Advanced Perl Programming Course
This four-day course offers many benefits for companies that do a significant amount of Perl programming.
Several chapters teach advanced productivity features of the Perl language itself, including debugging techniques, sophisticated list usage, code references, tied variables, and effective package use. This Advanced Perl course puts programmers on very solid ground for doing object-oriented programming in Perl.
Programmer productivity increases tremendously by reusing modules written by others, so this course teaches how to find, install, and use libraries of routines from the thousands of freely available Perl modules on the Web. Students learn how to use SQL to access relational databases (such as Oracle) with the DBI/DBD Perl modules – most production Perl programs need to do this, especially web-based back-end server programs. Students will also learn how to build graphical interfaces in Perl using the Perl/Tk module.
The Advanced Perl training course teaches several other productivity features as well, including extending Perl with C/C++, embedding the Perl interpreter in another language, documentation with POD directives, module development and distribution, and advanced Perl design and implementation considerations.
Advanced Perl Programming Training Course
Advanced Perl Programming Course – PRL102 – 4 Days Request a Class Date
Students learn about advanced productivity features of the Perl language itself, including debugging techniques, sophisticated list usage, code references, tied variables, and effective package use.
Course ID: PRL102 Duration: 4 days
Audience: Application programmers, system administrators, web-site authors, webmasters, and UNIX/NT power users.
Advanced Perl Programming Course Topics
Debugging
- Warnings
- Diagnostic Messages
- Carping, Confessing, and Croaking
- Strict Checks
- Compiler Pragmas
- Debugging Flags
- Your Perl Configuration
- The Devel::Peek Module
- The Data::Dumper Module
Expert List Manipulation
- The grep Operator
- Lists, Arrays, and List Operators
- Context
- Context and Subroutines
- Initializing Arrays and Hashes
- Reference Syntax
- Auto-vivification
- Defined Values
- Other List Operators
- Usage of map, grep, and foreach
Blocks and Code References
- Blocks
- Subroutines
- Subroutine Prototypes
- Code Refs and Anonymous Subroutines
- Typeglobbing for the Non-Squeamish
- Local (Dynamic) Variables
- Lexical Variables
- Persistent Private Subroutine Variables
- Closures
- The eval Operator
- The Block Form of eval
- The String Form of eval
- Block Form of eval for Exception Handling
Packages
- Review of Packages
- BEGIN and END Blocks
- Symbol Tables
- Package Variables
- Calling Package Subroutines
- Importing Package Symbols
- Exporting Package Symbols
- Using the Exporter Package
- The use Function
- AUTOLOAD and @ISA
- AutoLoader and SelfLoader
Objects and Classes
- Object-Oriented Stuff
- Making Perl Object-Oriented
- References
- The bless Function
- So, What is a Blessed Thing Good For?
- Calling Class and Object Methods
- Object Methods
- Writing Classes
- Constructors
- Inheritance
- What Perl Does not Do
Tied Variables
- Why Use tie?
- Tying a Scalar
- Inside Tied Variables
- untie
- Tying an Array
- Tying Hashes
- Tie::Hash and Tie::Array
- Tying Filehandles
- What Are DBM, NDBM, GDBM, SDBM, etc?
- Using the DBM Modules
Installing and Using Perl Modules
- Laziness, Impatience, and Hubris
- CPAN
- Using Modules
- Installing a Perl Module
- Unpacking the Module Source
- The Configuration Step
- The Build Step
- The Test Step
- The Install Step
- Using CPAN.pm
- Using Module Documentation
Introduction to DBI/DBD
- The Old Way – DBPerls
- A Better Way – DBI/DBD
- Database Programming
- Handles
- Connecting to the Database
- Creating a SQL Query
- Getting the Results
- Updating Database Data
- Transaction Management
- Finishing Up
DBI/DBD SQL Programming
- Error Checking in DBI
- Getting Connected
- Drivers
- Using Parameterized Statements
- Statement Handle Attributes
- Other Handle Attributes
- Column Binding
- The do Method
- BLOBs and LONGs and Such
- Installing DBI Drivers
Introduction to Perl/Tk
- Tcl, Tk, Tcl/Tk, Tkperl, Perl/Tk, etc.
- Perl/Tk
- Creating a Perl/Tk Application
- GUI Programming Overview
- Adding Widgets
- Scrolled Widgets
- Configuring Widgets
- Menus
- More Fun with Menus
- Using FileSelect
Perl/Tk Programming
- Tk::Error and Tk::ErrorDialog
- Configuring Widgets
- Geometry Management
- Geometry Management with grid()
- The Frame Widget
- Defining Widget Callbacks
- Bindings
- Nonblocking I/O with fileevent()
- Tags
- Other Widgets
- Other Tk Commands
- Getting Tk
Extending Perl with C/C++
- Extending the Perl Interpreter
- Overview of Perl5 XSUBs
- Get Started with h2xs
- Set up the Perl Wrapper Class
- Write the XS Code
- The XS File
- Write Some Test Code
- What Do You Want?
- Returning Values on the Stack
- A Walk Through an XSUB
- Arguments to XSUBs
- Other h2xs Options
Embedding the Perl Interpreter
- Why Embed Perl?
- Embedding Perl in a C Program
- Compiling the Program
- perlmain.c
- Perl Data Types
- Macros and Functions
- Manipulating Scalars
- Memory Management
- Script Space
- Evaluating Perl Expressions
- Dynamic Loading
- Multiple Perl Interpreters
Module Development and Distribution
- Distributing Modules
- Get Started with h2xs
- Files Created by h2xs
- The Build Library (blib) Directory
- Unit Testing and test.pl
- Versions
- Using blib
- POD
- POD Translators
- Cutting a Distribution
- Other Niceties
- Makefile.PL
Design and Implementation
- Think First
- Object-Oriented Design
- Object-Oriented Development
- Library Modules
- Utility Programs
- Filters
- Performance
- Timing with Benchmark