Perl 5 Pocket Reference [Paperback]

Johan Vromans (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For a quick overview of Perl and its functionality, methods, and functions, there's nothing better than this tiny volume.

Product Description

Revised to cover Perl version 5.005, this quick reference provides a complete overview of the Perl programming language, from variables to input and output, from flow control to regular expressions, from functions to document formats -- all packed into a convenient, carry-around booklet. This second edition includes a summary of Perl syntax rules and a complete list of operators, built-in functions, and standard library modules, all with brief descriptions. It also covers the newest Perl features, like enhanced regular expressions, multithreading, and the Perl compiler. The Perl 5 Pocket Reference is the perfect companion to Learning Perl, a carefully paced tutorial course by Randal L. Schwartz and Tom Christiansen, and Programming Perl, the complete, authoritative reference work coauthored by Perl developer Larry Wall, Christiansen, and Schwartz.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 71 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 2 edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565924959
• ISBN-13: 978-1565924956
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,842,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs updated, needs index, needs better organization, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Perl 5 Pocket Reference (Paperback)

As a Perl programmer I often need to look up a word or command to see how it is used. This reference makes it tough because it is organized by categories, instead of alphabetically. So if you're not sure what a command does - you'll look forever trying to find it. The book could also use a highlighted index along the side of the book like "Perl in a Nutshell" (This is the book you SHOULD get instead). They should expand the reference to include minor examples as well. Out of all the O'Reilly Perl books, this is the one I find myself going to the least - when it should be an indispensible reference...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most handy Perl book for an occasional Perl hacker., December 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Perl 5 Pocket Reference (Paperback)

This is a great little book for those who already know perl, but don't program in it enough to remember it all. I always carry it in my bag. Not the best book for the beginner.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good pocket-reference, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Perl 5 Pocket Reference (Paperback)

At $5-6, this is very affordable and a necessity when you work at more than one location (home and office) but only keep one set of books. Though sometimes cryptic with notations, I find it to be quite complete and easier to use than thumbing through a complete reference book.

The book does nothing more than nudge your memory and sometimes show you language features you knew nothing about. For the latter, a complete reference is required to use the feature (or some tedious experimentation). I expect nothing more from a pocket reference.

The author has grouped the language components into sections and there is a TOC. However, I would augment the TOC with an index - I tend to use a pocket reference to find a specific item rather than an entire group.

I would buy the next edition of the book if it were to contain an index and embolden the function names in certain sections to make scanning the pages a bit easier.