Well, first off, why don't you just make you orignal hash something like this:

    my %commands = (
        cmd1 => \&do_cmd1,
        cmd2 => \&do_cmd2,
        ....
    );
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This buys you the flexibility of passing arguments to the subs, if you so wish to

    ## untested, just something I thought up right now
    chomp( $input = <STDIN> );
    my( $cmd, @args ) = split( /\s+/, $input );

    if( defined( $commands{ $cmd } ) ) {
        $command{ $cmd }->( @args );
    }
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Obviously you would need to do more error checking and what not, but you get the idea. Also, if you might want to try useing Term::ReadLine and its related modules for soemthing like this. It's quite handy

Hmmm, when I try to create a hash similar to the one that you suggested, it just runs the routines...I am new to perl, so I'm not sure if I typed something in wrong or not. Program outputs Welcome Ending Program Died at..... I must have mis-understood what you were trying to explain with the hash.

use strict;
my $input;
my %commands;
my $cmd;

my %commands = (
        greeting =>  \&greeting(),
        quit  => \&end_program(),
    );


    chomp( $input = <STDIN> );
    my( $cmd, @args ) = split( /\s+/, $input );

    if( defined( $commands{ $cmd } ) ) {
        $commands{ $cmd }->( @args );
    }



sub greeting {
   print "Weclome\n";
}


sub end_program {
   print("Ending Program\n");
   die;
}
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No no, don't put them parathesis! That makes perl evaluate the subroutine, and put the ref to the result of the sub in the hash

    my $rv = mysub();     ## sub is executed. normal
    my $rv = &mysyb();    ## same as above, but bad style, I think
    my $rv = \&mysub;     ## ref to the subroutine <- this is what we 
+want
    my $rv = \&mysub();   ## ref to the return value of the subroutine
    my $rv = \{ &mysub() }; ## same as above
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UPDATE: wog corrected me: "\{ &mysub() } creates a reference to a refrence to a hash generated from mysub() returns in list context,". I apologize for the mistake :-(

%command_list = (
       quit => \&end_program,
       greeting => \&greeting,
       time => \&systime,
       help => \&help,                        
       log => \&which_log   # this one is new
);

sub which_log {
  my $arg = shift;
  return start_logs() if ($arg eq "start");
  return stop_logs() if ($arg eq "stop");
  return log_status();  # default behavior
}

$command = <STDIN>; # assume $command="log start"
@cl = split / /,$command;
my $func = shift @cl;   # first CLI argument is hash key
if (defined($command_list{$func})) {
  $command_list{$func}->(@cl);   # passes rest of CLI args to handler
} else {
  print "invalid command\n";
}

Thanks for the help, I definitly appreciate it. I did have to make a few changes because of newlines, but I believe that is it.

use strict;
my %command_list;
my @cl;
my $command;

%command_list = (
       #quit => \&end_program,
       greeting => \&greeting,
       #time => \&systime,
       #help => \&help,                        
       log => \&which_log   # this one is new
);

while (1){
   $command = <STDIN>; # assume $command="log start"
   @cl = split / /,$command;
   my $func = shift @cl;   # first CLI argument is hash key
   
   if (!(defined($cl[0]))){  # had to add this to handle single word c
+ommands
      chop($func);
      }
         
   if (defined($command_list{$func})) {
     $command_list{$func}->(@cl);   # passes rest of CLI args to handl
+er
   } else {
     print "invalid command\n";
   }
}

sub greeting {
   print "welcome\n"
}

sub start_logs() {
   print "Logs Started\n";
}


sub stop_logs() {
   print "Logs Stopped\n";
}

sub log_status {
   print "log status\n"
}


sub which_log {
   my $arg = shift;
   chop($arg); # newline here also...
   return start_logs() if ($arg eq "start");
   return stop_logs() if ($arg eq "stop");
   return log_status(); # default behavior
}
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