Perl

Perl is a stable, cross platform programming language created by Larry Wall. It is used for mission critical projects in the public and private sectors. Perl 1.0 was first released to usenet's alt.comp.sources in 1987.

License

Perl is Open Source software, licensed under its Artistic License, or the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Language

   * Perl takes the best features from other languages, such as C, awk, sed, sh, and BASIC, among others.
   * Perls database integration interface (DBI) supports third-party databases including Oracle, Sybase, Postgres, MySQL and others.
   * Perl works with HTML, XML, and other mark-up languages.
   * Perl supports Unicode.
   * Perl is Y2K compliant.
   * Perl supports both procedural and object-oriented programming.
   * Perl interfaces with external C/C++ libraries through XS or SWIG.
   * Perl is extensible. There are over 500 third party modules available from the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN).
   * The Perl interpreter can be embedded into other systems. 

On The Web

   * Perl is the most popular web programming language due to its text manipulation capabilities and rapid development cycle.
   * Perl is widely known as " the duct-tape of the Internet".
   * Perl's CGI.pm module, part of Perl's standard distribution, makes handling HTML forms simple.
   * Perl can handle encrypted Web data, including e-commerce transactions.
   * Perl can be embedded into web servers to speed up processing by as much as 2000%.
   * mod_perl allows the Apache web server to embed a Perl interpreter.
   * Perl's DBI package makes web-database integration easy. 

Modules

Modules are similar to (but certainly not synonymous with) Java classes, and the use <Module> syntax is similar to Java's import statement, C's include or PHP's require.

• perlmod: http://perldoc.perl.org/perlmod.html
• Exporter: http://perldoc.perl.org/Exporter.html (simplest way to dynamically package modules)

EXAMPLES

PubMed

• pubcrawler.pl: http://pubcrawler.gen.tcd.ie/
• pubcrawler - POD file (help): http://pubcrawler.gen.tcd.ie/pubcrawler_pod.html
• pubcrawler - Customizing your searches: http://pubcrawler.gen.tcd.ie/win_download2.html
• pubcrawler - Automating your searches: http://pubcrawler.gen.tcd.ie/unix_download3.html

Tools

• DBMedit - A Simple Web-based DBM Database Editor: http://www.jmarshall.com/tools/dbmedit/
• nmake for Windows: http://johnbokma.com/perl/make-for-windows.html

Resources

• Programming Perl (book): http://books.google.com/books?id=xx5JBSqcQzIC
• HTTP::Request - HTTP style request message: http://kobesearch.cpan.org/htdocs/libwww-perl/HTTP/Request.html
• HTTP::Daemon - a simple http server class: http://www.xav.com/perl/site/lib/HTTP/Daemon.html
• A Web Proxy in Perl: http://www.adp-gmbh.ch/perl/proxy.html
• What's the simplest way to make a HTTP GET request in Perl?: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/134858/whats-the-simplest-way-to-make-a-http-get-request-in-perl
• Build a Perl/CGI voting system: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-perlvote.html?ca=drs-&ca=dkw-Perl
• A pragmatic approach to writing a mp3 crawler in perl: http://code.google.com/p/perlhobby/wiki/architecture_of_music_crawler
• XML::FeedPP - Parse/write/merge/edit RSS/RDF/Atom syndication feeds : http://www.kawa.net/works/perl/feedpp/feedpp-e.html
• Perldoc -- The Syntax of Variable Names: https://perldoc.perl.org/perlvar

Tutorials

• Writing serious Perl - The absolute minimum you need to know: http://www.netalive.org/tinkering/serious-perl/
• Perl Tutorial: http://docs.activestate.com/komodo/5.0/tutorial/perltut.html
• HOWTO Make a Perl Module: http://members.pcug.org.au/~rcook/PerlModule_HOWTO.html
• Make for Windows - NMake: http://johnbokma.com/perl/make-for-windows.html
• Building Perl projects with MakeMaker: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-make.html
• Apache Tutorial - Dynamic Content with CGI: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/howto/cgi.html
• Beginner's Introduction to Perl: http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2000/10/begperl1.html
• Perl - Functions & Subroutines: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/perl/perl_subroutines.htm

• Parsing XML documents with Perl's XML::Simple: http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5363190.html
• XML::Simple Module: http://www.herongyang.com/perl_b/xml_simple.html
• XML::Parser Tutorial: http://www.perlmonks.org/index.pl?node_id=62782
• XML for Perl developers, Part 1: XML plus Perl -- simply magic: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-xmlperl1.html

• Parsing JSON In Perl By Example – SouthParkStudios.com South Park Episodes: http://beerpla.net/2008/03/27/parsing-json-in-perl-by-example-southparkstudioscom-south-park-episodes/
• How can I parse JSON in perl?: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1543032/how-can-i-parse-json-in-perl
• Parsing an array encoded in JSON through perl: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3695105/parsing-an-array-encoded-in-json-through-perl
• Trouble With Parsing JSON with Perl: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5061472/trouble-with-parsing-json-with-perl

External Links

• Perl community: http://www.perl.com/
• Downloading the Latest Version of Perl: http://www.perl.com/download.csp
• wikipedia:Perl
• The Perl Directory at Perl.org: http://www.perl.org/
• How to Call a .NET-based Web Service Using the SOAP::Lite Perl Library: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms995764.aspx
• HTTP::Request::Common - Construct common HTTP::Request objects: http://perl.active-venture.com/lib/HTTP/Request/Common.html
• HTTP::Request - HTTP style request message: http://cpan.uwinnipeg.ca/htdocs/libwww-perl/HTTP/Request.html
• Perl-XML Frequently Asked Questions: http://perl-xml.sourceforge.net/faq/
• Oreilly articles on Perl and XML: http://www.xml.com/pub/q/perlxml
• Perl Array Howto: http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~abatko/computers/programming/perl/howto/array/
• Associative arrays: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/Perl/associative.html
• Multidimensional Arrays In Perl and JavaScript: http://evolt.org/node/316
• Is there an isArray() in Perl?: http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=118961
• Creating References: http://docstore.mik.ua/orelly/perl/prog3/ch08_02.htm
• Object Oriented Exception Handling in Perl: http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2002/11/14/exception.html
• Not an ARRAY reference (when parsing XML in Perl): http://www.issociate.de/board/post/280490/Not_an_ARRAY_reference.html
• Perl, Sockets and TCP/IP Networking: http://www.perlfect.com/articles/sockets.shtml
• Sending a Command Via TCP With Perl: http://www.netadmintools.com/art532.html
• PROFESSIONAL PERL PART 2 - PASSING PARAMETERS: http://tutorials.freeskills.com/professional-perl-part-2-passing-parameters.htm
• Perl Subroutine Primer: http://www.webreference.com/programming/perl/subroutines/
• Going Up? -- A Multi-Threaded Elevator Simulator in Perl: http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2002/09/04/threads.html
• How to Add Modules to Perl: http://www.ehow.com/how_2095030_add-modules-perl.html
• Herong's Tutorial Notes on Perl - Part B -- XML::Simple Module: http://www.herongyang.com/perl_b/xml_simple.html
• Stomp Tutorial: http://fusesource.com/docs/broker/5.0/connectivity_guide/BHIJBDJH.html
• Stomp messaging for non-Java programmers on top of Apache ActiveMQ: http://www.martynov.org/2009/03/stomp-messaging-for-non-java.html
• Apache ActiveMQ and Perl: http://esammer.blogspot.com/2007/09/apache-activemq-and-perl.html
• Installing XML::SAX with ActiveState Perl: http://johnbokma.com/perl/installing-xml-sax.html
• Installing Apache and Perl on Win32: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/milhous/cgi.htm
• How to read command-line arguments with Perl: http://www.devdaily.com/perl/edu/qanda/plqa00001.shtml
• How to read URL parameter using perl: http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?p=842109
• Introduction to GET and POST - Perl CGI: http://www.gossland.com/course/cgi_module/index.html
• How can I read the URL parameter in a Perl CGI program?: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/996698/how-can-i-read-the-url-parameter-in-a-perl-cgi-program
• Web Basics with LWP: http://www.perl.com/pub/2002/08/20/perlandlwp.html
• How to Use a Query String in Perl (no libs): http://www.mediacollege.com/internet/perl/query-string.html
• PERL -- how to tell if variable is NULL: http://www.unix.com/shell-programming-scripting/9856-perl-how-tell-if-variable-null.html
• Passing variables from PHP to Perl using passthru(): http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=467585
• If, Elsif, and Else in Perl: http://ilovethecode.com/Perl/Perl-Tutorials-How_To-Easy/If,_Elsif,_and_Else_in_Perl.shtml
• Creating cookies in Perl: http://www.dreamincode.net/code/snippet2548.htm
• LWP::Simple --- HEADERs: http://lwp.interglacial.com/ch02_03.htm#INDEX-80
• Perl/Php Translation: http://www.cs.wcupa.edu/~rkline/perl2php/
• "PHP IN CONTRAST TO PERL": http://tnx.nl/php.html

See Also

PHP | HTML | CGI | SSI | Shell | Batch