.= would work better so you're not overriding what you just read in.
However, you really want something like:
my $xlsfile = do {
local $\;
<XLSFILE>;
};
Or, just disregard everything and go with File::Slurp. :-)
Being right, does not endow the right to be rude; politeness costs nothing.
Being unknowing, is not the same as being stupid.
Expressing a contrary opinion, whether to the individual or the group, is more often a sign of deeper thought than of cantankerous belligerence.
Do not mistake your goals as the only goals; your opinion as the only opinion; your confidence as correctness. Saying you know better is not the same as explaining you know better.
