Using functions within Perl
As with all languages, the ability to encapsulate a code within functions can make the code more readable and ultimately results in easier to manage codes, with less number of lines. Unlike bash, the functions in Perl can be defined after they are referenced in the code and we often choose to define the functions at the end of the script.
Prompt for user input
We have seen the use of command-line arguments in Perl; now, let's take a look at prompting for user input. This becomes a great way to encapsulate the code to execute and store the prompt within a function. First of all, we will look at a simple script that prompts for the username and then we will modify it to include the function. We will create the $HOME/bin/prompt.pl
file to read, as shown in the following code example:
#!/usr/bin/perl my $name; print("Enter your name: "); chomp( $name = <STDIN> ); print("Hello $name\n");
In line 2, we have declared the variable using my
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