints specific information from it to a different file called password.passwrd. so far ive gotten by script to read the csv file however i need to create a user name by taking the first letter from the first name, the first 3 letters from the last name and finally the last 4 digits from the ssn number. Ive tried using splice but that doesnt seem to work, can anyone help point me in the right direction?

update: it seems like i have figured it out, i dont know why i didnt think of using split before.

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use warnings;

open FILE,'>>',"password.passwd" or die 'Could not open file';     
my $file = 'file.csv';
my @data;
my $count=500;

open(my $fh, '<', $file) or die "Can't read file '$file' [$!]\n";
while (my $line = <$fh>) {
chomp $line;
$count++;   
my @fields = split(/,/, $line);
push @data, \@fields;
#print "@fields\n";


my($Lname,$Fname,$ssn,$address,$city,$state,$zip,$phone1,$phone2)=($fi
+elds[0],$fields[1],$fields[2],$fields[3],$fields[4],$fields[5],$field
+s[6],$fields[7],$fields[8]);

my $user="";
my $password="4cb9c8a8048fd02294477fcb1a4119la";
my $userId="$count";
my $groupId='25';
my $info="$Fname $Lname";
my $home='/home/payroll';
my $shell='/bin/payroll';

#####################################################
##################create usr name#########################
##########################################################
print FILE "$user:$password:$userId:$groupId:$info:$home:$shell\n";
}
close $fh;
close File;

[Tanktalus]

Oh, where to start.

First off, you have both open FILE and open my $fh. Stick to one style. Specifically the latter. Yes, it's a minor nit normally, but it got promoted to a major nit (if not, at least a lieutenant nit) by virtue of inconsistency. Also, you don't check the first open's return - stick the "or die" in there as well. (Again, a lieutenant nit for the same reason.)

Second, parsing CSV files without Text::CSV_XS. Not a capital crime, but maybe a minor bit of flogging. (Personally, I prefer DBD::CSV, but it uses Text::CSV_XS under the covers, so I save my back from the flogging that way.)

Next, your assignment to all those variables. When I'm doing a massive split like this, I like to use a hash instead of an array. Or individually-named variables:

my @fieldnames = qw(Lname Fname ssn address city state zip phone1 phon
+e2);
my %row;
@row{@fieldnames} = split(/,/, $line); # yeah, I just told you to use 
+Text::CSV, but I'm keeping my suggestions independent.

Again, this is just a nit, not a problem.

You didn't quite show us what you were trying, only alluded to it and gave us context. But the function you're looking for is substr.

my $user = substr($Fname, 0, 1) . substr($Lname, 0, 3) . substr($ssn, 
+-4);

Though I have to wonder about anyone using ssn's for anything other than taxes. Seems like a privacy invasion.

[Kenosis]

... i need to create a user name by taking the first letter from the first name, the first 3 letters from the last name...

You may want to check the user names created that way. Someone may have the name Frank Arthur, Paul Issac, Sarah Luther, et al ...