1.4. Functions

Functions are also known as "subroutines" -- hence the keyword sub. A simple example:

sub rawr {
    print "RAWR!";
}

rawr();

Passing parameters

How to pass parameters to a function

sub rawr {
    my ($dinosaur, $how) = @_;
    print "$dinosaur says RAWR $how\n";
}

rawr("Stegasaurus", "loudly");

How to pass named parameters to a function

sub rawr {
    my (%params) = @_;
    print "$params{dinosaur} says RAWR $params{how}\n";
}

rawr(
    dinosaur => "Stegasaurus", 
    how      => "loudly"
);

Returning values

How to return a single value

sub get_cookie_flavor {
    return "chocolate chip";
}

my $flavor = get_cookie_flavor();

How to return multiple values

sub get_available_flavors {
    return ("chocolate chip", "oatmeal raisin", "peanut butter");
}

my @flavors = get_available_flavors();