Thanks all for the helpful info. pc88mxer (and all) just wondering if you could comment on my below points/questions : 1) when I create a module that I include in the main script using "use" I end up requiring Exporter in the module that (I guess) provides a means to exporting everything into my main script. If I were to exclude the Exporter what "use" would use Module be in my main script? 2) since BEGIN { require Module..... } mimics a "use" statement is it because BEGIN happens at compile time like the use forcing the time of evaluation for the require? 3) without using require or importing is there is way to still use the modules effectively? Sorry for the elementary questions, just trying to get a thorough understanding of what each does and where each can or cannot be used. Thanks so much again. Rob