Thank you ++graff for enlightening me to the usage of -t.

I've always wondered if it were possible to detect whether a script were being run on the receiving end of a pipe (somehow I never came across -t).  Using -t with <STDIN> is exactly how to do it!

Here's a test script highlight.pl which, in a Linux terminal window, demonstrates the difference between: 

    % ./highlight.pl

[download]

and: 

    % cat highlight.pl | ./highlight.pl

[download]
#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use warnings;

my $b_windows = ($^O =~ /win/i)? 1: 0;
if ($b_windows) {
    require Win32::Console::ANSI;
    print "\e[H\e[J";
}

my $color1 = $b_windows? "\e[1;42m": "\e[102m";
my $color2 = $b_windows? "\e[1;45m": "\e[105m";

my $a_lines = [
    "# Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening -- Robert Frost",
    "# ",
    "# Whose woods these are I think I know.",
    "# His house is in the village though;",
    "# He will not see me stopping here",
    "# To watch his woods fill up with snow.",
    "# ",
    "# My little horse must think it queer1",
    "# To stop without a farmhouse near",
    "# Between the woods and frozen lake",
    "# The darkest evening of the year.",
    "# ",
    "# He gives his harness bells a shake",
    "# To ask if there is some mistake.",
    "# The only other sound's the sweep",
    "# Of easy wind and downy flake.",
    "# ",
    "# The woods are lovely, dark and deep.",
    "# But I have promises to keep,",
    "# And miles to go before I sleep,",
    "# And miles to go before I sleep.",
];

my $pattern = "wood";

if (-t STDIN) {
    # Program being run standalone:  "<script>"
    foreach (@$a_lines) {
        s/($pattern)/$color1$1\e[m\e[K/gi;
        print "    $_\n";
    }
} else {
    # On receiving end of another process:  "cat <script> | <script>"
    while (<STDIN>) {
        if (/"# [a-zA-Z]/) {
            s/($pattern)/$color2$1\e[m\e[K/gi;
            print;
        }
    }
}

[download]

Apparently the -t <filehandle> construct doesn't work on Windows (at least not my version (update:  ActiveState v5.10.0), because in both cases -t STDIN evaluates to FALSE.  That is: 

    C:\> highlight.pl

[download]

does the same thing as: 

    C:\> type highlight.pl | highlight.pl

[download]
s''(q.S:$/9=(T1';s;(..)(..);$..=substr+crypt($1,$2),2,3;eg;print$..$/

In reply to Re^2: Test if STDOUT is attached to console or shell redirected filehandle by liverpole
in thread Test if STDOUT is attached to console or shell redirected filehandle by desemondo

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