What does parse_file return? The stripped text? No ... if only it were that easy. Actually, it is that easy with HTML::TokeParser::Simple (just see the first example), but you want to learn this module. I'll give you a hint -- you have to specify a callback subroutine for HTML::Parser so that when it processes a text 'event' it knows what to do with it. If all you want is the text, then this should be enough: 

my $p = HTML::Parser->new(
    api_version => 3,
    text_h => [ sub {print shift},  "dtext" ],
);
$p->parse_file('somefile.html') || die "could not parse HTML file\n";

[download]
HTML::Parser is not easy. I recommend using HTML::TokeParser or HTML::TokeParser::Simple if you just "want to get it done," otherwise, you have a lot more reading to do. :) Try a Super Search here at the Monastery for "HTML::Parser" and you might find a lot of useful examples.

Update: I just did a quick Super Search on my nodes, perhaps (jeffa) Re: Regexp to ignore HTML tags will be of use to you.

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)

In reply to Re: Using HTML::Parser for simple tag removal by jeffa
in thread Using HTML::Parser for simple tag removal by bradcathey

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