Yes, I did test it. I see now how my test was flawed. Thanks.

This is another alternative, but I agree that I don't see what the advantage of this is over printf:

binmode STDOUT;
while( ... ) {
    my( $name, $home )= ...;
    formline "@<<<<<<<<<­<<<<<<<<< @<<<<<<<<<­<<<<<<<<\r", $name, $hom
+e;
    print $^A, $/; $^A= "";
}
[download]

This also suggested another "solution" that works but is quite undesirable due to it being fragile: Just include an extra literal carriage return on the end of each of the format's "picture" line(s) in the script's source code.

It only has "grafical" advantages over printf, and possibly only whilst writing the code, and only if parts of the format are conditionally present. You could design a complex format first, tweak it until you have the picture right. Then make all into formline statements and generate the final format on the fly. I have done so generating reports of SAP interface definitions, which are a great help if you have to deal with that monster software...

_($_=" "x(1<<5)."?\n".q·/)Oo.  G°\        /
                              /\_¯/(q    /
----------------------------  \__(m.====·.(_("always off the crowd"))."·
");sub _{s./.($e="'Itrs `mnsgdq Gdbj O`qkdq")=~y/"-y/#-z/;$e.e && print}