c:\test>perl -l -0x3e -ane"@F||next; s/length=//for$F[1]; @F[5]=join'',@F[5..99]; $#F=5; print'>',join',',@F" junk.dat >G9JVYGV01AJE8V,135,xy=0104_0349,region=1,run=R_2011_09_20_15_00_06_,GGTGGTAGTGAAGAAGAGGAGATGAAAGTGGAAGAGGTTGAGGATGAGAAGGTTGAATTGGAAGAAGAAGATGAGAAGGTTGAAGTGGAAGATGAGAAGGTTGAAGTGGAAGAAGATGAAGTGGAAGAGAGGAGC >G9JVYGV01A4910,90,xy=0353_0150,region=1,run=R_2011_09_20_15_00_06_,GGTGCATGGCATTGTAGATGGTTGCTTGATAGTTGCCCATACGTGTACTACACTTGCAGAGTGAAGCAACCATCTACAATGCCATGCACC >G9JVYGV01A0SVP,70,xy=0302_0163,region=1,run=R_2011_09_20_15_00_06_,GCACCATTCAGCACAGATATAGTAGCCACATCAACACAAGTTACCTAACTATATCTGTGCTGAATGGTGC >G9JVYGV01A221U,89,xy=0328_0160,region=1,run=R_2011_09_20_15_00_06_,CTGGACATTTACATCCATAAGTAGGAGTTAGGACTCTGCACCAGCCTCTTGAGCTTGTGACGTCTCTTCTCCTCCTCCGGACTGGGACA >G9JVYGV01BVCPK,46,xy=0650_0134,region=1,run=R_2011_09_20_15_00_06_,GCAAGATCGCAAGCCAAGCAACGTTTCACGAACTGGCCAGAATGAG >G9JVYGV01AOU3I,81,xy=0166_0220,region=1,run=R_2011_09_20_15_00_06_,TCATTGACATCTGTGCAGCTGCAGGAGCGGATATGAGGAGATGGTTCTATCTGCACAGATGTCAATGAGTGTGACAGTGAT >G9JVYGV01A0JEL,61,xy=0299_0171,region=1,run=R_2011_09_20_15_00_06_,CGAGTGAAGGCATTGGTGATGCTGGTGTGAAGAGTGAGGGCATCGCCAATGCCTTCACTCG #### c:\test>perl -MO=Deparse -l -0x3e -ane"@F||next; s/length=//for$F[1]; @F[5]=join'',@F[5..99]; $#F=5; print'>',join',',@F" junk.dat BEGIN { $/ = ">"; $\ = "\n"; } LINE: while (defined($_ = )) { chomp $_; our(@F) = split(' ', $_, 0); next unless @F; s/length=// foreach ($F[1]); @F[5] = join('', @F[5..99]); $#F = 5; print '>', join(',', @F); } -e syntax OK