How do you split a string e.g. "a:b:c:d" into tokens for parsing in Perl?
(e.g. using split?)
Looking for clear, straightforward answer above all (but do add any interesting tidbits of info afterwards).
+7
A:
You can use split. You can also use it with a regex.
my @tokens = split(/:/,$string);
For more advanced parsing, I recommend Parse::RecDescent
Geo
2009-03-18 19:18:26
Note that split() also takes a string as the first parameter, which is more effecient in the cases like this where it's just a simple string. split(':', $string)
mpeters
2009-03-18 20:22:45
@mpeters: No, it is still a regex. try split ".", "ab.cd"; "." matches any character. And using the string " " consisting of a single space is a special case, which does not mean "match a single space"
runrig
2009-03-18 20:36:53
@mpeters: What split lets you do is use quotes (single or double) for regex delimiters without the preceding "m" as the usual regex operator.
runrig
2009-03-18 20:39:35
V good and simple, going to take the foreach answer as that's very handy for beginners.
Anthony
2009-03-19 15:02:19
+2
A:
if you have:
$a = "a:b:c:d";
@b = split /:/, $a;
then you get:
@b = ("a", "b", "c", "d")
In general, this is how split works:
split /PATTERN/,EXPR
Where PATTERN can be pretty much regex. You're not limited to simple tokens like ':'
Nathan Fellman
2009-03-18 19:19:19
+2
A:
Yes, split is what you want.
@tokens = split(/:/, "a:b:c:d");
foreach my $token (@tokens) {
....
}
Ryan Graham
2009-03-18 19:20:33