Name: Sherman 71 years old retired and creating my own poker visits database

Platform: HP Compaq 6710b

Operating System: Ubuntu 17.10

PERL Version: 5.26

postgresql Version: 9.6

Problem: Need to assign a string to act as a variable

I am building a front end for postgresql entries. I have fourteen entries that I need to query the user and set the user's value into a variable. I am using IO::Prompt.

If I straight-line the code everything works. e.g:

 
    my ($date_in, $date_out);
    $date_in - prompt("Start Date: ");
    $date_in =~ s/^\s+|\s+$//g;
    $date_out = prompt("$End Date: ");
    $date_out =~ s/^\s+|\s+$//g;

[download]

And 12 more user inputs to get along with the no space check equals 24 more lines of code. Lots of code so I tried the following:

 
    my ($k, $date_in, $date_out);

    my %var_list = ('date_in'=>'Start Date', 'date_out'=>'End Date');

    foreach $k (keys(%var_list)) {
        ## $k prints date_out and then date_in
        print( "\$k: \"$k\"\n" );
        ## $var_list prints End Date and then Start Date
        print( "\$var_list{k}: \"$var_list{$k}\"\n" );
        ## Below is where I want to go:
        ## $k = prompt($var_list{k});
        ## and have $date_out = user's entry
        ##
        ## Now how do I assign a beginning $ 
        ## to change date_out to $date_out?
        ## The below does not work
        ## ${$k} = prompt(${$var_list{k}});
        ##
        ## I've tried $$k, $($k), and ${$k}
        ## An example error is the following:
        ## Can't use string ("date_out") as a SCALAR
        ## ref while "strict refs" in use at
        ## ./build_sql_entries line 25
    }

[download]

Thank you;

Sherman

In reply to Convert string to variable by ShermW0829

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