File::Spec niggles (5.004_05, 5.005_03, 5.005_57)

[p5pRT]

Migrated from rt.perl.org#942 (status was 'resolved')

Searchable as RT942$

[p5pRT]

From [email protected]

File​::Spec​::*​::tmpdir doesn't exist in 5.004_05 or 5.005_03.
Is it intended to add it?

---

File​::Spec​::VMS​::tmpdir is documented (and implemented) as

  Returns a string representation of the first writable directory
  from the following list or '' if none are writable​:

  /sys$scratch
  $ENV{TMPDIR}

This differs from all other File​::Spec​::*, which always put $ENV{TMPDIR}
first. Is there a good reason for this non-portability, in a module
specifically meant to avoid this sort of thing?

---

In 5.004_05 and 5.005_03, File​::Spec​::* contains the line

@​ISA = qw(File​::Spec​::Unix);

but not

require File​::Spec​::Unix;

(This is OK in 5.005_57.)

---

File​::Spec​::OS2 says

  See File​::Spec​::Unix for a documentation of the methods provided
  there. This package overrides the implementation of these methods, not
  the semantics.

But the semantics of e.g. tmpdir differ - the list of directories tried
is different.

Mike Guy
--
And here's a mention of 'perl', because perlbugtron incorrectly
claims

  No 'perl' in Body (below) and no 'perlbug' in To(perlbug@​perl.com
  ) or Cc()

But as you can see, To​: does contain 'perlbug'. Sigh.

[p5pRT]

From [Unknown Contact. See original ticket]

All of the issues listed in this bug appear to be fixed in 5.6.0, except
for​:

File​::Spec​::VMS​::tmpdir is documented (and implemented) as

Returns a string representation of the first writable directory
from the following list or '' if none are writable​:

    /sys$scratch
    $ENV\{TMPDIR\}

This differs from all other File​::Spec​::*, which always put $ENV{TMPDIR}
first. Is there a good reason for this non-portability, in a module
specifically meant to avoid this sort of thing?

This patch changes that behaviour to match the others. Is this correct for
VMS? If not, I suggest someone put a note in the documentation explaining
why not.

Inline Patch

diff -uir perl-5.6.0/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm perl-5.6.work/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm
--- perl-5.6.0/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm     Tue Mar 21 03:55:48 2000
+++ perl-5.6.work/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm  Tue Jul 25 16:02:35 2000
@@ -251,15 +251,15 @@
 Returns a string representation of the first writable directory
 from the following list or '' if none are writable:
 
-    sys$scratch
     $ENV{TMPDIR}
+    sys$scratch
 
 =cut
 
 my $tmpdir;
 sub tmpdir {
     return $tmpdir if defined $tmpdir;
-    foreach ('sys$scratch', $ENV{TMPDIR}) {
+    foreach ($ENV{TMPDIR}, 'sys$scratch') {
        next unless defined && -d && -w _;
        $tmpdir = $_;
        last;


-spp

[p5pRT]

From @cwest

[RT_System - Tue Jul 25 06​:06​:23 2000]​:

Could a VMS knowlegable person please tell me in what order the temp
dirs should be checked? If they should be flip-flopped I'll supply the appropriate
patch to the latest File​::Spec​::VMS. Thanks.

  Casey West (bug patrol)

All of the issues listed in this bug appear to be fixed in 5.6.0, except
for​:

File​::Spec​::VMS​::tmpdir is documented (and implemented) as

Returns a string representation of the first writable directory
from the following list or '' if none are writable​:

    /sys$scratch
    $ENV\{TMPDIR\}

This differs from all other File​::Spec​::*, which always put $ENV{TMPDIR}
first. Is there a good reason for this non-portability, in a module
specifically meant to avoid this sort of thing?

This patch changes that behaviour to match the others. Is this correct for
VMS? If not, I suggest someone put a note in the documentation explaining
why not.

diff -uir perl-5.6.0/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm perl-5.6.work/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm
--- perl-5.6.0/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm Tue Mar 21 03​:55​:48 2000
+++ perl-5.6.work/lib/File/Spec/VMS.pm Tue Jul 25 16​:02​:35 2000
@​@​ -251,15 +251,15 @​@​
Returns a string representation of the first writable directory
from the following list or '' if none are writable​:

- sys$scratch
$ENV{TMPDIR}
+ sys$scratch

=cut

my $tmpdir;
sub tmpdir {
return $tmpdir if defined $tmpdir;
- foreach ('sys$scratch', $ENV{TMPDIR}) {
+ foreach ($ENV{TMPDIR}, 'sys$scratch') {
next unless defined && -d && -w _;
$tmpdir = $_;
last;

-spp

[p5pRT]

From [email protected]

[mjtg@​cus.cam.ac.uk - Thu Jul 01 02​:24​:47 1999]​:
File​::Spec​::*​::tmpdir doesn't exist in 5.004_05 or 5.005_03.
Is it intended to add it?

I don't quite understand what this means but tmpdir() exists where
appropriate in 5.8.x.

----------------------------------------

File​::Spec​::VMS​::tmpdir is documented (and implemented) as

Returns a string representation of the first writable directory
from the following list or '' if none are writable​:

    /sys$scratch
    $ENV\{TMPDIR\}

This differs from all other File​::Spec​::*, which always put $ENV{TMPDIR}
first. Is there a good reason for this non-portability, in a module
specifically meant to avoid this sort of thing?

tmpdir() is simply there to give you some sort of usable system temp
directory, there's no guarantee what its going to be and if you're using
File​::Spec->tmpdir correctly it shouldn't matter. Differences in where
it looks should not matter, this is exactly the sort of thing File​::Spec
shields you from.

----------------------------------------

In 5.004_05 and 5.005_03, File​::Spec​::* contains the line

@​ISA = qw(File​::Spec​::Unix);

but not

require File​::Spec​::Unix;

(This is OK in 5.005_57.)

Long since fixed.

----------------------------------------

File​::Spec​::OS2 says

See File​::Spec​::Unix for a documentation of the methods provided
there\. This package overrides the implementation of these methods\, not
the semantics\.

But the semantics of e.g. tmpdir differ - the list of directories tried
is different.

The tmpdir() differences are documented. File​::Spec->tmpdir is
documented that the choice of environment variables to honor and
directories to look in is different per platform so File​::Spec​::OS2 is
not changing the semantics of tmpdir() by changing what it looks at.

[p5pRT]

@schwern - Status changed from 'open' to 'resolved'