Aside from the hash algorithm changing (which shouldn't happen unless you change your perl), and barring any particularly bizarre things, you *should* be able to count on a consistant key ordering *if* you create the keys in the same order. Internally, perl copes with hash collisions (two keys hashing to the same numeric value) by sticking the offending value at the end of a linked list with the other, not-so-offending values. When it goes to assemble the list for the keys() function, it adds them in a linear fashion. So, if you have two keys that collide, keys() won't list them in the same order if they appear in a different order in the linked list. OTOH, if you sort the keys() list, they'll *always* be in the same order, so do that. =-)

~Cybercosis

nemo accipere quod non merere