Your routine already distinguishea between data lines and blank (well, nonword) ones. You just haven't used the information. Add an else clause to the end of the if ($line=~/(\w)/) { statement, like: 

    }
    else {
        print "This line intentionally left blank.\n";
    }

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For other ideas, you could chomp and then test length, or else test for not matching non-whitespace: $line !~ /\S/. Each suggestion accomodates a little different notion of which lines are considered blank.

You probably mean to print whole lines, rather than just what you captured ($1).

After Compline,
Zaxo

In reply to Re: Parsing Multiple Lines. by Zaxo
in thread Parsing Multiple Lines. by /dev/trash

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