Re: Re: Looking for a better way to get the number of lines in a file...

I have noticed that if you use wc on a file, it will also return the name of the file as well. You need to change the code as follows:

my $string=`wc -l $filename`;
my ($file,$length)=split " ",$filename;
chomp($length);
[download]

...We will have peace, when you and all your works have perished -- and the works of your dark master to whom you would deliver us. You are a liar, Saruman, and a corrupter of men's hearts. -- Theoden in The Two Towers --

Comment on Re: Re: Looking for a better way to get the number of lines in a file... Download Code

Replies are listed 'Best First'.

Re3: Looking for a better way to get the number of lines in a file...
by blakem (Monsignor) on Dec 11, 2001 at 05:56 UTC

$string

$filename

wc

If I were going to rewrite this snippet and was forced to use wc, I might do something like:

#!/usr/bin/perl -wT
use strict;
%ENV = (PATH => '/bin:/usr/bin');  # give us a happy enviornment

my $filename = '/etc/services';    # filename to be checked

my $length = do {
  my $string = `wc -l $filename`;  # get output of wc 
  die "wc error $?" if $?;         # die if wc chokes for some reason
  no warnings 'numeric';           # turn off a pesky warning ;-)
  $string + 0;                     # numerify it with +0
};

print "length = $length\n";        # "length = 331" on my machine
[download]

Update:

 ($string =~ /\d+/g)[0];
[download]

my $length = (`wc -l $filename` =~ /\d+/g)[0];  # get output of wc
die "wc error $?" if $?;        # die if wc chokes for some reason
[download]

-Blake

[reply]
[d/l]
[select]


Perl-Sensitive Sunglasses
	PerlMonks