I am looking at the MasonX-Request-WithApacheSession module now, and will use it if I don't figure this out soon. I do like to understand things as best I can, though, which is worth some struggle. The items I add in that autohandler -- user permission level and group -- ARE saved, and the other info I want saved is visible at the end of that autohandler if I insert a print $session{SQLstatement} before the close of the autohandler. So that session value is not masked by the local *session; declaration in the init section, but they are also not saved as they are only around for that one request, while the above values persist. I do want to understand what is going on here with scoping, even if I use the module. thanks.