# Example 1.
# @now will be (40, 51, 20, 9, 0, 109, 5, 8, 0)
@now = localtime();

# Example 2.
# $now will be "Fri Jan  9 20:51:40 2009"
$now = localtime();

##</code><code>##

# Example 3.
# $sec will be 40, $min will be 51, $hr will be 20
($sec,$min,$hr) = localtime();

##</code><code>##

my ($x) = localtime();

##</code><code>##

my $x = localtime();

##</code><code>##

print clock();

sub clock {
    return localtime();
}

##</code><code>##

print scalar localtime();

##</code><code>##

my $match_count = ()= /x/g;

##</code><code>##

while (<>) {
    ponder( $_ );   # void context
}

##</code><code>##

sub print_context {
    if ( wantarray() ) {
        print "list\n";
    }
    elsif ( defined wantarray() ) {
        print "scalar\n";
    }
    else {
        print "void\n";
    }
}

       print_context();
()=    print_context();
scalar print_context();
__END__
void
list
scalar

##</code><code>##

my $beer_inventory = '99 bottles';
print "how much beer?  $beer_inventory\n";
$beer_inventory--;  # take one down...
print "how much beer?  $beer_inventory\n";
__END__
how much beer?  99 bottles
how much beer?  98

##</code><code>##

my $s = "12 monkeys";
my $n = 31337;

my $stringified = ''. $n;  # "31337"
my $numified    = 0+  $s;  # 12
my $bool        = !!  $n;  # 1

##</code><code>##

my $scaley = 'snake';
my @listy = $scaley;

# does the same thing:
#my @listy = ('snake');

##</code><code>##

my @t = ( 'one', 'two' );
my $x = ( 'one', 'two' );               # 'two'
my $y = ( 'larry', 'moe', @t );         # 2
my $z = ( 'old', 'man', localtime() );  # "Fri Jan  9 20:51:40 2009"

##</code><code>##

my $friend   = 'Perl';
my $literal  = '$friend';   # literally, '$friend'
my $expanded = "$friend";   # literally, 'Perl'