iteration within .tpl file

System

I'm using TST5.5.2 on Win2K.

In my .tpl file the <iw_iterate> tag doesn't seem to have any effect on the outcome of the template. Only the first instance of the replicant item is displayed. And this is regardless, whether I use <iw_perl> containing iwpt_output commands, or using simple HTML code with embedded <iw_value name="..."/> tags.
The documentation for iterations is very poor, I couldn't find a single simple working example.
I've also searched the Devnet excessively and it seems that quite a number of people seem to have problems working with iterations. I've implemented some of the "solutions" from other forum posts, with the same result.
Any help is greatly appreciated.