try using 'not' instead of '!', like so: 

...
if(not $test_string =~ /$regex/) {
...
}
...

[download]

It's basically a question of operator precedence.

To make your intentions clearer, you should probably use the '!~' operator: 

...
if($test_string !~ /$regex/) {
...
}
...

[download]

In reply to Re: regular expressions with ! by ozone
in thread regular expressions with ! by egunnar

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