Perl is not C++. Perl is not Java. Perl is more like C, and C allows this behavior:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
   int a = 1;
   {
      int a = 5;
      printf("inside a = %d\n", a);
   }
   printf("outside a = %d\n", a);
}
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Personally, i think you might be wasting your time with this. I am not being mean, but maybe you should have coded this particular program in Java or C++. Use the right tool for the right job, don't change the tool because you may be using it for the wrong job. On another note, anytime i find myself wasting hours hunting down a bug, once i find it, i blame myself. ;)

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)