i really don't need a hash or array in this case.

if it were straight perl, i would have done:

foreach my $counterVar ( 1 .. 5 ) {
   $foo = "string" . $counterVar;
}
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the issue was with the TT meta-language, really. it *can* get a bit odd...

what i *do* need out of the suggestion is:

   [% SET FOO = 'string' _$n %]
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-- i do need to double-check the underscore location ... --

after reading the previous reply, the connection between TT's meta-language and 'core perl' kicked in.