3 files changed, 102 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/blog.txt b/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/blog.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a03a6fdaef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/blog.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+http://ccgi.campbellsmiths.force9.co.uk/challenge/248
diff --git a/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/perl/ch-1.pl b/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/perl/ch-1.pl
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..da6e352ff5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/perl/ch-1.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl
+
+use v5.26;    # The Weekly Challenge - 2023-12-18
+use utf8;     # Week 248 task 1 - Shortest distance
+use strict;   # Peter Campbell Smith
+use warnings; # Blog: http://ccgi.campbellsmiths.force9.co.uk/challenge
+
+shortest_distance('loveleetcode', 'e');
+shortest_distance('We wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year!', 'a');
+shortest_distance('zoos contain animals', 'z');
+shortest_distance('tornadoes have a vortex', 'x');
+shortest_distance('xylophones and zithers', 'q');
+
+sub shortest_distance {
+	
+	my ($string, $char, @letters, $last, @count, @dist, $j, $count, $i, $k);
+	
+	($string, $char) = @_;
+	
+	# initialise
+	@letters = split('', $string);
+	$last = @letters - 1;
+	$dist[$_] = 999 for 0 .. $last;
+	$count = 999;
+	
+	# go along string forwards and backwards
+	for $k (0, 1) {
+		for $j (0 .. $last) {
+			$i = $k ? $j : $last - $j;
+			
+			# if we've found a $char reset count to 0
+			if ($letters[$i] eq $char) {
+				$count = $dist[$i] = 0;
+				
+			# or save the distance to the nearest $char	
+			} else {
+				$count ++;
+				$dist[$i] = $count if $count < $dist[$i];
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	say qq[\nInput:  \@string = '$string', \$char = '$char'];
+	say qq[Output: ] . ($dist[0] != 999 ? join(', ', @dist) : qq['$char' does not occur in '$string']);	
+}
diff --git a/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/perl/ch-2.pl b/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/perl/ch-2.pl
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..eecc457542
--- /dev/null
+++ b/challenge-248/peter-campbell-smith/perl/ch-2.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl
+
+use v5.16;    # The Weekly Challenge - 2023-12-18
+use utf8;     # Week 242 task 2 - Submatrix sum
+use strict;   # Peter Campbell Smith
+use warnings; # Blog: http://ccgi.campbellsmiths.force9.co.uk/challenge
+
+submatrix_sum([1,  2,  3,  4],
+              [5,  6,  7,  8],
+              [9, 10, 11, 12]);
+submatrix_sum([37, 99, 43, 87, 22, 77,  0, 51, 20],
+              [18,  5, 67, 39, 52, 40, 39, 77,  1],
+			  [93, 45, 34, 87, 12, 34, 15, 90, 22],
+			  [11, 84, 45, 36, 75, 83, 40, 58, 89]);
+
+sub submatrix_sum {
+	
+	my ($in, $cols, $rows, $c, $r, $out, $chars, $max);
+	
+	# initialise
+	$in = \@_;
+	$cols = @{$in->[0]} - 1;
+	$rows = @$in - 1;
+	$max = 0;
+	
+	# loop over rows and columns calculating sum
+	for $r (0 .. $rows - 1) {
+		for $c (0 .. $cols - 1) {
+			$out->[$r]->[$c] = $in->[$r]->[$c] + $in->[$r + 1]->[$c] + 
+				$in->[$r]->[$c + 1] + $in->[$r + 1]->[$c + 1];
+			$chars = length($out->[$r]->[$c]);
+			$max = $chars if $chars > $max;
+		}
+	}
+	
+	# output the required data
+	print_matrix('Input:  [', $in, $max);
+	print_matrix('Output: [', $out, $max);
+}
+
+
+sub print_matrix {
+	
+	my ($legend, $matrix, $j, $out, $max);
+
+	($legend, $matrix, $max) = @_;
+	
+	# format rows of matrix	with numbers of equal width
+	$out = '';
+	for $j (0 .. @$matrix - 1) {
+		$out .= qq[$legend] . join(', ', @{$matrix->[$j]}) . qq(]\n);
+		$legend = '        [';
+	}
+	$out =~ s|(\d+)|sprintf("%${max}d", $1)|ge;
+	say $out;
+}
+		
+\ No newline at end of file