PERL shift Function

Syntax

Definition and Usage

Returns the first value in an array, deleting it and shifting the elements of the array list to the left by one. If ARRAY is not specified, shifts the @_ array within a subroutine, or @ARGV otherwise. shift is essentially identical to pop, except values are taken from the start of the array instead of the end.

Return Value

• undef if the array is empty

• First element in the array

Example

Try out following example:

#!/usr/bin/perl

@array = (1..5);
while ($element = shift(@array)) {
    print("$element - ");
}
print("The End\n");

It will produces following result.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - The End