sub print_multiple {
        my $b = shift;

        for (1..$b->{'count'}) {
            print &format_string ($b), "\n";
        }
        return;
    }

    sub format_string {
        my $b = shift;

        my %templates = (
            'bold'   => '<b>%s</b>',
            'italic' => '<i>%s</i>',
        );
        return (
            sprintf (
                $templates{ $b->{'format'} }, 
                $b->{'string'}
            )
        );
    }

    $block = {
        'string' => "hello, world.",
        'format' => "bold",
        'count'  => 5,
    };
    
    &print_multiple ($block);