Is there a reason you need a named filehandle? Reusing the same variable for the filehandle and the file name seems to be tripping you up. I'd write:

while (<FILE>)
{
    my $var_a = $_;
    my $var_b = "_INDEX";
    my $var_c = $_;
    $var_a =~ s/(^[A-Z]{4})(.*)/$1/;
    $comb = $var_a . $var_b;
    open (my $fh, "c:\\my\\dest\\dir\\" . $comb . "found.txt")
         or die "failure to create '$comb': $!\n";
    print $fh $var_c . "content detail for file found\n";
}
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Your $comb is not declared to satisfy strict,

# . . .
    my $comb = $var_a . $var_b;
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    open (my $fh, '>', "c:\\my\\dest\\dir\\" . $comb . "found.txt")
        || die "failure to create" . $comb;
    print $fh $var_c, "content detail for file found\n";
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First off, Thanks, for the feedback.

To answer Chromatics question:

I should preface that I am an Architecture graduate, who dabbles in code. I have had no formal training in coding... so if the following sounds, well just wrong, it just may be.
I want, to create then manipulate and finalize as one continuos process on several files at once. Logic being If I can access multiple files at the same time I can process things faster. Therefore using a fixed filehandle, seems limiting.
Figured since I could create the file and name it based on a predetermined content, then I could edit based on the file name. To allow other scripts to manipulate files I would need to use a unique FILEHANDLE to call on, a at-runtime-variable-filehandle keyed to the content would keep each file unique, baring duplicates.

My initial test script to test the at-runtime-variable-filehandle idea worked, yet with the strict pragma invoked the test script failed. Thus my confusion... and the need for help.

After some thinking time and some Perlref reading, I think I figured things out...
Using $::{'comb'} instead of $comb or '$comb' for the OPEN function.
Using { $::{'comb'} } instead of $comb for the PRINT function.
If I understand correctly, the use of $::{'comb'} derefences the content of the $comb variable.
My previous use of the $comb variable, in the OPEN function worked since the string was accepted, and a filehandle was created. In the PRINT function, which expects a FILEHANDLE but will accept a { block }, the string caused a compile error when using the STRICT pragma.
Now the following code works w/ the STRICT pragma:
As Zaxo pointed out my previous posting had some errors, I incorrectly copied the code. I tried to trim the code to just what is needed... for it to work. I still have a long way to go...


require("hlpsymbgen.config");        # general variables

use diagnostics;
use strict;

open (SCINDEX, "$::inputDir\\SymbolCategories.txt")
        || die "Failed to Open SymbolCategories.txt. \n";

my $comb; 

while (<SCINDEX>){
    my $cat_title = $_;
    my $var_c = $_;
    my $sufix = "_INDEX";
    if ($cat_title ne 'NULL' && $var_c =~ m/::/o == 0){
      $cat_title =~ s/(^[A-Z]{4})(.*)/$1/o;
      $cat_title =~ s/\n|\r//g;
      $cat_title =~ s/\s//g;
      $comb = $cat_title . $sufix;
      open ($::{'comb'}, ">$::outputDir\\" . $cat_title . "index.html"
+)
        || die "Failure to create" . $cat_title . "\n"; 
    print { $::{'comb'} } $var_c . "content detail for file found\n";
    close $::{'comb'};
    }
}
close SCINDEX;
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I don't know if the initial idea will work and I may end up having to use the fixed FILEHANDLE name. In the end whatever I end up with will be faster than doing by hand.
Thanks for the help.
joseph-