In the Perl script "test.pl":
        ...		
        my $WEBROOT = &lt;WEBROOT_PATH&gt;;
        ...

To force variable substitution try:
        $export WEBROOT_PATH=/usr/local/webroot
        $sed 's/&lt;WEBROOT_PATH&gt;/$WEBROOT_PATH/' &lt; test.pl &gt; out

But this just gives:
        my $WEBROOT = $WEBROOT_PATH;

However:
        $export WEBROOT_PATH=/usr/local/webroot
        $eval sed 's%\&lt;WEBROOT_PATH\&gt;%$WEBROOT_PATH%' &lt; test.pl &gt; out
#        ====

That works fine, and gives the expected substitution:
        my $WEBROOT = /usr/local/webroot;


### Correction applied to original example by Paulo Marcel Coelho Aragao.
