How do I store an array as a value in a Perl hash?

Question

I\'m trying to create a hash in Perl, whose values are arrays. Something like:

my @array = split(/;/, \'1;2\');
my $hash = {\'a\' => @array};

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Answer 1

The values of hash (and array) elements are scalars, so you can't store an array into a hash.

The following are all equivalent:

my $hash = { a => @array };
my $hash = { 'a', @array };
my $hash = { 'a', $array[0], $array[1] };
my $hash = { a => $array[0], $array[1] => () };

A common solution is to store a reference to the array.

my @array = split(/;/, '1;2');
my $hash = { a => \@array };   # my $hash = { a => [ '1', '2' ] };

[ LIST ] similarly create an array, assigns LIST to it, then returns a reference to the array.