Current Perl documentation can be found at perldoc.perl.org.

Here is our local, out-dated (pre-5.6) version:

Use substr() or unpack(), both documented in the perlfunc manpage. If you prefer thinking in terms of columns instead of widths, you can use this kind of thing:

    # determine the unpack format needed to split Linux ps output
    # arguments are cut columns
    my $fmt = cut2fmt(8, 14, 20, 26, 30, 34, 41, 47, 59, 63, 67, 72);

    sub cut2fmt { 
        my(@positions) = @_;
        my $template  = '';
        my $lastpos   = 1;
        for my $place (@positions) {
            $template .= "A" . ($place - $lastpos) . " "; 
            $lastpos   = $place;
        }
        $template .= "A*";
        return $template;
    }