Excellent post Tuna. There is also Ovid's before you post ... with a focus on reducing a problem prior to posting, and my own On asking for help which is long, but neglects to discuss any write-up formatting issues. Now, if we could just get all these (and perhaps any others I am neglecting) compiled in a single 'first time' faq and linked to from the Perl Monks Site FAQ or Site How to that would be a good thing. Though it may just be wishful thinking that it would help, as it is plainly obvious that many newcomers do not read the site faq (which has write-up formatting tips right at the top) and learn about code-tags after their first post.