input record separator

utterlyconfused has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hi Perlmonks,

I'm new to perl and I have an exam coming up. Trying to
figure out the meaning of certain special variables, in this
case $/. I just want to confirm if I understand it right.
Does it convert a multiline string into a single
string?

Thanks

Comment on input record separator

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Re: input record separator by Corion (Patriarch) on Jan 09, 2011 at 21:42 UTC
No. See perlvar. It influences what Perl considers a "line" when reading a file using the diamond operator ( `<$fh>` ). It does not magically transform data already read into memory into different things.	[reply] [d/l]
Re: input record separator by hsmyers (Canon) on Jan 09, 2011 at 21:54 UTC
Google Perl cheat-sheet, pick one(or a dozen), print it out and keep it handy. At some point you won't need it, save the PDF file and discard the paper... --hsm "Never try to teach a pig to sing...it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."	[reply]
Re: input record separator by planetscape (Chancellor) on Jan 10, 2011 at 01:03 UTC
See also: Special Variables, Command-Line Options, and One-Liners HTH, planetscape	[reply]
Re: input record separator by kyle (Abbot) on Jan 10, 2011 at 17:28 UTC
I'm reminded of The parable of the falling droplet, even though it doesn't answer your question.	[reply]