{
  $path = &launderFile($path);
  $ENV{PATH} .= ":$path";   # add the path we found to the environment variable
  delete @ENV{qw(IFS CDPATH ENV BASH_ENV)};   # Make %ENV safer
  $command = &launderName($command);
  if (defined($output) && $output ne '') {
    if ($output eq $OUTHANDLER) {   # output is directed to a filehandler and returned as an array
      if (! open(CMD, "$command 2>&1 |")) {
        warn "In performLocalCommand(): Can't open $command for reading: $!";
        return;
      }
      &do_something();
    } else {
      ...
    }
  } else {   # ignores command output
    ...
  }
}