$VAR1 = {
          'data' => {
                      'dir1' => {
								  'fileA' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '61781' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 13
											},
								  'fileB' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'61799' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 12
										   }
							}
                      'dir2' => {
								  'fileC' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '12345' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 10
											},
								  'fileA' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'61439' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 5
										   }
							}
                    },
          'total' => {
                       'fileA' => 18,
                       'fileB' => 12
                       'fileC' => 10
                     }
        };

##</code><code>##

sub encode
{
    my ($path,$href) = @_;
    my @json_arr = JSON::PP->new->encode($href);
    return convert_file_to_arr($path,@json_arr);
}

##</code><code>##

sub decode
{
    my ($path,$href) = @_;

    unless (-e $path) {
        return 0;
    }

    my ($json_data,@jarr);
    convert_file_to_arr($path,\@jarr); # inserts lines as elements of array
    $json_data = (join "",@jarr);
    %{$href} = %{JSON::PP->new->decode($json_data)};
    return 1; 
}

##</code><code>##

sub merge_files_and_exec
{
    my ($path,$list_of_dirs,$data_href) = @_;
    foreach my $dir (@{$list_of_dirs})
    {
        decode($path,$data_href);
    }
}

##</code><code>##

$VAR1 = {
          'data' => {
                      'dir3' => {
								  'fileA' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '616161' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 6
											},
								  'fileD' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'54321' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 12
										   }
							}
                      'dir4' => {
								  'fileE' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '15151' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 3
											},
								  'fileA' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'1718' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 2
										   }
							}
                    },
          'total' => {
                       'fileA' => 8,
                       'fileD' => 12
                       'fileE' => 3
                     }
        };

##</code><code>##

$VAR1 = {
          'data' => {
                      'dir1' => {
								  'fileA' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '61781' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 13
											},
								  'fileB' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'61799' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 12
										   }
							}
                      'dir2' => {
								  'fileC' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '12345' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 10
											},
								  'fileA' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'61439' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 5
										   }
							}
                    },
                      'dir3' => {
								  'fileA' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '616161' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 6
											},
								  'fileD' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'54321' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 12
										   }
							}
                      'dir4' => {
								  'fileE' => {
											  'pid' => {
														 '15151' => 1
													   },
											  'total' => 3
											},
								  'fileA' => {
											 'pid' => {
														'1718' => 1
													  },
											 'total' => 2
										   }
							}
                    },
          'total' => {
                       'fileA' => 26,
                       'fileB' => 12
                       'fileC' => 10
                       'fileD' => 12
                       'fileE' => 3
                     }
        };