in reply to Formating question

From perldoc perlform:

With a "0" (zero) instead of the first "#", the formatted number will be padded with leading zeroes if necessary.

So change your format to

format STDOUT = @>>> @<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< @# @0 @#.### @# @0 @#.## @ @<<<<<<<<

If anyone needs me I'll be in the Angry Dome.