«

Ok,

I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me? I
cannot even get what I have to compile.



sub replaceLink {
my ($text) = @_;
my $textLength;
my $url;
my $maxLength;
my $count;
my $newText;

$maxLength = 305;
$textLength = length $_;
$url = "<a href='somwhere.html'>[View Article]</a>";

if ($textLength > 305) {
$count = 0;
while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
# any character, g for greed
$count++;
if ($count == $maxLength){
$newText = $newText . $url;
}
else {
$newText = $newText . $2;
}

}
return $newText;
}
else {
return $text;
}

}

$text = "qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm";
$maxLength = 5;
$weblink = 'http://www.google.com';

$text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$/$1$weblink/;

print $text;

result:

qwerthttp://www.google.com




wrote in message news:<>. ..
> Ok,
>
> I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
> count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
> string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
> far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me? I
> cannot even get what I have to compile.
>
>
>
> sub replaceLink {
> my ($text) = @_;
> my $textLength;
> my $url;
> my $maxLength;
> my $count;
> my $newText;
>
> $maxLength = 305;
> $textLength = length $_;
> $url = "<a href='somwhere.html'>[View Article]</a>";
>
> if ($textLength > 305) {
> $count = 0;
> while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
> # any character, g for greed
> $count++;
> if ($count == $maxLength){
> $newText = $newText . $url;
> }
> else {
> $newText = $newText . $2;
> }
>
> }
> return $newText;
> }
> else {
> return $text;
> }
>
> }

Thank you both for your help. I've been having problems digesting
perlre so your help is deeply appreciated.

I have a couple of questions if you don't mind helping me

() are used to remember a match right? So why the . after ()?
(.{$maxLength}).


Now, if i wanted to match the first whole word to the left of
$maxLength is this a good way to approach it (ensuring that a word is
not cut off) match a word boundry at the anchor?

$text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$.\b/$1/$weblink/;

On 20 Apr 2004 07:24:04 -0700, (Yaroslav)
wrote:

"*
while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
# any character, g for greed
*"

s/.// if you want to substitute any one charecter by nothing.
* and ? are the greedy operators, and *? and ?? for non-greedy.
you should realy check perl's regular expressions.
Yaroslav has solved your problem in a better way than this on you
code:
"*
> while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
> # any character, g for greed
> $count++;
> if ($count == $maxLength){
> $newText = $newText . $url;
> }
*"


wrote:
> *Ok,
>
> I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
> count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
> string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
> far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me
> I
> cannot even get what I have to compile.
>
>
>
> sub replaceLink {
> my ($text) = @_;
> my $textLength;
> my $url;
> my $maxLength;
> my $count;
> my $newText;
>
> $maxLength = 305;
> $textLength = length $_;
> $url = "<a href='somwhere.html'>[View Article]</a>";
>
> if ($textLength > 305) {
> $count = 0;
> while ($text =~ .\g){ # this is the error, . matching
> # any character, g for greed
> $count++;
> if ($count == $maxLength){
> $newText = $newText . $url;
> }
> else {
> $newText = $newText . $2;
> }
>
> }
> return $newText;
> }
> else {
> return $text;
> }
>
> }
-
nomerc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted via http://www.codecomments.co
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

wrote:
> Thank you both for your help. I've been having problems digesting
> perlre

Then you may want to start with perlretut.

jue

[TOFU rearranged]

>
>
> wrote in message
> news:<>. ..
> > Ok,
> >
> > I'm trying to count the number of characters in a string. Once the
> > count of character's reaches x I want to replace the rest of the
> > string with an web site link. So here's what I've come up with so
> > far, but I cannot figure out how to do the replace. Can you help me? I
> > cannot even get what I have to compile.
> >
> >

In article < >, Yaroslav
<> wrote:

> $text = "qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm";
> $maxLength = 5;
> $weblink = 'http://www.google.com';
>
> $text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$/$1$weblink/;
>

Why not just:

$text = substr($text,0.$maxLength) . $weblink;

?

> print $text;
>
> result:
>
> qwerthttp://www.google.com
>
>

This newsgroup is defunct. Try comp.lang.perl.misc in the future.

wrote:

>>$text =~ s/(.{$maxLength}).*?$/$1$weblink/;
> So why the . after ()?

You're looking at it wrong. There's not just a dot there, you need
to think of .*? as a single unit.

1) Read 'perldoc perlreftut' at least 3 times.
2) Post to comp.lang.perl.misc instead of comp.lang.perl next time.
-Joe