Prints a string or a list of strings. Returns true if successful.
FILEHANDLE may be a scalar variable containing the name of or a reference
to the filehandle, thus introducing one level of indirection. (NOTE: If
FILEHANDLE is a variable and the next token is a term, it may be
misinterpreted as an operator unless you interpose a +
or put
parentheses around the arguments.) If FILEHANDLE is omitted, prints to the
last selected (see select) output handle. If LIST is omitted, prints
$_
to the currently selected output handle. To use FILEHANDLE alone to
print the content of $_
to it, you must use a real filehandle like
FH
, not an indirect one like $fh
. To set the default output handle
to something other than STDOUT, use the select operation.
The current value of $,
(if any) is printed between each LIST item. The
current value of $\
(if any) is printed after the entire LIST has been
printed. Because print takes a LIST, anything in the LIST is evaluated in
list context, including any subroutines whose return lists you pass to
print. Be careful not to follow the print keyword with a left
parenthesis unless you want the corresponding right parenthesis to
terminate the arguments to the print; put parentheses around all arguments
(or interpose a +
, but that doesn't look as good).
If you're storing handles in an array or hash, or in general whenever you're using any expression more complex than a bareword handle or a plain, unsubscripted scalar variable to retrieve it, you will have to use a block returning the filehandle value instead, in which case the LIST may not be omitted:
Printing to a closed pipe or socket will generate a SIGPIPE signal. See perlipc for more on signal handling.