14 Files/folders

<    open for reading - default
>    open for writing
>>   open for appending
+<   open for both reading and writing
+>   open for both reading and writing

| (before file name)   treat file as command into which Perl is to pipe text
| (after file name)    treat file as command from which input is to be piped to Perl


<>   # special operator for reading from files
    # returns 1 line if used in scalar context
    # returns all lines is used in array context


--- open for reading:
open (filehandle, pathname)          # make up your own name for filehandle
open (Handle, "file.txt" )            # returns nonzero value if open is successful
open (Handle, "file.txt" ) || die     # right side is not executed if open is successful
open (Handle, 'c: \t emp \f ile.txt' )    # note single quotes that allows use of backslash
                                    # if Handle is re-used, old file is closed

close (Handle)                     

$filedata = < fHandle >          # read one line from the file into the scalar $filedata
@filedata = < fHandle >          # read all lines from the file into the array @filedata

<> angle operator used for reading / writing files
$c =< STDIN > ;       # reads from a keyboard (also gets the newline character)
chomp $c ;         # removes the newline character

while ( defined ( $a =< MYFILE > ))
   { print $a ; }

while ( < MYFILE > )               # while puts input line int0 special variable $_ until EOF
   { print $_ ; }

--- open for writing:
open (filehandle, ">pathname" )       # open to overwrite
open (filehandle, ">>pathname" )      # open to append

--- write to file:
print MYFILE LIST                    # no comma (except in list)

--- File Test Operators:
$a = ( - e 'file.txt' )       # True if file exists
$a = ( - s 'file.txt' )       # returns size of file in bytes
$a = ( - d 'c: \t emp' )        # True if 'c:\temp' is a directory

--- rename a file:
rename ( $old , $new );

--- to delete line at end of a file, use 'tell' and 'truncate' statements

--- read a single character from a file:   use the 'getc' function