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From: roger@gtisqr.uucp (Roger Droz)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: question about using format
Message-ID: <1991Feb05.223438.15456@gtisqr.uucp>
Date: 5 Feb 91 22:34:38 GMT
References: <090557.28625@timbuk.cray.com> <COMPOSER.91Jan29110249@chem.bu.edu>
Organization: Global Tech International Inc.
Lines: 48

In article <COMPOSER.91Jan29110249@chem.bu.edu> composer@chem.bu.edu writes:
>In article <090557.28625@timbuk.cray.com> eric@redwood06.cray.com (Eric Markwardt) writes:
> > Date: 29 Jan 91 15:29:20 GMT
> >
> > I'm trying to get the current time displayed as part of part of 
> > my page header -- something like:
> >
> >    format pageheader =
> >	 The time is @>:@>
> >    $hour, $min
> >    .
> >
> > Is it possible to do this in a format, or do I need to mess around with 
> > using printf to create a correctly formatted string, which I then can
> > use in the format?
>
>You can kludge it a tiny bit, using sprintf with something like..
>
>	format pageheader =
>	    The time is @<<<
>	$time
>	.
>
>	$time = sprintf("%02d:%02d", $hour, $min);
>

I'm not sure this trick is even between the lines in the man page, but I
have had success using expressions (including subroutine calls) in
formats:

	format pageheader =
	    This time is @<<<<
	    sprintf("%-2.2d:%-2.2d", $hour, $min)
	.

I'm not a fan of using undocumented features, so I'd like the official
blessing of the Gurus before continuing to use expressions in formats.

____________
               Roger Droz       
()       ()    Maverick International / Global Technology International
 (_______)     Mukilteo, WA 
  (     )      
   |   |       Disclaimer: "We're all mavericks here: 
   |   |                    Each of us has our own opinions,
   (___)                    and the company has yet different ones!"

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