#this creates a new $config thing
my $config = new ConfigReader::Simple($config_file);
#this checks for a true in one of the elements of the $config
if ($config->adv_conf){
...
}
#this creates an array out of a list of words
my @batch_list = split /\s+/, $config->batch_list;
#the next line puts a reference to the array into the $config
#but why the $$ and no ->
$$config{batch_list} = \@batch_list;
#could it be done just as easily with this
$config->set(batch_list, \@batch_list);
#I am thinking probably not since the doc says:
#set( DIRECTIVE, VALUE ) 
#Sets the value for DIRECTIVE to VALUE. The DIRECTIVE need not already exist. This overwrites previous values.
#The VALUE must be a simple scalar. It cannot be a reference. If the VALUE is a reference, the function prints a warning and returns false.