Updated May 18, 2023
Introduction to Perl
Perl is a language of programming that can be used to perform many different tasks. A typical easy-to-use Perl application would extract information from a text file, print a report, and convert a text file. Yet Perl provides many methods, including machine programming, for complicated problems. Perl execution tends to use more time for a CPU than, for example, the corresponding C program. On the other hand, computers tend to get faster and faster, and writing something in Perl instead of C saves time.
What is Perl?
To understand Perl, first, understand what Script is – a program (or steps) processed or interpreted by another program. If we execute a program, then the corresponding system executes the commands; likewise, in the script, the corresponding system does not have any control over programs, but a different program works and runs the script
Perl stands for Practical Extraction and Report Languages.
It is a scripting language that has a syntax similar to C/C++. Web developers use it to create scripts for web servers. It parses text well, so programmers often use it to read and search text files. Perl as a language does most of the work behind the scene (as it run on the server computer)
Understanding Perl
- Perl variable – The variable has two types of values, namely integers and strings. Integers mean 1, 2, 3……..-10 (any +ve or –ve values). Strings are the sequences of characters (represented as ‘’ or “”).
- Perl Operators – These are of two types, namely – arithmetic or assignment operators. Arithmetic operators include +, – *, /, %, ** (means exponents) whereas the assignment operators include =,+=, -=, *=, /=, %=, **=
- Conditional statements – Conditional statement helps to execute more complex scenarios. If conditional statement –
If (comparison){
Statement;
Statement;
…………..}- Loops – The loop statement is to execute particular scenarios multiple times (as asked by the value given).
While loop – while (comparison){statement; statement; }
For var (setup; cond; inc) {statement; statement; ……}Working with Perl
Working with Perl as your first programming language has a mixed opinion among the user community. There can be multiple reasons to back their opinions. Here we will see what can be the possible reason for their feedback –
- According to most developers, the combination of Perl is not compatible with Python, Ruby, or Scala.
- Weird syntax
- The simple code structure and the complex work; it’s just how you execute them.
Perl has a shallower learning curve (which means easy to learn) and long (you can dig deep to know more and more about its possibilities). In addition, it is an interpreted language; a user can write multiple programs and test them with no or minimal requirement of compilation steps; this behavior of Perl helps experiment with the language and testing and debugging quickly and easily.
Below we have listed some more crucial points that hold value–
- Regular expression
- Hashes
- Memory management
- References and Complex Structures
- Modular Programming
Possibilities with Perl
With Perl, a wide range of tasks can be accomplished –
- System Administration
- Web Development
- Network Programming
- GUI development
Advantages
- With Perl archive CPAN, installing modules written by different users becomes easy.
- It fills the gap between traditional shell programming and conventional compiled programming language like C and C++.
- Good to work on programs with simple and fewer lines of code, as it is good for text manipulation.
- It is a highly portable platform for scripting.
- Cost and licensing are available on most platforms, like Most UNIX variants/ MS-DOS/ Windows NT/ Windows 95 series/ OS/2 and Macintosh.
- Easy and efficient – we will see how to compare C and Perl syntax.
- In C, we will write something like this –
void main()
{
printf("Hello World!");
}And with Perl
print 'Hello World!'Right Audience to Learn This Technology
There is no prerequisite for learning this technology. But definitely, there are some crucial things to note and understand –
If you have a brain and you know to type, half of the task has been accomplished.
If you want to learn this technology, this behavior can help you.
- Learn to think and understand the algorithms. Understanding is very crucial as it is a scripting language and has multiple lines of code in it. So understanding will be a game-changer in the long run.
- Try to read logical thinking books.
- Read more programming blogs and articles, these will increase your vocab in technical understanding, and you may be in a better position to know how to understand things better. Programming books will also be helpful.
- As we all know, practice makes a man perfect, so practice more by installing the Perl application on your system. We suggest our readers have multiple text editors on their laptops, like Notepad, Notepad++, or TextPad.
Scope and Career Growth
We always try to give genuine information to our readers as we believe in maintaining trust. So, before we proceed in this section and deal with salary stats and career growth, we would like to say,’ Do not limit yourself to any particular language. The more you know, the better the position you will be.
Pros of a Career in Perl
- Higher than average earnings, once you have a good command of Perl, you will be entitled to a good salary. Link
- Since it’s an open-source, the application and training are available free of cost (mostly)
- Widely accessible for troubleshooting work available
Conclusion
So, readers, what do you think is Perl worth reading and making a career? The decision is up to you, but as a responsible knowledge partner, we would say that if a technology has survived, it has met all the fulfillment. In the 1990s majority of dotcoms were working and primarily based on Perl. It happens with all the technology; as time passes, things get better. As of today, the Perl language has developed tremendously (look at versions 5 and 6). This tool has an exciting toolset available.
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