G'day all

I am writing 5 scripts, which all use the same mySQL database. I have sorted out the DBI and it all works now :) (Cheers fellow monks!)

The problem is, each of these 5 scripts have to have a section defining the variables such as the username, password, database etc so as to access mySQL.

I'd like to store this information in a file, which they can all access and require(). I understand that 'pointers' are required to to this as I am using strict... however I'm not sure exactly how to use a pointer or where to read up on them. I've tried a search without success...

this is what I currently have in each script 
    ## Read the current vote number from the mySQL database.
    my $dbh = DBI->connect("DBI:mysql:$database","$username","$passwor
+d") || error_fatal ("[ vote.cgi: Admin: Unable to open mySQL database
+ - $! ]");
    my $sth_1 = $dbh->prepare("SELECT current_vote FROM vote_count;");
       $sth_1->execute();
    my @vote_no = $sth_1->fetchrow_array();
    my $current_vote = $vote_no[0];

[download]
I'd like to be able to have $current_vote and the other variables worked out in the library file and then I can just use them in the other scripts as this is common to all of them.

I currently have this in the library file 
    sub return_variables
        {
        my $server_root = "/var/www/";

        ## MySQL database configuration.
        my $database = "mercury:localhost";
        my $username = "mercurus";
        my $password = "mercurus";

        my @variables = ("$server_root","$db_database","$db_username",
+"$db_password");
        return @variables;
        }

[download]
How do I use pointers to access these variables from the library file in the main script? (using strict)

Cheers
lagrenouille

In reply to Includes, strict and pointers. by lagrenouille

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