sub start_magick {
    use strict;
    use warnings;
    use 5.010;
    use Path::Class;
    use File::Copy "cp";

    my ($rvars) = shift;
    my %vars = %$rvars;

    # this is supposed to be instantiated once
    my @alphabet  = qw/a b c d e f g h j k m n p q r s t u v w x y z/;
    my $ref_alpha = \@alphabet;
    my $initial   = $alphabet[0];

    my $path1 = $vars{"to_images"};
    my $path2 = $vars{"to_magick"};

    #might need creating:
    my $return = mkdir($path2);
    say "return on mkdir is $return";

    #additions to main hash
    $vars{"target"}        = 100;          #k
    $vars{"bias"}          = 2;            #k
    $vars{"pixel_min"}     = 600;          #k
    $vars{"previous_file"} = $initial;
    $vars{"ref_alpha"}     = $ref_alpha;

    #get filenames minus directories
    my @basenames;
    opendir my $hh, $path1 or warn "warn  $!\n";
    while ( defined( $_ = readdir($hh) ) ) {
        next if ( $_ =~ m/^\./ );
        say "default is $_";
        push @basenames, $_;
    }
    @basenames = sort @basenames;
    for (@basenames){
        my $file1 = file( $path1, $_ );
        $_ =~ /(.*)\.(.*)/;
        my $ext  = $2;
        my $word = join( '', $vars{"previous_file"}, '.', $ext );
        my $next = next_file($rvars, $word);
        say "next is $next";
        $next =~ /(.*)\.(.*)/;
        my $newword = $1;
        $vars{"previous_file"} = $newword;
        my $file2 = file( $path2, $word );
        cp ("$file1","$file2");
}
}

sub next_file {
    use strict;
    use warnings;
    use 5.010;

    my ($rvars, $previous) = @_;
    my %vars = %$rvars;
    my $array_ref = $vars{"ref_alpha"};

##</code><code>##

default is Screenshot from 2014-08-21 13:10:18.png
default is Screenshot from 2014-09-25 17:14:08.png
default is Screenshot from 2014-08-21 13:22:42.png
default is zbears.jpg
default is yjj.jpg
Can't use an undefined value as an ARRAY reference at template_stuff/nibley1.pm line 116.
$