<ul><h2><a name=2> * PERL TUTORIAL: A BASIC PROGRAM * </a></h2></ul>


   Here is the basic perl program that we'll use to get started.

#!/usr/local/bin/perl
#
# Program to do the obvious
#
print 'Hello world.';           # Print a message

   Each of the parts will be discussed in turn.


<ul><h2><a name=3>The first line</a></h2></ul>

   Every perl program starts off with this as its very first line:

#!/usr/local/bin/perl

   although this may vary from system to system. This line tells the
   machine what to do with the file when it is executed (ie it tells it
   to run the file through Perl).


<ul><h2><a name=4>Comments and statements</a></h2></ul>

   Comments can be inserted into a program with the # symbol, and
   anything from the # to the end of the line is ignored (with the
   exception of the first line). The only way to stretch comments over
   several lines is to use a # on each line.

   Everything else is a Perl statement which must end with a semicolon,
   like the last line above.


<ul><h2><a name=5>Simple printing</a></h2></ul>

   The print function outputs some information. In the above case it
   prints out the the literal string Hello world. and of course the
   statement ends with a semicolon.

   You may find the above program produces an slightly unexpected result.
   So the next thing to do is to run it.