All:
Warning! This is going to be a long post.

I recently read this post by Elian and two of things hit me like a ton of bricks:

  • If you're going to use it in more than two programs, make it a module
  • If doing it even once made your head hurt, throw it in a module

    I have to work with really nasty data. A typical record looks like the following: 

    key             : /C=US/A=BOGUS/P=ABC+DEF/O=CONN/OU=VALUE1/S=Region/G=
+Limbi
        c/I=_/
type            : UR
flags           : DIRM ADMINM ADIC ADIM 
Alias-2         : wL_Region
Alias-3         : Limbic Region
Alias-4         : Limbic._.Region@nowhere.com
Alias-5         : Limbic._.Region
Alias-6         : Limbic.Region@nowhere.com
Alias-7         : ORG
Alias-8         : CMP
Alias-10        : O=ORG/OU=Some Big Division/CN=Limbic _. Region
Alias-11        : Region
Alias-12        : Region, Limbic _
Alias-14        : Limbic _. Region at WT-CONN
Alias-15        : ex:/o=BLANK/ou=ORG/cn=Recipients/cn=Mailboxes/cn=LRe
+gion
Alias-16        : WT:Limbic_Region
Alias-17        : SMTP:Limbic._.Region@nowhere.com
Alias-18        : /o=A.B.C.D./ou=Vermont Ave/cn=Recipients/cn=wt/cn=Li
+mbic_Regi
        on
Full Name       : Region, Limbic _.
Post Office     : WT-CONN
Description     : 999-555-1212 Some Big Company
Tel             : 999-555-1212
Dept            : Some Big Division
Location        : EMWS
Address         : 123 nowhere street
City            : everywhere
State           : MD
Zip Code        : 20874
Building        : BLAH
Building-Code   : MD-ABC
owner           : CONN

    [download]

    I am typically batch processing records, and not obtaining a single record. The problem is, that the only tools we currently have for this is shell scripts with a lot of VERY ugly sed. Even then, there are a great deal of limitations. I have written a few custom scripts in Perl, but they really aren't re-useable as each task is different.
    This seems like a perfect place to use a module.

    Here are some issues I can see up front:

  • Some entries can be on multiple lines, but if it is continued - it will always be indented by a tab
  • Some entries are guaranteed to be unique. Only the key is guaranteed to be present and unique
  • The key is / delimited, but there may be an imbedded \/ that is escaped that is not a delimeter
  • I will need the key both in concatenated format and broken down into each piece
  • Should I make this OO

    • These are the main things I will need to do:

  • Skip the record because it doesn't not match criteria
  • Manipulate the record based off criteria
  • Print the record

    Here is what I envision: 

    #!/usr/bin/perl -w
use strict;
use DBParser;  # My new module I haven't built yet
open (OUTPUT,"> /tmp/somefile") or die $!;
select OUTPUT;
$|++;
$/="";
while (<>) {
    my $key = DBParser::KeyGrab($_);
    my %record = DBParser::DBParse($_);
    next unless ($record{$key}->{Key}->{Surname} eq "Region");
    $record{key}->{Tel} = "(123) 456-7890";
    print DBParser::PrintRecord;
}

    [download]

    I certainly don't want anyone to write this module for me - the whole point in the project is to learn. I do however want pointers, advice, snippets of code, etc. Feel free to reply as though this was a meditation, if all you have to offer is methodologies and not actual technical solutions.

    Thanks in advance - L~R

    In reply to My first package - need help getting started by Limbic~Region

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