This should be of help.

my $file = "apple.htm";

$file =~ s/^(.*)\.(.*)$/$1/;

print "\$file = $file\n";
[download]

Explanation: The initial (.*) in s/^(.*)\.(.*)$/$1/; evaluates any string before the "." character and $1 representing this string char replaces the initial value assigned to the $file variable.

Anandatirtha