pdotcdot has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Greeting Monks..Just a quickie i have the following code 
elsif($var1=~/[$var2][a-z]{1}/{
     #stuff;
     }

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I would like to create a third variable based on the regex match generated above (ie the $var2 with the matched character a-z concatanated to the end). i suspect there is an easy answer but my brain is refusing to play ball. Thanks in advance, your servant pdotcodt.

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Re: returning variable from within regex
by tcf22 (Priest) on Aug 29, 2003 at 18:34 UTC
    You can do this using $1..$n variables. 
    elsif($var1=~/($var2[a-z]{1})/){
  $var3 = $1;
}

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    NOTE: You also had a syntax error in the elsif statement. You were missing right paren.
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      That {1} is not needed and the variable names need to be descriptive - @var2 and $var1 are not meaningful.

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Re: returning variable from within regex
by roju (Friar) on Aug 29, 2003 at 19:34 UTC
    Can you maybe give an example of the data you're trying to match and the expected results? It's sounds like you want
    elsif($var1=~ /[$var2]([a-z])/) {
  #stuff with $1
}

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    but it's hard to say.

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Re: returning variable from within regex
by pdotcdot (Acolyte) on Aug 29, 2003 at 19:46 UTC
    example data: 
    Original pattern:
TMTMTMTMTETVTITITITX

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    the X is removed earlier in the program as it never occurs in the larger sequence therefore when i search the pattern is never found. 
    modified pattern:TMTMTMTMTETVTITITIT

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    However... the character which X represents (which is any alphabetical character) must be found from the larger pattern.hence the a-z then i search through the larger string untill the pattern is found
    target pattern:
TMTMTMTMTETVTITITIT[M]or[Q] etc

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    and ideally remove the completed pattern which matched the regex so $var4 would equal TMTMTMTMTETVTITITITM or TMTMTMTMTETVTITITITQ apologies for being verbose.
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Re: returning variable from within regex
by Fletch (Bishop) on Aug 29, 2003 at 18:38 UTC
    I would like to create a third variable based on the regex match generated above

    That sounds like you think you want a symref (perldoc perlreftut), but 99.95% of the time what you really mean is you want to use it as the key of a hash instead.

    Also see perldoc perlreftut for information on backreferences for determining what matched.

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Re: returning variable from within regex
by pdotcdot (Acolyte) on Aug 29, 2003 at 19:15 UTC
    Currently i am working through those perldoc pages, cheers for the pointer. i do not need the variable as a hash key, i apologize if my question seemed to suggest that, i am really looking for a pattern in $var1 in which on the last letter changes to any character, hence the a-z section of the regex. i presume i have to reference the whole section: 
    /($var2[a-z]{1})/

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    Do reference within the regex? i tried the $n..$1 approach an it just returned blank lines( the correct number of blank lines for the match though...) sorry for the confusion pdotcot
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