You're checking $! without checking whether the open() failed! From the documentation:

This means that the value of $! is meaningful only immediately after a failure: 

if (open(FH, $filename)) {
    # Here $! is meaningless.

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Liz

In reply to Re: unable to open existing file after trying to open a non-existing one by liz
in thread unable to open existing file after trying to open a non-existing one by monk_of_gaia

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