./strew.pl --config
config: "0"
[download]

Something else is wrong then, I copied the code you have here, changed the default assignment, and it works for me.

[jason@traveller jason]$ ./test.pl 
config: "0"
[jason@traveller jason]$ ./test.pl --config
config: "1"
[download]

---

We're not surrounded, we're in a target-rich environment!

I've been looking at this for about 8 hours, and that was what I had narrowed it down to; I hope it's not too much to ask, but if anyone wouldn't mind giving this a one over, the whole script is below.



#!/usr/bin/perl -w -s
use Getopt::Long;
use Config::Auto;
#use Data::Dumper;

my @servers         = ();
my @commands     = ();
my @files         = ();
my $user         = $ENV{USER};
my $file             = ();
my $dest         = ();
my $help         = ();
my $config        = 0 ;
GetOptions ("user=s" => \$user, "server=s" => \@servers, "command=s" =
+> \@commands, "file=s" =>\$file, "dest=s"=> \$dest, "config=s" => \$c
+onfig, "help=s" => \$help);

print "config: \"$config\"\n";
=pod

  ===============================
+        Functions Below:                    +
+                                        +
  ===============================

=cut



sub get_config_file_data {

    # The Config::Auto::parse module returns a reference to a hash wic
+h contains references to arrays
    # (I think)
    # In order to make life simpler, I'm going to put them into the re
+gular arrays, @server, @commands, @files, etc.

    my $config_return = Config::Auto::parse();    # goes and gets stuf
+f from config file, puts it into @{ %config_return }
    $using_config="TRUE";        # We are using the config


    if (! @user && @{ $config_return->{user} }){            # move the
+ field from the referenced array in the hash to a
        @user = @{$config_return->{user} } ;                # regular 
+array.
    }

    if (! @servers && @{$config_return->{server} }){        # ditto
        @servers = @{$config_return->{server} } ;
    }

    if (! @commands && @{$config_return->{command} }){     # ditto
        @commands = @{$config_return->{command} } ;
    }

    if (! @files && @{$config_return->{file} }){                # ditt
+o
        @files = @{$config_return->{file} } ;
    }
}

sub run_command(){
    chomp($command);
    system("ssh ${user}\@${server} $command") ; #or print "\nCould not
+ execute ssh command\n";
}

sub run_copy(){
        chomp($files[1]);
        #print "\n----hey i'm in run_copy!-----\n";
        #print "\nscp $files[0] ${user}\@${server}:$files[1]\n";
        system("scp $files[0] ${user}\@${server}:$files[1]");
}

=pod

  ===============================
+        MAIN PROGRAM BEGINS:                +
+                                        +
  ===============================

=cut

#print $help;

if ($help) {
=pod
    Print's a help message - there was a built in way to do this
    but I didn't know at the time.
=cut
    print "\n\n
    STREW HELP MESSAGE:\n
    \tOPTIONS:\n
    \t\t--server foo.bar.com *OR* --server =\"foo.bar.com\"\n
    \t\t--command=\"/etc/init.d/someinit restart\" *OR* command \"/etc
+/init.d/someinit restart\"\tUSE QUOTES!\n
    \t\t--file /home/user/somefile --dest /etc/  *OR* --file=\"/home/u
+ser/somefile\" --dest=\"/etc/\"\n
    \t\t--help : brings you here." ;
    exit;
}

=pod

This is weird....
if $config has a size > 0 , then run get_config_file_data subroutine
However, even if I do not use the --config flag on the command line, i
+t runs anyway!!

=cut

if ($config){get_config_file_data};
if ($config){print "\nCONFIG: \"$config\"\n"};

# We are more than probably going to get servers from --server="foo.do
+cmagic.com bar,docmagic.com bah.docmagic.com"
# The below takes in the list, and splits on whitespace.
#

for $server (@servers) {
    if ($server =~ /\s/){
        @server_list=split(/\s/, $server) ;
    }
}

if ($using_config && @commands) {
    $command = join(' ', @commands);
    #print "$real_command \n";
    }

if (@servers){
     for $server (@servers){
         #print "COMMAND: ". $command . "\n";
        print "Server: $server \n";
        if (@commands){run_command} ;
        if (@files){run_copy};
    }
}

if (@server_list){
    for $server (@server_list){
        run_command();
        run_copy();
    }
}
[download]

thanks a lot for the help, btw. I'm pretty new to perl and how quickly you all got back to me with advice was amazing. I appreciate it a lot.

thanks again,
Nick

Right. Bug. The part (above) that says

  "config" => \$config,
[download]

should actually be

  "config!" => \$config,
[download]

to indicate that the --config option is to be a boolean flag type of value.

jdporter
The 6th Rule of Perl Club is -- There is no Rule #6.