To be more precise, each is a list assignment in a scalar (boolean) context and list assignment in a scalar context evaluates to the number of items in the list on the right-hand side of the assignment.

Without the parens around "$test", the first two examples produce a warning:

Found = in conditional, should be == at -e line 1.
[download]

The warning is just trying to help you out so that you don't have an if that evaluates to a constant boolean value which these all do. Consider:

... if($val == 3);
#versus
... if($val = 3);
[download]

In the first is checks to see if $val is 3 and in the second it sets $val to be 3 and then checks $val for truth which in this case is always true. So for normal situations that line should just be:

...; $val=3;
[download]

Which would have the same effect in my little sample program.

D'oh. {blush}

Only an ARRAY would eval to the number of elements...

Am I missing something?

Matt

Am I missing something?

Yes. See tye's reply to me in which he explains it more precisely than I did.

-sauoq
"My two cents aren't worth a dime.";