When I run your version of the BEGIN code

Where'd you see that?

I get Use of uninitialized value in string eq

That's what happens when you use a variable to which you never assigned a value.

Also, in both versions the script just ends (as opposed to terminating with an error).

How did you determine that (as oppose to running successfully with no output)? If it's true, maybe whatever is messing with your Perl to cause it to give a stack trace for warnings — where's that eval come from? — is also messing with the process replacing itself.

The whole point of placing the code in BEGIN is to get it to execute as early as possible, yet the code is at line 67 of the script. Move that to line 1! There's no point in doing work before this check since it restarts the process from scratch.

I was referring to Anonymous Monk and JavaFan's BEGIN code.

I have now moved the BEGIN to line 1. I thought it didn't matter where you put the BEGIN statement since it executed first at compile time? Obviously not!

I presumed the code had just 'stopped' since using perl -d it didn't allow me to step through the script - but when I checked the log files it had run.

The weird thing is when I include the line

    "unless( $ENV{+ __FILE__ } eq __FILE__ ){"
[download]

from AnonymousMonks code (below:)

BEGIN {
    unless( $ENV{ +__FILE__ } eq __FILE__ ){
        delete $ENV{LIBPATH};
        $ENV{ +__FILE__ } = __FILE__;
        exec $^X, __FILE__, @ARGV; 
   }
}
[download]

I get the uninitialised error message, I can't step through the code, but it connects and works, however
if I exclude the line, (as per JavaFans example here:),

BEGIN {
    if (exists $ENV{LIBPATH}) {
        delete $ENV{LIBPATH};
        exec $^X, __FILE__, @ARGV;
    }
}
[download]

I don't get the uninitialsed error, I can step through the script, but I can't connect!

I really don't understand what the line:

    "unless( $ENV{+ __FILE__ } eq __FILE__ ){"
[download]

is trying to do, but without it the solution doesn't work. They both delete the LIBPATH and both do the same exec, but only one works.

I could live without being able to step through the code in debug mode, although again, I don't understand why the inclusion of Anonymous Monks BEGIN code seems to disable debug mode.

I really do appreciate everyones patience.

I was referring to Anonymous Monk and JavaFan's BEGIN code.

But the code starts with first two lines

#!/usr/bin/perl --
BEGIN {
[download]

I thought it didn't matter where you put the BEGIN statement since it executed first at compile time? Obviously not!

Who told you that? Which line do you think gets executed first?

$ cat junk12.pl
warn "hello";
BEGIN { warn "hello "; }
warn "hello";
BEGIN { warn "hello "; }
warn "hello";
[download]

<Reveal this spoiler or all in this thread>

See also Execution order of END/CHECK vs BEGIN/INIT

I get the uninitialised error message,

Those are called warnings (see perllexwarn), and in order to get warnings, you have to specifically turn them on, which the code I posted did not do (you should do that in your code, ...).

I could live without being able to step through the code in debug mode, although again, I don't understand why the inclusion of Anonymous Monks BEGIN code seems to disable debug mode.

Wait, what? perldoc -f exec