in reply to understanding scope and () and {}

The OP with formatting: 

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

use Email::Sender::Simple qw(sendmail);
use Email::Simple;
use Email::Simple::Creator;

open (IN, 'top.log');
$input=<IN>;
print $input;
$lngth=length($input);
print $lngth;
$load = substr($input,16,4);
print $load;
$value=.1
if ($load > $value) {
#  print "$load greater than $value";
  my $email = Email::Simple->create(
    header => [
      To      => '"Hardy Cherry" <hcherry@youngliving.com>',
      From    => '"Hardy Cherry" <hcherry@youngliving.com>',
      Subject => "Load g",
    ],
    body => "$load greater than $value.\n",
  );
  sendmail($email);
}

[download]
"my" variable $email masks earlier declaration in same scope at hcshor
+t.pl line 26.
syntax error at hcshort.pl line 15, near ") {"
syntax error at hcshort.pl line 28, near "}"
Execution of hcshort.pl aborted due to compilation errors.

[download]

I intend to use sendmail more than once but I'm a newbie in perl so I don't understand why I'm getting a syntax error and why the ()and {} seem to be ignored.

The problems stem from the missing semicolon after "$value=.1". Perl is seeing the following (which is perfectly legitimate): 

$value=.1 if ($load > $value)

[download]

That can't be followed by an opening brace, so Perl gives a syntax error 'near ") {"'. Been there, done that.

In Section Seekers of Perl Wisdom