incidentally, i have found the Log::LogLite module helpful for logging

Should not have a problem. (Obviously you can wrap this in a class.)

use strict;
use warnings;

open_log();
a();
b();
close_log();

sub a {
    logging("Entering a\n");
    logging("Entering a\n");
}

sub b {
    logging("Entering b\n");
    logging("Entering b\n");
}

sub logging {
    print LOG shift;
}

sub open_log {
    open(LOG, ">", "log");
}

sub close_log {
    close LOG;
}
[download]

This gave me:

Entering a
Entering a
Entering b
Entering b
[download]

You ought to check open(), print(), and close() for success. Also, did you mean the second logging() calls in the subs to be "Leaving ..." rather than "Entering ..."?

ihb

See perltoc if you don't know which perldoc to read!
Read argumentation in its context!

It would be easier to help if we could see some code. Are sure that you didn't make a lexical filehandle?

i.e. open(my $fh, ">logfile")

...or did you localize the filehandle, 'local IN', ?

After typing out an example, I noticed what my problem was. I had the open nested in an IF that rarely would be used.] God knows what I was thinking and I'm sorry for wasting your time. :)

If it helped you solve the problem, even indirectly, it wasn't wasted time. Sometimes it just takes a second set of eyes or a question from somebody else to help you see the solution/problem. Funny how that works... =8^)