$g{$name} = {};
[download]

if ( exists($g{$name} ) {
}
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However be careful with exists(), it creates stuff for you:

use Data::Dumper;

use strict;
use warnings;

my $h = {};
if (exists($h->{"a"}{"b"})) {
}
if (exists($h->{"a"})) {
    print "exists\n";
}
print Dumper($h);
[download]

This will make $h->{"a"} exists.

Yes, do beware autovivification.

HTH,

planetscape

hubb0r,

Thanks, man!

Say, got one more question. I am trying to figure out the syntax for printing out the values of the inner hash OUTSIDE the subroutine.

Here is as far as I am (I pushed all name values in an array called @names):



print "From outside the subroutine:\n";
my $i = 0;
while ( $i < @names )
{
    print "$myHash{ $names[$i] }{ name }\n";
      $i++;
}
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and I have this error:



Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at hashOfHas
+hes.pl line 22, <INFO> line 5.
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Line 22 is the print statement within the while loop (figures).

Thanks again...

Tony

Personal preference, but I would write it like:

foreach my $key (@names) {
    print $myHash{$key}{'name'}, "\n";
}
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Of course, that would mean that at some point you would have had to assign a hash value with the key 'name' to each nested hash.

As a matter of fact there is no need to for you to create inner hash if you don't need it RIGHT AT THE MOMENT. it will be created at the time you want it. For example:

use Data::Dumper;

use strict;
use warnings;

my $h = {};
$h->{"a"}{"b"}{"c"} = 1;
print Dumper($h);
[download]

This works, and there is no need to create level a first, then level b, then assign level c. Level a and b magically come to existance.