What I meant to say, was what's the next important thing to learn after you have grasped the basics. I recommend:
  1. perldoc perlfunc -- memorize function names, and roughly what they do
  2. perldoc -f <function> -- memorize the usage of this command. It will give you the details on a function, without having to search through perlfunc for it. This assumes you can remember the function name (see step 1).
  3. If you haven't already, read about good programming style for block structured programming (in any language). Discipline yourself in good practice. Learn how to break huge functions down into managable functions, learn to document your functions as you write them, learn to take the time to choose good variable names. Teach yourself to code for maintainability.
  4. Read books on testing, and specifically, how to write programs that are easy to test. Programs that are clearly correct are easier to maintain than programs where even the original programmer got confused about what's going on...
  5. Once you can write good programs, learn to write good perl programs. Master perl idioms, learn what they mean, and what the tradeoffs of using each one are. Learn regular expressions, how to use them, how not to use them, and when to document them (ie. always)
  6. Learn what CPAN modules are out there: this is not a static task. Learn perl XS if you like. Learn about closures, symbol table manipulations, and start filling in the corners of your perl knowledge.
  7. Learn everything. If you succeed, tell me how. :-)

--
AC

In reply to Re^3: What's the most important thing to learn in the Perl world? by Anonymous Monk
in thread What's the most important thing to learn in the Perl world? by ghenry

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