Perl in a Nutshell

Amazon.com
Perl in a Nutshell strives to be a perfect set of socket tools for the active Perl programmer. By and large, it succeeds, providing endless and well-thought-out lists and tables on the language's modules, flags, and extensions. The authors briefly address basic learner's questions--such as the difference between a hash and an array--but these concepts are not the purpose of the book. (Those new to Perl would be better off with others in the O'Reilly Perl series, such as Learning Perl, while programmers making the switch to Perl can pick up the nuances of the language with Programming Perl.) This book is pure Perl reference, briefly covering Perl/Tk (for GUI Perl programs on Unix and Windows 95/NT) and Perl for Win 32.

The authors do start at the very beginning, and even in a self-described "desktop quick reference" find the time to comment on less urgent--but still interesting--Perl-related matters (like how to find online help amidst the "Perl culture"). The format of the book makes sections on topics such as Perl debugging easily understandable, illustrating how to make an interactive and timesaving environment.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Perl and O�Reilly go together like peanut butter and jelly. Perl�s creator, Larry Wall, even works there, guiding the future of the language. Then, of course, there�s O�Reilly�s �camel book,� Programming Perl, one of the world�s few truly legendary computer books. So if you�re looking for an authoritative Perl language reference, you�d expect O�Reilly to offer a great one. And they do.

Perl in a Nutshell, Second Edition combines a complete overview of working with Perl and a thorough reference. If you�ve fooled with Perl (or even another scripting language) even a little, the book�s introductory tutorials will be all you�ll need to move forward. If you�re an experienced Perlmonger, they�re a perfect refresher.

It�s all here, from installation through debugging and Win32 support. The heart of the book: coverage of Perl modules that extend the language in virtually every imaginable direction. Perl in a Nutshell, Second Edition covers virtually all the most widely used modules in the most popular areas of Perl development: CGI.pm, mod_perl for Apache, DBI for connecting with your friendly neighborhood database; new tools for XML and SOAP processing; network, web, and email programming modules; and more. It�s an immense, well-organized resource for every Perl developer. (Bill Camarda)

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.

ANNOTATION

This excellent desktop reference provides quick and detailed information on the Perl language. It covers modules, provides cross-platform implementation and includes a concise Perl language and module reference. For best understanding, you should be comfortable using the Perl scripting language.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Perl in a Nutshell is a comprehensive reference guide to the Perl programming language. This book covers all the core features of the language. It ranges widely through the Perl programmer's universe, gathering together in convenient form a wealth of information about Perl itself and its application to CGI scripts, network programming, database interaction, and graphical user interfaces. It also gives detailed coverage about using Perl within a Win32 environment.

This book assembles more information about the language in one place than any other reference work. Here are just some of the topics covered in the book: Basic language reference Introduction to using Perl modules Perl and CGI: CGI basics, CGI.pm, mod_perl DBI, the database-independent API for Perl Sockets programming in Perl LWP, the library for World Wide Web programming in Perl The Net::* modules pTk, the Tk extension to Perl

As part of the successful "in a Nutshell" series of books from O'Reilly & Associates, Perl in a Nutshell is for readers who want a single reference for all their needs.

SYNOPSIS

In the spirit of the bestselling Java in a Nutshell, Perl in a Nutshell is the perfect desktop companion for Perl programmers. It covers all the core features of the language, from command-line options and built-in functions, to general syntax, special variables, and regular expressions.

AUTHOR DESCRIPTION

Ellen Siever is a writer at O'Reilly & Associates, where she has also been a production editor and tools specialist. Before coming to O'Reilly, she was a programmer for many years in the Boston area. In addition to computers, her interests include her family, travel (especially if it's in the Southwest),. and photography.

Stephen Spainhour is a writer for O'Reilly & Associates. He has contributed to many O'Reilly tides. He is an avid fan of professional tennis (and terrible player), and when he's not checking for tennis scores on the web, he enjoys cooking, electronic music, and watching lots of television.