Perl List Arrays
What is a list array?
- List arrays (also known simply as
"arrays" for short) take the concept of scalar variables to the
next level. Whereas scalar variables associate one value with one
variable name, list arrays associate one array name with a "list"
of values.
- A list array is defined with the
following syntax:
@array_name = ("element_1", "element_2"..."element_n"); - For example, consider the following
list array definition:
@available_colors = ("red", "green", "blue", "brown");
| As you might have guessed, the at sign (@) is used to communicate to Perl that a list array is being named much like the dollar sign ($) is used to denote a scalar variable name. |
- In this example, the list array @available_colors is filled with four color "elements" in the specific order: red, green, blue, brown. It is important to see that the colors are not simply dumped into the list array at random. Each list element is placed in the specific order in which the list array was defined. Thus list arrays are also considered to be "ordered".
Scalar variable naming conventionsTable of Contents
Using List Arrays
