my $filename = shift @_;

  # or even
  my ($filename) = @_;

  # multiple arguments are best caught this way:
  my ($first,$second,$third) = @_;

  # but some folks prefer
  my $first  = shift;
  my $second = shift;
  my $third  = shift;

##</code><code>##

public static void do_something(String str) {
   System.out.println("got " + str);
}

public static void do_something(String str, int numb) {
   System.out.println("got " + str);
   System.out.println("got " + numb);
}

public static int do_something() {
   return 42;
}

##</code><code>##

sub do_it {
   my ($str,$numb) = @_;

   print "got $str\n"  if $str;
   print "got $numb\n" if $numb;

   return 42;
}

# and you call it like so:
do_it('Hello World');
do_it('lucky number',7);
print "the answer is ", do_it(), "\n";

##</code><code>##

def ask_ok(prompt, retries=4, complaint='Yes or no, please!'):
    while 1:
        ok = raw_input(prompt)
        if ok in ('y', 'ye', 'yes'): return 1
        if ok in ('n', 'no', 'nop', 'nope'): return 0
        retries = retries - 1
        if retries < 0: raise IOError, 'refusenik user'
        print complaint

quit = 0
while not quit:
   quit = ask_ok(prompt = 'Do you really want to quit?')

##</code><code>##

use strict;

use Sub::NamedParams qw(wrap);
wrap(
    'sub'     => 'ask_ok',
    names    => [qw(prompt retries complaint)],
    hashref  => 1,
    default  => {
      prompt    => 'Enter answer:',
      retries   => 4,
      complaint => 'Yes or no, please!', 
    }
);

sub ask_ok {
   my ($prompt,$retries,$complaint) = @_;
   {
      print $prompt;
      chomp (my $answer = <>);
      return 1 if $answer =~ /y\b|ye\b|yes\b/;
      return 0 if $answer =~ /n\b|no\b|nop\b|nope\b/;
      $retries--;
      die 'refusenik user' if $retries < 0;
      print "$complaint\n";
      redo
   }
}

my $quit;
while (not $quit) {
   $quit = ask_ok({prompt => 'Do you really want to quit?'});
}

##</code><code>##

use strict;
use base qw(Attribute::Default);

sub ask_ok : Default({ prompt=>'', retries=>4, complaint=>'Yes or no, please!' }) {
   my %arg = @_;
   {
      print $arg{prompt};
      chomp (my $answer = <>);
      return 1 if $answer =~ /y\b|ye\b|yes\b/;
      return 0 if $answer =~ /n\b|no\b|nop\b|nope\b/;
      $arg{retries}--;
      die 'refusenik user' if $arg{retries} < 0;
      print $arg{complaint}, "\n";
      redo
   }
}

my $quit;
while (not $quit) {
   $quit = ask_ok(prompt => 'Do you really want to quit?');
}