Using data files with only one Field

[copykat]

I know how to use and maintain .txt data files with two or more fields. I want to learn how to use just one field so I can do away with the $nothing field which... does nothing. I just use it so the data file will have two fields separated with a comma (The only way I know to work it). My name.txt file consists of:
name1,
name2,
name3,
nameetc,

This is the code to read the name.txt file.

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

my ($nothing, $name, @records, $rec);

open (INFILE, "<", "name.txt");
@records = <INFILE>;
close(INFILE);
foreach $rec (@records) {
	chomp ($rec);
	($name, $nothing) = split(/,/, $rec);
print "$name <br>\n";
}

 

[TrojanWarBlade]

I think you're making this far more complicated than you need to.
Lose the trailing comma in the records.
Then a "chomped" $_ is all you need. No need to split.
From your code you could simply:

print "$_<br>\n";

Trojan.

 

[TrojanWarBlade]

Can I also suggest that you try to completely avoid statementes like this:

@records = <INFILE>;

It's begging for something to run out of memory sometime. You're coding in a timebomb by doing it.
As an example, your original code re-written safely (although not as I would do it normally) might look like this:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

my ($nothing, $name, @records, $rec);

open (INFILE, "name.txt");
while(<INFILE>) {
    chomp;
    ($name, $nothing) = split(/,/, $_, 2);
    print "$name <br>\n";
}
close(INFILE);

As you can see, the code is actually shorter and simpler and it won't die a nasty death if your input file becomes large.

Of course, the lazy way to do what you appear to be trying to do might be something like this:

perl -lne 's/,$/<br>/;print' < 103.txt

or if you lose the trailing comma:

perl -lne 's/$/<br>/;print' < 103.txt

TIMTOWTDI



Trojan.