As soon as I turn my re_str into a string though I start having problems. eval m{$re_str}

Have you read eval? What string does a m{$re_str} return , are you sure you want to eval that user supplied input?

See (user supplied regex substitution without eval)

In reply to Re: how to use string RE (against $_ and capture) by Anonymous Monk
in thread how to use string RE (against $_ and capture) by perl-diddler

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