This is very low-tech, and isn't quite what you're looking for, but it would let you concentrate all the config bits in __DATA__: 
#!/bin/env perl

use strict;
use warnings;

use Data::Dumper;

my $data = join "",<DATA>;
my $config = eval "{$data}" or die "eval failed, $@";

print Dumper($config);

__DATA__
    foo => "This is foo's data"
  , bar => qq{this is bar's data
it includes a newline
and other stuff}
  , baz => { bazfoo => "baz is more complex"
           , bazbar => "it contains a sub-hash"
           }

[download]

Mike

In reply to Re: Storing multiple blocks of text in the __DATA__ section by RMGir
in thread Storing multiple blocks of text in the __DATA__ section by blindluke

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