<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Folks,<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Thanks to Jacinta for her comments and suggestions. </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Jacinta tells me that my previous attempts that hurt her eyes, and that I am making it far more difficult than it needs to be. I fully sympathize. I feel like someone who is learning a foreign language, and when I try to say "bonjour", it comes across as "may the seed of your loins be fruitful in the belly of your woman". It is embarrassing; its not appropriate, not elegant and not robust. Finding a strategy that is succinct, elegant and robust has given me a three-month headache, which is why I have asked for your help.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I have revised my trial code according to Jacinta's comments, as attached. I have included some comments in the code in an attempt to explain to myself what I have done. I note Jacinta's preference to pass scalars into subs as values, not as references.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Again, I would appreciate any comments.</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Lucida Grande; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Lucida Grande; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Lucida Grande; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV>Martin</DIV><DIV>Visit my website...</DIV><DIV><A href="http://web.mac.com/martin_jacobs1"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">http://web.mac.com/martin_jacobs1 </SPAN></A></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN></SPAN></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>