Question

How to check if a variable is defined and search for two patterns within an array using perl regex?

$/ = ""; # paragraph mode

__Data__
#SCSI_test         # put this line into  @arrayNewLines      
kdkdkdkdkdkdkdkd
dkdkdkdkdkdkdkdkd
- ccccccccccccccc  # put this line into @arrayNewLines


  while(<FILEREAD>)
  {
      chomp;
      my @arrayOld = split('\n',$_);

      foreach my $i (0 .. $#arrayOld) # using the foreach of index to remove the lines.
      {
            if($arrayOld[$i] =~ /-(.*)/ || /\#(.*)/)
            {
                 my @arrayNewLines = $arrayOld[$i];
                 splice @arrayOld,$i,1;             # remove lines from arrayOld
                 print "@arrayNewLines\n";
            }
                 print "@arrayOld\n";
      }
   }

This code does not work in terms of placing each type of – or # lines into the same @arrayNewLines array. It only works on the first (/-(.)/) pattern and does not work on the second (/#(.)/). I need it to search on both patterns and defined the $arrayOld[i] variable to prevent use of uninitiilize messages.
I want to defined

Answer 1

if($arrayOld[$i] =~ /-(.*)/ || /\#(.*)/)

This does not work the way you think it does, for the same reason that this wouldn’t either:

if($x == 1 || 2)

Use this instead:

if($arrayOld[$i] =~ /-(.*)/ || $arrayOld[$i] =~ /\#(.*)/)

Just as you’d use this:

if($x == 1 || $x == 2)