The logic of what you are trying to do eludes me, can you be more specific? Why not just pass your script an appropriate regex string: 

$_ = 'some.567.jpg';
m/^[^\.]*\.(\d+)\.(\w+)$/;
print "$1 $2"

[download]

This will capture the digits and extension into $1 and $2 but I fail to see how one might extrapolate that from a string like 'numberedfiles.@.tif' as this does not give sufficient detail of what is required. It seems to me that by the time you develop a pseudo language to describe what you want you might as well just use the Perl RE language - after all that is what it is designed for.

cheers

tachyon

s&&rsenoyhcatreve&&&s&n.+t&"$'$`$\"$\&"&ee&&y&srve&&d&&print

In reply to Re: Building regexp from a 'mask' string of placeholders. by tachyon
in thread Building regexp from a 'mask' string of placeholders. by submersible_toaster

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