sub return_mode {  
    my $mode = shift;  
    my @modelist = (($mode & 7000)>>9, ($mode & 0700)>>6, ($mode & 007
+0)>>3, ($mode &0007));  
    return join('', @modelist);  
}  

print return_mode (07777), "\n";
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prints 5777 on my machine. Nuff said. Your code has 7000 where it needs 07000.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker