I'm sure that if the OP feels I have overstepped my bounds, s/he can speak up and say something. In this case, the words used by the OP, and the code s/he showed, created an ambiguity that could not readily be resolved. I chose one possibility, and responded to it. While my response was awkward insofar as Perl is concerned, and it made an assumption that might be false, it was the first one that actually tried to answer the OP's question. I at least made an effort to help someone, instead of criticizing him or her for real or imagined faults.

Now, tovarishch, I have had enough rudeness from you. If you choose to discuss matters with me in a civilized manner, I will be glad to do so. If you choose to continue to be rude, I won't reply, OK? Have a nice day.