#!/usr/local/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;

#
# I want to shove the string NULL into place to make
#  my split work as expected.
#
# Ie if I split $line I only get 3 fields when I want 9.
#	I want an empty/null field to be set to null.
#

   my $line="root:XXXXXXXXXXXXX:12103::::::";
   # I want the above to become This:
   print "My Goal: root:XXXXXXXXXXXXX:12103:NULL:NULL:NULL:NULL:NULL:NULL\n\n";

   print "\nWhy does this not work?\n";
   print "\tBEFORE\t$line\n" if ( $line =~ /^root:/ );
   # UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY. you have a better idea?
   $line=~s/::/:NULL:/g;
   $line=~s/:$/:NULL/g;
   print "\tAFTER\t$line\n" if ( $line =~ /^root:/ );

   $line="root:XXXXXXXXXXXXX:12103::::::";

   print "\nThis is an ugly ugly ugly solution:\n";
   print "\tBEFORE\t$line\n" if ( $line =~ /^root:/ );
   # UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY. you have a better idea?
   $line=~s/::/:NULL:/g;
   $line=~s/::/:NULL:/g;   # argh!
   $line=~s/:$/:NULL/g;
   print "\tAFTER\t$line\n" if ( $line =~ /^root:/ );