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why does this code work?

#!/usr/bin/perl
print "true" if $ARGV[0];

and this doesnt and generates syntax error?

#!/usr/bin/perl
print "true" if $ARGV[0];
else print "false";

buildmorelines wrote:
> why does this code work?
>
> #!/usr/bin/perl
> print "true" if $ARGV[0];
>
> and this doesnt and generates syntax error?
>
> #!/usr/bin/perl
> print "true" if $ARGV[0];
> else print "false";


I think that is simply the way perl syntax is. If you want to have an
if-else section, you have to do something like:

if (EXPR) { } else { }

Check: http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.8.0/pod/perlsyn.html

--
Andrés

buildmorelines <> wrote:

> and this doesnt and generates syntax error?
>
> #!/usr/bin/perl
> print "true" if $ARGV[0];
> else print "false";


Because it is not a valid Perl program.


--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas

buildmorelines wrote:

> and this doesnt and generates syntax error?
>
> #!/usr/bin/perl
> print "true" if $ARGV[0];
> else print "false";

Because perl is not C.

if() {...} elsif() {...} elsif() {...} else {...};

The else part in perl is surrounded by braces.

-Joe

buildmorelines wrote:

> why does this code work?
>
> #!/usr/bin/perl
> print "true" if $ARGV[0];

Because this is valid Perl syntax.
>
> and this doesnt and generates syntax error?
>
> #!/usr/bin/perl
> print "true" if $ARGV[0];
> else print "false";

Because this isn't Perl syntax. You don't get to
make up stuff and tell the interpreter, "You
know what I mean." If you want to use else,
you have to use the compound if statement
with blocks. For one thing, it would be
impossible for the interpreter to correctly
interpret where the else needs to go in nested
if statements if this requirement wasn't
enforced.
--
Christopher Mattern

"Which one you figure tracked us?"
"The ugly one, sir."
"...Could you be more specific?"

Abigail wrote:

> Joe Smith () wrote on MMMMLI September MCMXCIII in
> <URL:news:I4_7d.197410$3l3.79898@attbi_s03>:
> :: buildmorelines wrote:
> ::
> :: > and this doesnt and generates syntax error?
> :: >
> :: > #!/usr/bin/perl
> :: > print "true" if $ARGV[0];
> :: > else print "false";
> ::
> :: Because perl is not C.
> ::
> :: if() {...} elsif() {...} elsif() {...} else {...};
> ::
> :: The else part in perl is surrounded by braces.
>
>
> But
>
> print "true" if $ARGV [0];
> else {print "false"}
>
> is a syntax either. It has nothing at all to do with "an else part
> needs to be surrounded by braces".

The point I was making is that when 'else' is not preceded by a '}',
it is a syntax error. Of course the '}' has to be preceded by a '{'
and conditional test to be a complete statement.

You're right about the statement-modifier part; I should have
phrased that differently.
-Joe