my %smilies = ( # ':)' => 'smile.gif', # ';)' => 'wink.gif', ':rolleyes:' => 'biggrin.gif' ); my $pattern = join '|', map quotemeta, keys %smilies; sub ascii_to_img { my $text = shift || return ''; $text =~ s/($pattern)/$1/g; return $text; }