All I can suggest is comment, comment, comment.

But let's look at some code. Your first snippet is

my $sth = $dbh -> prepare("insert into table1 (col1, col2, col2) value
+s (?, ?, ?)");
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This wraps a little ugly; I'd change it to

my $sth = $dbh->prepare(
  "insert into table1 (col1, col2, col2) values (?, ?, ?)");
[download]

That way, the entire SQL statement is on a line by itself. A little lower you have

my $updater = $dbh -> prepare("update table1 set col1 = ?, col2 = ?, c
+ol3 = ? where col1 = ? and col2 = ? and col3 = ?");
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I'd change that to

my $updater = $dbh -> prepare(
"update table1 set col1 = ?,    col2 = ?,    col3 = ? \
             where col1 = ? and col2 = ? and col3 = ?");
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That makes the variables all line up (I know, it's not to everyone's taste.) Although I ponder at the logic of that statement .. if the row values are already set to those values, what good is setting them to those same values? Usually when I do an update, I get an id value for the row that I'm going to change, and do something like

my $updater = $dbh->prepare(
"update table1 set col1 = ?, col2 = ?, col3 = ? where id = $ID");
[download]

Generally I believe you want to use placeholders like ? when you are going to be inserting or updating many rows. For one-offs it isn't really necessary.

In general style terms, I try to stick with an 80 character limit on line lengths. I may have a big monitor now, but maybe later I'll have to look at my code on my client's 14" screen in character mode. Then I be lookin' stoopid.

Make your code as readable as possible -- if you can't read your own code in three months time, what chance does anyone else have?

--t. alex

"Excellent. Release the hounds." -- Monty Burns.