Elements of Programming With Perl

Introduces the basic elements of computer programming using the context of the Perl language. Variables, loop control constructs, file input and output, regular expressions, references, nested data structures, string and list processing, modules, debugging, abstract data structures and object-oriented programming are covered. This is a complete introduction to programming using Perl, written so it's accessibler to those learning Perl as their first programming language. With examples ranging from useful utility to search the Perl FAQs to a web client for tracking and charting stock quotes to an object-oriented student grading system, this book offers you a practical, hands-on approach to learning programming the Perl way. Inside you will find: style and design issues and the software development cycle; Perl's data types, variables, operators, and control structures; Perl's regular expressions; references and nested data types; list manipulation.