This sounds like it could be due to the evils of indirect object methods. Firstly make sure that the format() method is being called from an existent object e.g 
# this should create an object to work with
my $obj = Some::Module->new();
   # call the format() method on the $obj object
   $obj->format();

[download]
I don't think you really need to go into a debugger at this stage, especially with such a nice and descriptive warning message (which is further explained in perldiag). Perhaps if you just brushed up on your perl skills or read a couple of man pages[1] then you could crack the case of the missing object.
HTH

_________
broquaint

[1] check out Masem's excellent How to RTFM for further info on how to take advantage of perl's extensive docs

In reply to Re: Debugging Perl Program by broquaint
in thread Debugging Perl Program by pjbrenner

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