Hmm, sounds like maybe a 2-d data structure us what you want? (This code is untested)

# @lines is from the file
my @bigarray;   #the output array
foreach (@lines)
   {
   my @temp = split ':', $_;
   push @bigarray, \@temp;
   }
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now you have an array, @bigarray, where each element is a reference to an array containing all the stuff from one line. To access the inner arrays use syntax like this:

@{$bigarray[0]};     #access the first inner array
${$bigarray[2]}[3];  #access element 2,3
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the brackets are sometimes unnecessary but I recommend leaving them in for clarity.

There are many other ways to set/access references. Check out the perllol and perlref manpages.

When's the last time you used duct tape on a duct? --Larry Wall