# this sub takes named parameters:
sub restart_server {
	# the variables to store the parameter values in:
	my ($host, $port, $timeout);

	# extract the parameter values:
	get_named_params({
		host    => \$host,
		port    => \$port,
		timeout => \$timeout
		}, \@_
	);

	# ...
}

##</code><code>##

restart_server(
	-host    => $host,
	-port    => $port,
	-timeout => $timeout
); # works
restart_server(
	Host    => $host,
	Port    => $port,
	Timeout => $timeout
); # so does this...
restart_server(
	host    => $host,
	port    => $port,
	timeout => $timeout
); # and this...

##</code><code>##

restart_server({
	-host    => $host,
	-port    => $port,
	-timeout => $timeout
}); # works
restart_server([
	Host    => $host,
	Port    => $port,
	Timeout => $timeout
]); # so does this...

##</code><code>##

sub get_named_params
{
	my ($destinations, $arg_list) = @_;

	croak "Arguments weren't sent as a reference to a hash or array."
		unless (ref $arg_list eq 'ARRAY' or ref $arg_list eq 'HASH');
	
	# this will store a reference to a hash containing the named parameters
	# passed to your sub:
	my $params_hashref;
	if (ref $arg_list eq 'ARRAY')
	{
		if (@$arg_list == 1)
		{
			# The callers of your sub can optionally pass their
			# named parameters as a hash or array references, in
			# which case @_ contains the reference as its first and
			# only element:
			my $ref      = $$arg_list[0];
			my $ref_type = ref $ref;

			croak(
				'Odd number of arguments sent to sub ' .
				'expecting named parameters.'
			) unless $ref_type;

			croak (
				"Bad refernce type \"$ref_type\" for named " .
				"parameters. Pass them instead as either a " .
				"hash or array reference."
			) unless ($ref_type eq 'ARRAY' or $ref_type eq 'HASH');

			$params_hashref = (ref $ref eq 'ARRAY')
						? { @$ref }
						: $ref;
		}
		else
		{
			$params_hashref = { @$arg_list };
		}
	}
	else
	{
		$params_hashref = $arg_list;
	}



	my %name_translation_table;
	foreach my $destination_name (keys %$destinations)
	{
		my $stripped_name = strip_param_name($destination_name);

		$name_translation_table{$stripped_name} = $destination_name;
	}

	foreach my $supplied_name (keys %$params_hashref)
	{
		my $stripped_name = strip_param_name($supplied_name);

		next unless (exists $name_translation_table{$stripped_name});

		my $destination_name = $name_translation_table{$stripped_name};
		my $destination_ref  = $destinations->{$destination_name};

		$$destination_ref = $params_hashref->{$supplied_name};
	}
}





sub strip_param_name
{
	my $stripped_name = lc shift;
	   $stripped_name =~ s/_//g;
	   $stripped_name =~ s/^-//;

	return $stripped_name;
}