Bug in pl2bat if last line of input is a comment that does not en d with a newline

[p5pRT]

Migrated from rt.perl.org#1007 (status was 'resolved')

Searchable as RT1007$

[p5pRT]

From [email protected]

The pl2bat script is used on Microsoft Windows systems to
create a batch file from a Perl file.
There is a bug in pl2bat (i.e. pl2bat.bat, generated from pl2bat.pl)
that occurs when the last line in the input file is a comment
that does not end with a newline character.
This bug occurs in all versions I have examined, including the Beta version
5.005_57.

Here is a small testfile that will demonstrate the problem​:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w
# This file runs successfully when invoked via​: perl thisfile
# But it will fail with a syntax error if you first run​: pl2bat thisfile
# and then say​: thisfile

print "If you see this it is OK\n";

# Because the last line is a comment, and it does not end with a newline
# it "captures​: the __END__ statement, causing a syntax error.
# The fix is simple -- have pl2bat insert a newline before
# writing the __END__ line.

# The last line in this file is a comment that does not end with a newline

In the generated file you will see near the end​:
# The last line in this file is a comment that does not end with a
newline__END__

and so the __END__ marker is not found.

Here is my suggested bug fix. In pl2bat.pl add a newline
character just before __END__, i.e. change from​:
my $tail = "__END__\n​:endofperl\n";
to​:
my $tail = "\n__END__\n​:endofperl\n";

Perl Info

Site configuration information for perl 5.00502:

Summary of my perl5 (5.0 patchlevel 5 subversion 02) configuration:
  Platform:
    osname=MSWin32, osvers=4.0, archname=MSWin32-x86-object
    uname=''
    hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=undef
    usethreads=undef useperlio=undef d_sfio=undef
  Compiler:
    cc='cl.exe', optimize='-O2 -MD -DNDEBUG -TP -GX', gccversion=
    cppflags='-DWIN32'
    ccflags ='-O2 -MD -DNDEBUG -TP -GX -DWIN32 -D_CONSOLE -DNO_STRICT
-DHAVE_DES_FCRYPT -DPERL_OBJECT'
    stdchar='char', d_stdstdio=define, usevfork=false
    intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8
    d_longlong=undef, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=10
    alignbytes=8, usemymalloc=n, prototype=define
  Linker and Libraries:
    ld='link', ldflags ='-nologo -nodefaultlib -release -machine:x86'
    libpth="C:\Perl\lib\core" 
    libs= oldnames.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib  winspool.lib
comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib  oleaut32.lib netapi32.lib
uuid.lib wsock32.lib mpr.lib winmm.lib  version.lib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib
PerlCRT.lib
    libc=C:\Perl\lib\core\PerlCRT.lib, so=dll, useshrplib=yes,
libperl=perlcore.lib
  Dynamic Linking:
    dlsrc=dl_win32.xs, dlext=dll, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags=' '
    cccdlflags=' ', lddlflags='-dll -nologo -nodefaultlib -release
-machine:x86'

Locally applied patches:
    


@INC for perl 5.00502:
    C:\Perl\lib
    C:\Perl\site\lib
    .


Environment for perl 5.00502:
    HOME (unset)
    LANG (unset)
    LD_LIBRARY_PATH (unset)
    LOGDIR (unset)
    PATH=C:\Perl\bin;C:\WINNT\system32;C:\WINNT;C:\PROGRAM
FILES\INFORMIX\BIN;C:\WINNT\system32\nls\ENGLISH;C:\WINNT\system32\nls;C:\IN
FORMIX\BIN;;c:\orawin\bin;J:\ARTEMIS;c:\emacs\emacs-20.3.1\bin;c:\gnu;c:\cvs
\bin;Z:.;Y:.;;C:\CVS\BIN
    PERL5DB=BEGIN { require 'C:\Program Files\ActiveState Perl
Debugger\PerlDB.pl' }
    PERL_BADLANG (unset)
    SHELL (unset)

Hopefully helpfully yours,
Steve

Steve Tolkin          [email protected]      617-563-0516 
Fidelity Investments   82 Devonshire St. R24D    Boston MA 02109
There is nothing so practical as a good theory.  Comments are by me, 
not Fidelity Investments, its subsidiaries or affiliates.