This isn't an answer, per se, but more of a comment. In Perl, use and require are more than #include ever was in C. The mechanisms, while resulting in something similar, do different things. If you're writing in Perl, it would behoove you to actually go ahead and take a stab at understanding what's going on and why those decisions were made. How to find this out? Read Programming Perl. Then, read Advanced Perl Programming. Ask questions here. But, please ask questions on how to understand Perl, not on how to make Perl behave like C. Yes, it can, but I feel you're missing the point.