my $s = " [\n"; while (<>) { chomp; next if /^\s*$/; if ($. == 1) { $s .= " '$_',\n 3,\n"; next; } elsif ($. == 2) { $s .= " [\n"; } $s .= " '$_',\n"; } $s .= " ],\n"; $s .= " ],\n"; print $s;