%xyz is a 3-dimensional data structure, whose outer 2 layers are hash, and inner layer is array. Thus, to access an element in %xyz, you say: 
my $value = $xyz {level1_key} {level2_key} [index];

[download]
So, to push something into the inner array of %xyz, you say: 
push @{ $xyz {level1_key}{level2_key} }, $value;

[download]

Moreover, @item is a 2-D array. To access an element, you say: 
my $value = $item[index1][index2];

[download]
To get one inner dimension fully as array ref, you say: 
my $array_ref = $item[index1];

[download]
To get one inner dimension fully, you say: 
my @values = @{ $item[index1] };

[download]

So you may wonder: if say $xyz{$item[1]}, it is using an array ref's stringified name as a hash key. It is weird but might be ok, because perl will ensure that every ref's stringified name is unique.

In reply to Re: unclear what this means by llancet
in thread unclear what this means by desertman

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.