Thanks for the reply. I've modified the code per your input. with return 1; it loops back to the: #chomp $_; if ( $id eq $_ ) with just return; it falls out of the subroutine with the error: Use of uninitialized value in numeric eq (==) at esdeploy_new.pl line 184 Calling the code with: *$currentid = SMITHJO* and @deployedfile contains SMITHJO and SMITHJA*

if ( CheckDeployed( $currentid ) == 0)
       {
         # do something
       }
[download]

sub CheckDeployed
{
 #chomp (my $id = $_);
 my $id = shift;
 my $deployedcounter = 0;
 foreach (@deployeduid)
 {
  #chomp $_;
  if ( $id eq $_ )
    {
      print "I found $id in the deployedfile with the timestamp of $de
+ployedtimestamp[$deployedcounter]\n";
      my $temptime = time;
      my $comparetime = ($temptime - 86400 * 3);

          if ($deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounter] < $comparetime)
            {
            my $oldtime = $deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounter];
            chomp ($deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounter] = $temptime);
            print TEMPDEPLOYED "$id $deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounte
+r] 2\n" or die $!;
            return "0";
            } else {
            chomp $deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounter];
            print TEMPDEPLOYED "$id $deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounte
+r] 1\n" or die $!;
            return 1;

            }
           $deployedcounter++;
          }  elsif ( $_ ne "" )
              {
                #reserved 
               }
      $deployedcounter++
      }
      my $temptime = time;
      chomp ($deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounter] = $temptime);
      print TEMPDEPLOYED "$id $deployedtimestamp[$deployedcounter] 1\n
+" or die $!;
      return "2";
   }
[download]