SPUG: question regarding using reg exp in "if" statements.

[Kevin Fink]

What you're looking for is:

if($string =~ /^\s*$/) { } else { }

^	Anchor to beginning of string.
\s*	Match zero or more instances of any string of whitespace
	characters.
$	Anchor at end of string.

Kevin

On Fri, 10 Sep 1999, Daniel V. Ebert wrote:

> I have written an "if" statement:
> 
> if ($string eq "") { whatever;}
> else{ something else;}
> 
> to check for blank entries in a form CGI.  This works except that " "  
> doesn't satisfy the if statemenet condition.
> 
> What I really want is (in plain English) is:
> if ($string is only white space)
> 
> I've tried stuff like:
> 
> if($string eq /\s/)
> if($string ne /\w/)
> if($string eq m/\s/)
> if($string ne m/\w/)
> etc.
> but they don't work.  I'm probably missing something obvious, but I can't  
> figure it out.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.
> 
> ---
> Dan Ebert <debert at seanet.com> or <mathin at mathin.com>
> Seanet Internet Services
> 
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