Note, it also "doesn't work" to interpolate an object method call within a string like you're doing. In other words, "epoch $s->mtime()" (notice the function call interpolated within quotes) doesn't interpolate as a funciton call, it interpolates as "epoch File::stat=ARRAY(0x28fbe6c)->mtime()". In other words, $s is interpolated, but not dereferenced as a method call. It does work to say ParseDateString( "epoch " . $s->mtime() );

This means that on second thought, you don't have a Date::Manip bug there, but rather, a bug in your own script, relying on a function of string interpolation that isn't there. See the following example:

use strict;
use warnings;

use File::stat;
use Date::Manip;


my $st = stat( 'router.pl' ) or die "Bleah: $!\n";

my $secs = $st->mtime();
print "Your method of interpolation: $s->mtime()\n"; # See?  Wrong.

print "Stat info = ", 
      scalar localtime( $secs ), 
      "\n";  # This is just a reality check.
print "Using the 'epoch' method: ",
      ParseDateString( "epoch $secs" ), 
      "\n";  # This works correctly now.
print "DateCalc method = ", 
      DateCalc( "Jan 1, 1970  00:00:00 GMT", $secs ),
      "\n";  # And this works correctly too.
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Hope this helps. :)

Cool, so I've got the option of

printf "%s: Age [%s], size [%d]\n", $farm, ParseDateString("epoch" . $
+s->mtime()), $s->size();

# the above line does the same thing as the next 4 commented lines
#    printf "%s: Age [%s], size[%s]\n", 
#       $farm,
#       DateCalc( "Jan 1, 1970  00:00:00 GMT",$s->mtime() ),
#       $s->size();
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in my code right now, both are fairly clean looking... but now I need to do some formatting... all I really want to do is add a space between date and time... but also might want to add some / between the date -> YYYY/MM/DD or something like that... Any suggestions on the easiest way? (if you point me at good documentation that's suitable... my perl books are still packed away at the parent's house, so I won't be able to get at them for another 2-3 days)