$datafile = $ARGV[0];
chomp $datafile;

open (INPUT, $datafile) || die ("Unable to open $datafile");
@data = <INPUT>;
close INPUT;
    
@dim = split(/\,/, $data[0]);
$width = $dim[0];
$height = $dim[1];

@table = @data[1..$height];

for($row = 0; $row < $height; $row++) {
    for($col = 0; $col < $width; $col++) {
        $myString = $myString.$table[$row][$col];
    }

    $myString ="";  
}
[download]

15,10
ADESFJRASLXDFRT
QBRAINOUEWHGYED
RIRURLKUNGEASDV
NAOBXCSTACHUIOL
OJKDGKJGHJUINHR
AHRHOAIDFSETRGH
RXANOGSYEROGATS
TOUDOGSDSAVFTRY
UORTUOFRHRJUIKO
BTIARTHYEUVFGQA
Dogs, Cats
Train
[download]

Ok. Well @table = @data[1..$height]; may not be doing what you expect.
If you are unsure about your data structures or are just curious, then you can use Data::Dumper

use Data::Dumper;
$datafile = 'testdata.txt';
chomp $datafile;

open (INPUT, $datafile) || die ("Unable to open $datafile");
@data = <INPUT>;
close INPUT;
    
@dim = split(/\,/, $data[0]);
$width = $dim[0];
$height = $dim[1];

@table = @data[1..$height];
print Dumper(@table); die;

for($row = 0; $row < $height; $row++) {
    for($col = 0; $col < $width; $col++) {
        $myString = $myString.$table[$row][$col];
    }

    $myString ="";  
}
[download]

@table is not a multi-dimensional array (because of the way you tried to create it). Therefore, there is no such
$table[$row][$col]. Each element of @data is a single line of $datafile. @table = @data[1..$height]; is merely creating a new array which contains the same elements as @data.

I don't know exactly know what you are trying to do, but to get access to each byte of each element/row in @table, you can use substr(). You don't need a 2-dimensional array for that:

use strict;
use warnings;

my $datafile = $ARGV[0] || die "File to open was not provided!";
my @data;
open (DATA_FILE, '<', $datafile) || die ("Unable to open $datafile");
    @data = <DATA_FILE>;
close(DATA_FILE);
    
my @dim = split /\,/, $data[0];
my $width = $dim[0];
my $height = $dim[1];

my @table;
push (@table, @data[1..$height]);

my $myString ='';
for(my $row = 0; $row < $height; $row++) {
    for(my $col = 0; $col < $width; $col++) {
        $myString .= substr($table[$row], $col, 1);
    }
    $myString ="";  
}
[download]

@table = @data[1..$height]; does exactly what he wants. There's no need to replace it with a push.
--
Online Fortune Cookie Search

argh!! you're right. for the section i showed you i don't need a 2 dimensional array. i didn't include all the code. what i'm trying to do (for a job interview) is take the entire table and search it... "Return the number of times you find each search word in the data. Words go forwards, backwards, horizontal, vertical and diagonal." i'll try your suggestion. i know i'm in over my head. i'm about to give up. -thanks

omg!!! that worked. thanks!!

That code leaves table as the one-dimensional array:

@table = (
"ADESFJRASLXDFRT\n"
"QBRAINOUEWHGYED\n"
"RIRURLKUNGEASDV\n"
"NAOBXCSTACHUIOL\n"
"OJKDGKJGHJUINHR\n"
"AHRHOAIDFSETRGH\n"
"RXANOGSYEROGATS\n"
"TOUDOGSDSAVFTRY\n"
"UORTUOFRHRJUIKO\n"
"BTIARTHYEUVFGQA\n"
);
[download]

But then you access it as if it were a two-dimensional array. (Your code actually will try to use symbolic references; you should enable strict so that when that happens by accident, you are alerted to it.)

So, you need to add the code that would turn the above into a two dimensional array. What is each column going to be?

You probably want to chomp(@data) after reading it to get rid of the newlines.

--
Online Fortune Cookie Search

ok. i see what you're saying. i tried chomping the newlines after i created the table but that still doesn't work. can you suggest a way i can create the table so that it is a 2 dimensional array.