Is there some way to "reset" a file handle? If, for example, I open a file with filehandle FH, and I want to do this:

my $info;
while (<FH>) {
  $info = &searchEachLineForInterestingInformation($_);
    # ok, no one would ever name a subroutine that, but I'm
    # trying to be descriptive here
}
[download]

Then, once I know what is in $info, I want to go back and read the file again, looking for something new depending upon what sort of information I received from this first pass.

So is there any way to set FH back to the beginning?

On another level, is there some way to do even more complicated seeking (read in line 14, jump back to line 11, etc.)? I can get by without it for this problem, but I always like to learn new tricks.

Thanks in advance.

Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.

---

---

• Are you posting in the right place? Check out Where do I post X? to know for sure.
• Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags. Currently these include the following:

  <code> <a> <b> <big> <blockquote> <br /> <dd> <dl> <dt> <em> <font> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <hr /> <i> <li> <nbsp> <ol> <p> <small> <strike> <strong> <sub> <sup> <table> <td> <th> <tr> <tt> <u> <ul>

• Snippets of code should be wrapped in <code> tags not <pre> tags. In fact, <pre> tags should generally be avoided. If they must be used, extreme care should be taken to ensure that their contents do not have long lines (<70 chars), in order to prevent horizontal scrolling (and possible janitor intervention).
• Want more info? How to link or How to display code and escape characters are good places to start.