After reading dragonchild's reply, I have to agree - reading perldoc perlre, checking the Categorized Questions and Answers, and Super Searching are always good places to start. It is like the saying goes Give a man a fire and he stays warm for the day, set a man on fire and he is warm for the rest of his life give a man a fish and he is full for a day, teach a man to fish and he never goes hungry.