while(<TMP>) {
    ($receiver,$uptime) = split;
    if ($DEBUG == 'TRUE') {
      # test split values, make sure you've 
      #  printed a header already
      print "testing: reciever = $reciever : uptime = $uptime<BR>";
    }
    push @dataset, $uptime;
    push @labels, $receiver;
}
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For maderman 's particular problem, I don't think your "debug" print out would tell him anything useful.

I think I would do

   my $output = `uptime.pl`; # or qx/ /
   print $output
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or

   my $exit_status = system( "uptime.pl" );
   print $exit_status;
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first to make that the uptime.pl script is in fact running

well.. @lables is being populated, so it looks like the file is being run.. the problem seems to be with the split.. so my method is check what return values from split are...it's just a debugging method to see what's coming from the split.. one step closer to getting it to run..
-Syn0

I don't think this is the case: If the main script is getting the @labels array okay, then it should also get @dataset.

you might want to read perlopentut's ( do perldoc perlopentut ) Pipe Open section, which talks about the diffictulties in finding if a command opened through open() failed or not

I tend to think that since it worked from your command line and not the CGI, the user id for httpd doesn't have the proper permissions or something of that sort.

My $0.02

@test = `uptime.pl`;
foreach (@test) {
  print "$_<BR>";
}
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Yeah, i should have noticed that in the first place, your arrays are getting populated correctly, but with unexpected data (i.e. your not explicitly setting the 0's, so uptime is returning 0's to you).. so the culprit must be how uptime.pl is running. I don't have the library installed, but I'll take a gander at the code if you'd like (uptime.pl)..
you can email me at synapsezero@yahoo.com or possibly post it here..
g'luck either way..
-Syn0

Hi all, well I have the problem solved. The script uptime.pl is appended below in it entirety. The problem lies with the @db array (populated by 'more-ing' it). From this array I want $db$i+16 and $db$i+17. From the command line, the program works and I get what I want. But when uptime.pl is accessed from a CGI script, $db$i+16 and $db$i+17 are returning different data and so the script sets @dataset values to '0'. If I change the @db indicies to $db$i+18 and $db$i+19, then I get what I want. Looks like through CGI, I get some extra lines added to the more'd file. Anyway, to avoid this, I have incorporated uptime.pl into the main CGI script (don't know why I didn't do that in the first place!). Thank you all for your help. Regards, Stacy.

#!/usr/local/bin/perl
use Date::Calc qw(Delta_DHMS);

@receivers = qw(70CM
                50CM
                H-OH
                MULTIBEAM
                GALILEO
                MULTIBAND
                METHANOL
                K-BAND);

$dbfile   = 'rxdb.dat';

#Get last modify time of DB file rxdb.dat

$mtime = (stat("$dbfile"))[9];
($fsec,$fmin,$fhour,$fmday,$fmonth,$fyear) = 
 localtime($mtime);

#Get current time

($nsec,$nmin,$nhour,$nmday,$nmonth,$nyear) = 
 (localtime(time))[0..5];

#Get current time

($nsec,$nmin,$nhour,$nmday,$nmonth,$nyear) 
 = (localtime(time))[0..5];

#Open DB and see if receivers are present and available

foreach $package (@receivers) {
  
  open(DB, "$dbfile") or die "Can't open $dbfile!: $!";
  
  $i = 0;
  while ($line = <DB>) {
    if ($line =~ m/package(\s+)= $package/i) { last }
    $i++;
  }
  
  close(DB);
  
  #$i lists the 'package =' line of the receiver we
  #want. To determine if it is present and available,
  #we require 'yes' to be found on lines $i+18 and
  #$i+19
  
  @db = `more $dbfile`;
  
  if ($db[$i+18] =~ m/yes/ && $db[$i+19] =~ m/yes/) {
    
 #Selected receiver is present & available.
 #Calculate difference between file date and current date.
    
 ($days, $hours) = 
  Delta_DHMS(
  $fyear+1900, $fmonth+1, $fmday, $fhour, $fmin, $fsec, 
   $nyear+1900, $nmonth+1, $nmday, $nhour, $nmin, $nsec);
    
    $total = sprintf "%3.0f", ($days*24)+$hours;
  } else {
    $total = 0;
  }
  
  print "$package $total\n";
  
}
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