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How can I quote a variable to use in a regexp?

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How can I quote a variable to use in a regexp?

The Perl parser will expand $variable and @variable references in regular expressions unless the delimiter is a single quote. Remember, too, that the right-hand side of a s/// substitution is considered a double-quoted string (see the perlop manpage for more details). Remember also that any regexp special characters will be acted on unless you precede the substitution with \Q. Here's an example:

    $string = "to die?";
    $lhs = "die?";
    $rhs = "sleep no more";

    $string =~ s/\Q$lhs/$rhs/;
    # $string is now "to sleep no more"

Without the \Q, the regexp would also spuriously match ``di''.

Source: Perl FAQ: Regexps
Copyright: Copyright (c) 1997 Tom Christiansen and Nathan Torkington.

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