I appreciate all the help, this is useful stuff. However, I have a non-Perl question as relates to this thread... how has the Reputation on the originating thread wandered into the negative (-3 as of now)? I see no unpleasantness in it... have I adopted some irritating ways and then become blind to them? In what way is it deserving of disrepute? Let me know, so that I may not make the mistake again.