I agree with swift -- print length($string) if you're not sure... and as for printing "unprintables": 
sub literal {
  require 'dumpvar.pl';
  &dumpValue;
}

[download]
The dumpvar.pl library is, in fact, what the debugger uses when you tell it x $string.

$_="goto+F.print+chop;\n=yhpaj";F1:eval

In reply to Re: What are all the false values in Perl ((conditional by japhy
in thread What are all the false values in Perl ((conditional, boolean, whitespace, unprintable characters) by princepawn

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