#!/usr/local/bin/perl -w     # GOOD!

 open(HIPORT,"eq010125.txt");
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Please check the error from your file open. What if it fails? open(HIPORT,"eq010125.txt") or die "Couldn't open file, $!"; However, your main problem is that you are assigning the contents of your file to a scalar - $file.
$file = <HIPORT>; You definitely don't want to do that. @file = <HIPORT>; will suck the contents of the file into an array for you. I strongly suggest that you start off with code that reads your file line by line. You are trying to do far too much work. Use the program I have posted or any one of the similar programs that others have put up. :)