# e.g. $hosts{'DMZ Server'} = qr{(?i:server2)}; while( my ($name, $reg) = each %hosts ) { return $name if $x =~ $reg; } #### use MyHosts; while( my ($name, $reg) = each %MyHosts::hosts ) { } # ... package MyHosts; use strict; our %hosts = ( 'Server Name' => qr(?i:serverpattern), );