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The code I have to do this so far is:

#!/usr/bin/env perl

use strict;
use warnings;

my $string = 'ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ';
print "$string\n";
# grab first 5 characters
my $match1=substr($string,0,5);
# grab from the 6th character to the end of the string
my $match2=substr($string,5);
# replace all of the 2nd set of matched chars with asterisks
$match2 =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;
# join both parts
my $new_string = "$match1$match2";
print "$new_string\n";

But surely, there must be a better way to do this, preferably a one-
liner. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

"" <> wrote:
>The code I have to do this so far is:
>
>#!/usr/bin/env perl
>
>use strict;
>use warnings;
>
>my $string = 'ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ';
>print "$string\n";
># grab first 5 characters
>my $match1=substr($string,0,5);
># grab from the 6th character to the end of the string
>my $match2=substr($string,5);
># replace all of the 2nd set of matched chars with asterisks
>$match2 =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;
># join both parts
>my $new_string = "$match1$match2";
>print "$new_string\n";
>
>But surely, there must be a better way to do this, preferably a one-
>liner. Any ideas?

Indeed there is. You can either use substr() as an lvalue and assign to
the second half of the string

substr($string, 5) = '*' x (length($string)-5);

or you can use the 4-argument form of substr() directly:

substr($string, 5, length($string)-5, '*' x ((length($string))-5));

jue

wrote:
) The code I have to do this so far is:
)
) #!/usr/bin/env perl
)
) use strict;
) use warnings;
)
) my $string = 'ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ';
) print "$string\n";
) # grab first 5 characters
) my $match1=substr($string,0,5);
) # grab from the 6th character to the end of the string
) my $match2=substr($string,5);
) # replace all of the 2nd set of matched chars with asterisks
) $match2 =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;
) # join both parts
) my $new_string = "$match1$match2";
) print "$new_string\n";
)
) But surely, there must be a better way to do this, preferably a one-
) liner. Any ideas?

To keep most in line with your program:

substr($string, 5) =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;

You see, you can use the result of subsrt as an lvalue.


SaSW, Willem
--
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for any of the statements
made in the above text. For all I know I might be
drugged or something..
No I'm not paranoid. You all think I'm paranoid, don't you !
#EOT

wrote:
> The code I have to do this so far is:
>
> #!/usr/bin/env perl
>
> use strict;
> use warnings;
>
> my $string = 'ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ';
> print "$string\n";
> # grab first 5 characters
> my $match1=substr($string,0,5);
> # grab from the 6th character to the end of the string
> my $match2=substr($string,5);
> # replace all of the 2nd set of matched chars with asterisks
> $match2 =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;
> # join both parts
> my $new_string = "$match1$match2";
> print "$new_string\n";
>
> But surely, there must be a better way to do this, preferably a one-
> liner. Any ideas?

$ perl -le'
my $string = q/ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ/;
print $string;
substr( $string, 5 ) =~ tr//*/c;
print $string;
'
ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ
ABCDE*********************



John
--
Those people who think they know everything are a great
annoyance to those of us who do. -- Isaac Asimov

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:03:31 -0700 (PDT), "" <> wrote:

>The code I have to do this so far is:
>
>#!/usr/bin/env perl
>
>use strict;
>use warnings;
>
>my $string = 'ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ';
>print "$string\n";
># grab first 5 characters
>my $match1=substr($string,0,5);
># grab from the 6th character to the end of the string
>my $match2=substr($string,5);
># replace all of the 2nd set of matched chars with asterisks
>$match2 =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;
># join both parts
>my $new_string = "$match1$match2";
>print "$new_string\n";
>
>But surely, there must be a better way to do this, preferably a one-
>liner. Any ideas?
>Thanks in advance.

Yes, as Willem said, as an lvalue its an alias to a mechanism
that knows how to write to that location. So you can to tr/// on it
or anything you could on a normal variable, within the rules of substr.

substr($string,5) =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;
same as
${\substr($string,5)} =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;

or can get a reference and do it later

$ref = \substr($string,5);
$$ref =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;

-sln

wrote:
> The code I have to do this so far is:
>
> #!/usr/bin/env perl
>
> use strict;
> use warnings;
>
> my $string = 'ABCDEFG8IJK2MNOPbRST7VW5YZ';
> print "$string\n";
> # grab first 5 characters
> my $match1=substr($string,0,5);
> # grab from the 6th character to the end of the string
> my $match2=substr($string,5);
> # replace all of the 2nd set of matched chars with asterisks
> $match2 =~ tr/[0-9][a-z][A-Z]/*/;

Repeated characters will be ignored so that would more simply be:

$match2 =~ tr/[]0-9a-zA-Z/*/;

Although I don't see any '[' or ']' characters in your string.



John
--
Those people who think they know everything are a great
annoyance to those of us who do. -- Isaac Asimov