This looks very much like a "Character Separated Values" file (CSV). This is a very common file format (Excel spread sheets for example) and Perl has great tools for dealing with CSV file. Take a look at Text::CSV and see if that makes your life easier.

If you are thinking of moving the data into a database you may also find DBD::CSV a useful tool. DBD::CSV allows you to access a CSV file using DBI to give a SQL database interface to the file.

Optimising for fewest key strokes only makes sense transmitting to Pluto or beyond

In reply to Re: Count number of characters in a DATA block by GrandFather
in thread Count number of characters in a DATA block by Trudge

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