Is this the way to go? perl_len = (SvPOK(sv) ? SvCUR(sv) : strlen(SvPV(sv, Pl_na));
That is, if sv is a string, then use SvCUR, else use strlen on the stringified value? Or is there a direct function that I have missed? By the way, tangentially related: say that you have an interface that can pass a binary value to a database. If the value is a string I have a flag which determines whether the string is taken as a binary value or a hex string. But what if I get a numeric value? Would the called expect that to be take as four-byte binary value? Currently, I'm stringfying it, but maybe that is silly? -- Erland Sommarskog, Stockholm, [EMAIL PROTECTED]