@values = qw( 00 11 22 33 ); use Data::Dumper; print Dumper \@values; # generates the output: $VAR1 = [ '00', '11', '22', '33' ]; #### $values[6] = "66"; print Dumper \@values; # generates the output: $VAR1 = [ '00', '11', '22', '33', undef, ${\$VAR1->[4]}, '66' ]; #### $values[4] = "44"; print Dumper \@values; # generates the output $VAR1 = [ '00', '11', '22', '33', '44', undef, '66' ]; #### $values[1] = undef; print exists $values[1]; # generates the output: 1, i.e., the array slot contains the value 'undef'. #### delete $values[1]; delete $values[3]; print Dumper \@values; # generates the output: $VAR1 = [ '00', undef, '22', ${\$VAR1->[1]}, '44', ${\$VAR1->[1]}, '66' ]; #### $values[6] = undef print Dumper \@values; # generates the output : $VAR1 = [ '00', undef, '22', ${\$VAR1->[1]}, '44', ${\$VAR1->[1]}, undef ]; #### $values[0] = undef; $values[2] = undef; $values[4] = undef; print Dumper \@values; # generates the output : $VAR1 = [ undef, undef, undef, ${\$VAR1->[1]}, undef, ${\$VAR1->[1]}, undef ]; $values[1] = undef $values[3] = undef $values[5] = undef print join( "\n", \$values[0], \$values[1], \$values[2], \$values[3], \$values[4], \$values[5], \$values[6] ); # generates the output : SCALAR(0x8279dd4) SCALAR(0x81d64e0) SCALAR(0x8279d50) SCALAR(0x81d6294) SCALAR(0x8279d38) SCALAR(0x81d627c) SCALAR(0x8279e10) #### delete @values[0]; delete @values[1]; delete @values[2]; delete @values[3]; delete @values[4]; delete @values[5]; delete @values[6]; print Dumper \@values; # generates the output : $VAR1 = [];