Learn PERL with Real Code Examples

Download Perl from perl.org or system package manager

Install CPAN or cpanminus for module management

Verify installation with `perl -v`

Check for default modules with `perldoc perllocal`

Set up environment variables if needed (PERL5LIB, PATH)

Install Perl interpreter

Install CPAN/CPANM for module management

Set PATH and PERL5LIB variables

Verify installation with `perl -v`

Test with a simple `Hello World` script

perl script files (.pl)

Module files (.pm) in `lib/` directories

Test files (.t) in `t/`

CPAN configuration for module installation

Environment variables for library paths

perl script.pl - run Perl script

perl -c script.pl - check syntax

perl -d script.pl - run debugger

cpan ModuleName - install module from CPAN

perlbrew or plenv - manage Perl versions

UTF-8 support in Perl strings

Locale modules available

No built-in i18n system for web

Community modules for language support

Supports global character sets via Encode module

Cross-platform scripting

Extensive documentation and tutorials

Community support via forums and CPAN

Flexible syntax for various coding styles

Beginner to expert levels supported

Mostly CLI text-based interaction

Optional GUI via Tk, WxPerl, or PerlQt

HTML generation via templates

Terminal-based dashboards possible

Text formatting via printf or format

Variables hold runtime state

References allow complex data structures

Modules encapsulate reusable logic

Context (scalar/list) affects computation

Filehandles maintain I/O state

Scalars, arrays, hashes for structured data

Regular expressions for text extraction

Modules and objects for complex data

File-based input/output

Efficient memory usage with references