P[[bb]] $1: P $2: [bb] x[xx[x]] $1: x $2 xx[x] Z[[z]y] $1: Z $2: [z]y X[a[s]x] $1: X $2: a[s]x V[a[b[c[d]f]g]h] $1: V $2: a[b[c[d]f]g]h #### my ($key,$value)=($1,$2); $value=~s/^\[|\]$//g;