#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
my $bob = "/* THis ** comment** is\n\nMy\ngreatest\n Comment** */";
my $comment = 0;
my $line_num = 1;
while($bob) {
my @match_list;
print "STARTLOOP matching $bob\n";
if ($bob =~ /^\/\*/) {
  push @match_list,{rest=>$',code=>"\$comment=1",matched=>$&};
  print "start comment matched: $&\n";
}
if($comment && $bob =~ /^[^*\n]*/) {
  push @match_list,{rest=>$',code=>"",matched=>$&};
  print "not star matched: $&\n";
}
if($comment && $bob =~ /^\*[^*\n]*/) {
  push @match_list,{rest=>$',code=>"",matched=>$&};
 print "star with no slash matched: $&\n";
}
if($comment && $bob =~ /^\n/) {
  push @match_list,{rest=>$',code=>"++\$line_num;",matched=>$&};
  print "newline matched: $&\n";
}
if($comment && $bob =~ /^\*\//) {
  push @match_list,{rest=>$',code=>"\$comment=0",matched=>$&};
  print "end comment matched: $&\n";
}
my $max_length = 0;
my $match;
#should be priority queue.. but I'm too tired to
# use that module now...
foreach $match (@match_list) {
  if(length($match->{matched}) > $max_length) {
     $max_length = length($match->{matched});
  }
}
foreach $match (@match_list) {
  if(length($match->{matched}) == $max_length) {
    eval $match->{code};
    $bob = $match->{rest};
  }
}
}
print "line num is $line_num\n";