use Data::Dumper;

my $cmd = "dfm host add [ -N ] [ -U <hostLogin> -P <hostPassword> ] { all |    <objects> ... | -H <hosting-storage-system> <vfiler> ... | -T <trip> | -S <saf> } <end>";

print "\nCMD : $cmd\n";
my $arg_hash = getCmdParams($cmd);
print Dumper ($arg_hash);

sub getCmdParams {

    my $cmd = shift;
    my @temp = split(/\s+/,$cmd);
    my (@param,@switch,@arg,@alt_par);
    my ($line,$alt_cnt);
    my @mandate = ();
    my @optional = ();
    my $alt_line = "";
    my %switch_param;
    my $switch_optional;

  foreach $line(@temp) {

# handle alternate options

        if ($line =~ /^\{/){

                $alt_cnt = 1;next;
        }

        $alt_cnt = 0 if ($line =~ /\}$/);

        #print "\nLINE : $line\nALT_CNT : $alt_cnt \n";

        if ($alt_cnt == 1){

                $alt_line.= $line;
                next ;
        }

        if ($alt_line ne ""){

                print "\nLINE : $line ALT LINE: $alt_line\n";

                @alt_par = split(/\|/,$alt_line);

                print "\nALT PAR LIST\n";

                foreach (@alt_par){

                        print "\nOPTION : $_\n";

                        if (/.*?(\-[a-zA-Z]){1}.*?\<(.*?)\>/i){

                                print "HERE: \"$1\", \"$2\"\n";
                                $switch_optional->{"$1"} = $2;
                                print "\$switch_optional = " . Dumper($switch_optional);
                                @optional = (@optional,$switch_optional);    # ----HERE
                                print "\@optional = " . Dumper(\@optional);

                                $switch_param{"optional"} = [@optional];

                                print "\$switch_param{\"optional\"} = " . Dumper($switch_param{optional});
                        }elsif(/.*?([a-zA-Z]+).*/i){

                                print "else HERE: \"$1\"\n";
                                @optional = (@optional,($1));
                                print "\@optional = " . Dumper(\@optional);
                                $switch_param{"optional"} = @optional;
                                print "\$switch_param{\"optional\"} = " . Dumper($switch_param{optional});

                        }else{

                        }

                $alt_line ="";
                next;
                }
        }

# handles assigning switches to their respective parameters , handles single switches also, handles mandatory parameteres without switches

        if ($line =~ /^\-[a-zA-Z]{1}/){

                #print "\n$line\n";getc();

                push (@switch,$line);
        }

        if (($line =~ /\<(.*?)\>/g)){

                push (@arg,$1);

                $switch_param{shift @switch} = "" if ((scalar @switch) > 1);

                $switch_param{shift @switch} = pop @arg unless ((scalar @switch) == 0);
        }

        $switch_param{shift @switch} = "" if ((scalar @switch) > 1);

        $switch_param{"mandatory"} = [(@mandate,@arg)] if ((scalar @arg) > 0);

    }

    return \%switch_param;
}