Just a minor nitpick that is always worth to repeat, IMHO: $a should not be used as a general purpose variable -- see sort.

Update: (especially for those who didn't like this post) sauoq explained in greater detail the potential issues with using $a and $b as general purpose variables. He also pointed out that, as is well known, in most cases it won't do much harm. However it was apparent that the person I was answering to was not aware of them and the OP appeared to be a newbie. So, in this context, I'm still convinced it was an important circumstance to bring to their knowledge. Sad to notice more than one's mileage does vary...

In reply to Re^2: Split a string into items of constant length by blazar
in thread Split a string into items of constant length by Anonymous Monk

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