if (@animals < 5) { ... }
The elements we're getting from the array start with a C<$> because
-we're getting just a single value out of the array -- you ask for a scalar,
+we're getting just a single value out of the array; you ask for a scalar,
you get a scalar.
To get multiple values from an array:
Using C<my> in combination with a C<use strict;> at the top of
your Perl scripts means that the interpreter will pick up certain common
programming errors. For instance, in the example above, the final
-C<print $b> would cause a compile-time error and prevent you from
+C<print $y> would cause a compile-time error and prevent you from
running the program. Using C<strict> is highly recommended.
=head2 Conditional and looping constructs
-Perl has most of the usual conditional and looping constructs except for
-case/switch (but if you really want it, there is a Switch module in Perl
-5.8 and newer, and on CPAN. See the section on modules, below, for more
-information about modules and CPAN).
+Perl has most of the usual conditional and looping constructs. As of Perl
+5.10, it even has a case/switch statement (spelled C<given>/C<when>). See
+L<perlsyn/"Switch statements"> for more details.
The conditions can be any Perl expression. See the list of operators in
the next section for information on comparison and boolean logic operators,
! not
(C<and>, C<or> and C<not> aren't just in the above table as descriptions
-of the operators -- they're also supported as operators in their own
+of the operators. They're also supported as operators in their own
right. They're more readable than the C-style operators, but have
different precedence to C<&&> and friends. Check L<perlop> for more
detail.)
also available from CPAN.
To learn how to install modules you download from CPAN, read
-L<perlmodinstall>
+L<perlmodinstall>.
To learn how to use a particular module, use C<perldoc I<Module::Name>>.
Typically you will want to C<use I<Module::Name>>, which will then give
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