SPUG: Search me...

[Steve Laybourn]

Hello again!
   Well, this is getting interesting...
   OK, a while ago I asked what was an alternative way of preventing 
duplicates from piling up as a result of using grep() on an array for 
several words. I was told that using a hash was such a way, and it works, 
but:
   It’s in an ASCII flat-file database, and only certain fields of the 
record are to be searched. I would be using the record ID as the hash key, 
since it’s an absolutely unique identifier for any record. The record ID is 
at the end of the record, so I could actually use a substr() method for 
getting the name for the hash key. Is there a way (if you know the symbol 
for the field separator) to be able to skip areas of the record without 
breaking it apart via split(), or would I have to break the record apart, 
join only the fields to be searched, and then run the grep()?
   I need to know at any time how many matches have in fact been processed 
so I can stop the results list from becoming too large. If I use a hash, can 
I use something like $#keys to find out how many keys have been registered 
for this search pass so I know whether or not to continue the search?
   I do so like talking in a group where the average IQ is well over a 
thousand...

   Be seeing you...
   Steve Laybourn

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