Use variable to represent an array name

[waiterm]

My business partner just asked the following, and I'm not sure about how to do it:

Is there a way of using a variable to represent an array name...?? i.e.

$var = @ARRAY (the name of the array not the value)
foreach $whatever(@[$var])  { . . . .. }

I thought there was some way of doing it using the $ symbol in front of the array name i.e. $var = $@array, basically he wants to load the array name dynamically in the foreach loop if that makes sense.

Thanks in advance.

Rob Waite

http://www.hostpipe.co.uk?src=TT

 

[MikeLacey]

Hi Rob,

You mean like this?

$var = 'an_array';

$$var[0]='first';

print @an_array[0];


Mike

To err is human,
but to really foul things up -
you require a man Mike.

Want to get great answers to your Tek-Tips questions? Have a look at faq219-2884

 

[ishnid]

Yes there is, though it's usually a bad idea. Here's a good overview of why it's bad.

If your arrays are related, you're better off storing them in the same data structre (probably a hash in this case). For example, where you create the array, you can change it to this:

# old code
# my @foo = ( 0 .. 10 );

# new code
my %hash_of_arrays;
my $var = 'foo';
@{ $hash_of_arrays{$var} ) = ( 1 .. 10 );

Then to dynamically use an array in the foreach loop:

foreach $whatever ( @{ $hash_of_arrays{ $var } } ) {
  # . . . .
}