Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jpl-devvax!lwall
From: lwall@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: ignore write(HANDLE);
Keywords: perl write
Message-ID: <9609@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Date: 21 Sep 90 19:09:53 GMT
References: <261@carssdf.UUCP>
Reply-To: lwall@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Larry Wall)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Lines: 25

In article <261@carssdf.UUCP> usenet@carssdf.UUCP (John Watson) writes:
: I seem to be having a problem with even the simplest scripts that use
: the write stmt.  I do something like:
:   open(HNDL); $^ = 'TOP'; $~ = 'FMT'; write(HNDL); etc...
: and it does not write! (except sometimes), then later on in the same
: program it will work.  Once it starts working, it seems to be ok. Writing
: to stdout works more ofter it think.

That's because you're setting $^ and $~ for STDOUT, not HNDL.  Say

	open(HNDL) || die;
	local($oldhndl) = select(HNDL);
	$^ = 'TOP'; $~ = 'FMT';
	select($oldhndl);
	...
	write(HNDL);

or the way Randal will suggest:

	open(HNDL) || die;
	select((select(HNDL), $^ = 'TOP', $~ = 'FMT')[0]);
	...
	write(HNDL);

Larry