Re^3: extracting columns

[Marshall]

I find it a bit more readable but... it's a matter of taste!

Don't declare "my" variables that you do not use.

Use a regex when you want to "keep" something.
Use split when you want to "throw away something"

Use list slice to "throw away" extraneous stuff from a split() or a match "global".

 my ($id, $name, $effects, $size) = split /\t/; #wrong

Forget even declaring, for example, $effects if it is not used.
Focus the code on what is used from the input - forget the stuff that is not used.
Explain what $effects would have meant - but its not important to this code - in some kind of comment section - if that this important to the overall description of the input file.

The use of "undef" instead of list slice is just fine for a case like this.
List slice is great when you want #12, #3, #1, #50-67 in that order.