Is there some way using "format" that I can get a single character followed by a * with no spaces in between? This is the code I have now followed by the results. 
format LEVELS=
USGS @<<<<<<<<<<<<<< R=234* T=A* 235#@<<<<<<<* 709#@<<<* 234=L* 
$file2{$grid}, $date, $time, $level
USGS @<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 239=@*  
$file2{$grid}, $method
.

[download]
USGS 312232084391701 R=234* T=A* 235#20000601* 709#1200* 234=L*
USGS 312232084391701 239=S@*

What I want is the "239=S@*" to read "239=S*"

The character that goes into $method will always be a letter if that helps any. I'd appreciate any help with this.

In reply to Help using FORMAT by Gasp

Title:
Use:  <p> text here (a paragraph) </p>
and:  <code> code here </code>
to format your post, it's "PerlMonks-approved HTML":


  • Posts are HTML formatted. Put <p> </p> tags around your paragraphs. Put <code> </code> tags around your code and data!
  • Titles consisting of a single word are discouraged, and in most cases are disallowed outright.
  • Read Where should I post X? if you're not absolutely sure you're posting in the right place.
  • Please read these before you post! —
  • Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags:
    a, abbr, b, big, blockquote, br, caption, center, col, colgroup, dd, del, details, div, dl, dt, em, font, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, hr, i, ins, li, ol, p, pre, readmore, small, span, spoiler, strike, strong, sub, summary, sup, table, tbody, td, tfoot, th, thead, tr, tt, u, ul, wbr
  • You may need to use entities for some characters, as follows. (Exception: Within code tags, you can put the characters literally.)
            For:     Use:
    & &amp;
    < &lt;
    > &gt;
    [ &#91;
    ] &#93;
  • Link using PerlMonks shortcuts! What shortcuts can I use for linking?
  • See Writeup Formatting Tips and other pages linked from there for more info.