Copyright © tutorialspoint.com

# PERL split Function

## Syntax

split /PATTERN/, EXPR, LIMIT split /PATTERN/, EXPR split /PATTERN/ split

## Definition and Usage

Splits a string expression into fields based on the delimiter specified by PATTERN. If no pattern is specified whitespace is the default. An optional limit restricts the number of elements returned. A negative limit has the same effect as no limit. This function is often used in conjunction with join() to create small text databases.

## Return Value

- Return Value in Scalar Context: Not recommended, but it returns the number of fields found and stored the fields in the @_ array.

- Return Value in Array Context: A list of fields found in EXPR or $_ if no expression is specified.

## Example

Try out following example:

    #!/usr/bin/perl -w

    @fields = split(/:/, "1:2:3:4:5");
    print "Field values are: @fields\n";

It will produce following result:

    Field values are: 1 2 3 4 5

Copyright © tutorialspoint.com