Title Page Software Version Description for File::FileUtil - Generic file utilites developed originally for Test::STDmaker and ExtUtils::SVDmaker Revision: - Version: 0.01 Date: 2003/06/24 Prepared for: General Public Prepared by: SoftwareDiamonds.com Esupport@SoftwareDiamonds.comE Copyright: copyright © 2003 Software Diamonds Classification: NONE 1.0 SCOPE This paragraph identifies and provides an overview of the released files. 1.1 Identification This release, identified in 3.2, is a collection of Perl modules that extend the capabilities of the Perl language. 1.2 System overview Different operating systems have different sequences for new-lines. Historically when computers where first being born, one of the mainstays was the teletype. The teletype understood ASCII. The teletype was an automated typewriter that would perform a carriage return when it received an ASCII Carriage Return (CR), \015, character and a new line when it received a Line Feed (LF), \012 character. After some time came Unix. Unix had a tty driver that had a raw mode that sent data unprocessed to a teletype and a cooked mode that performed all kinds of translations and manipulations. Unix stored data internally using a single NL character at the ends of lines. The tty driver in the cooked mode would translate the NL character to a CR,LF sequence. When driving a teletype, the physicall action of performing a carriage return took some time. By always putting the CR before the LF, the teletype would actually still be performing a carriage return when it received the LF and started a line feed. After some time came DOS. Since the tty driver is actually one of the largest peices of code for UNIX and DOS needed to run in very cramp space, the DOS designers decided, that instead of writing a tailored down tty driver, they would stored a CR,LF in the internal memory. Data internally would be either 'text' data or 'binary' data. Needless to say, after many years and many operating systems about every conceivable method of storing new lines may be found amoung the various operating systems. This greatly complicates moving files from one operating system to another operating system. The smart NL methods in this package are designed to take any combination of CR and NL and translate it into the special NL seqeunce used on the site operating system. Thus, by using these methods, the messy problem of moving files between operating systems is mostly hidden in these methods. The one thing not hidden is that the methods need to know if the data is 'text' data or 'binary' data. Normally, the assume the data is 'text' and are overriden by setting the 'binary' option. The methods in the "File::SmartNL" package are designed to support the "Test::STDmaker" and the "ExtUtils::SVDmaker" packages. These packages generate test scripts and CPAN distribution files that must be portable between operating systems. Since "File::SmartNL" is a separate package, the methods may be used elsewhere. Note that Perl 5.6 introduced a built-in smart nl functionality as an IO discipline :crlf. See *Programming Perl* by Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen and Jon Orwant, page 754, Chapter 29: Functions, open function. For Perl 5.6 or above, the :crlf IO discipline may be preferable over the smart_nl method of this package. However, when moving code from one operating system to another system, there will be target operating systems for the near and probable far future that have not upgraded to Perl 5.6. 1.3 Document overview. This document releases File::SmartNL version 0.01 providing a description of the inventory, installation instructions and other information necessary to utilize and track this release. 3.0 VERSION DESCRIPTION All file specifications in this SVD use the Unix operating system file specification. 3.1 Inventory of materials released. This document releases the file found at the following repository(s): http://www.softwarediamonds/packages/File-SmartNL-0.01 http://www.perl.com/CPAN-local/authors/id/S/SO/SOFTDIA/File-SmartNL-0.01 Restrictions regarding duplication and license provisions are as follows: Copyright. copyright © 2003 Software Diamonds Copyright holder contact. 603 882-0846 Esupport@SoftwareDiamonds.comE License. Software Diamonds permits the redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, provided that the following conditions are met: 1 Redistributions of source code, modified or unmodified must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. 2 Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. SOFTWARE DIAMONDS, http://www.SoftwareDiamonds.com, PROVIDES THIS SOFTWARE 'AS IS' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL SOFTWARE DIAMONDS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 3.2 Inventory of software contents The content of the released, compressed, archieve file, consists of the following files: file version date comment ------------------------------------------------------------ ------- ---------- ------------------------ lib/Docs/Site_SVD/File_SmartNL.pm 0.01 2003/06/24 revised 0.03 MANIFEST 0.01 2003/06/24 generated, replaces 0.03 Makefile.PL 0.01 2003/06/24 generated, replaces 0.03 README 0.01 2003/06/24 generated, replaces 0.03 lib/File/SmartNL.pm 1.1 2003/06/24 revised 1.09 t/File/smartNL.t 0.07 2003/06/24 revised 0.06 3.3 Changes The file names from 0.03 were changed as follows: return if $file =~ s=lib/File/FileUtil.pm=lib/File/SmartNL.pm=; return if $file =~ s=t/File/FileUtil/FileUtil.t=t/File/smartNL.t=; Removed the methods for addressing the different CR LF combinations for NL between operating systems from the "File::FileUtil" module to their own module "File::SmartNL" module. The module name is now much more descriptive of the routines in the module. Changes to past revisions are as follows: Test::TestUtil 0.01 Originated Test::TestUtil 0.02 Correct failure from Josts Smokehouse" test run t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil....Bareword "fspec_dirs" not allowed while "strict subs" in use at /net/sunu991/disc1/.cpanplus/5.8.0/build/Test-TestUtil-0.01/blib/lib/Test/TestUtil.pm line 56. Changed line 56 from my @dirs = (fspec_dirs) ? $from_package->splitdir( $fspec_dirs ) : (); to my @dirs = ($fspec_dirs) ? $from_package->splitdir( $fspec_dirs ) : (); This error is troublesome since the test passed on my system using Active Perl under Microsoft NT. It should never have passed. This error is in a core method, *fspec2fspec*, that changes file specifications from one operating system to another operating system. This method has been in service unchanged for some time. Test::TestUtil 0.03 Correct failure from Josts Smokehouse" test run PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1 /usr/local/perl/bin/perl "-MExtUtils::Command::MM" "-e" "test_harness(0, 'blib/lib', 'blib/arch')" t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil.t t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil....# Test 18 got: '$VAR1 = ''; ' (t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil.t at line 540 fail #17) # Expected: '$VAR1 = '\\=head1 Title Page The *pm2datah* method is not returning any data for Test 18. This will also cause the test of *pm2data*, test 19 to fail. The *pm2datah* is searching for the string "\n__DATA__\n". The "\n" character on Perl is a logical end of line character sequence. The "\n" end of line is different on Mr. Smokehouse's Unix operating system than on my Windows NT operating system. The test file was created under MSWin32 and uses a MSWin32 "\n". Under UNIX, *pm2datah* method will look for the Unix "\n" and there will not be any. Changed "\n__DATA__\n" to /[\012\015]__DATA__/. During the clean-up for CPAN, broke the *format_hash_table* method for tables in hash of hash format. Fixed the break, added test 29 to the *t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil.t* test script for this feature, and added a discusssion of this feature in POD discription for *format_hash_table* Test::TestUtil 0.04 item our old friend visits again - DOS and UNIX text file incompatibility This impacts other modules. We have to examine all modules for this portability defect and correct any found defects. Correct failure from Josts Smokehouse" and Kingpin test runs. On Mr. Smokehouse's run email the got: VAR1 clearly showed extra white space line that is not present in the expected: VAR1. In Mr. Kingpin's run the got: VAR1 and expected: VAR1 look visually the same. However, the Unix found a difference(s) and failed the test. For Mr. Smokehouse's run: PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1 /usr/local/bin/perl "-MExtUtils::Command::MM" "-e" "test_harness(0, 'blib/lib', 'blib/arch')" t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil.t t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil....NOK 18# Test 18 got: '$VAR1 = '\\=head1 Title Page Software Version Description for File::FileUtil - Generic file utilites developed originally for Test::STDmaker and ExtUtils::SVDmaker Revision: - [snip] (t/Test/TestUtil/TestUtil.t at line 565 fail #17) # Expected: '$VAR1 = '\\=head1 Title Page Software Version Description for File::FileUtil - Generic file utilites developed originally for Test::STDmaker and ExtUtils::SVDmaker What we have before, was a totally "failure to communicate." aka Cool Hand Luke. VAR1 was empty. Now VAR1 has something. It is not completely dead. One probable cause is the Unix operating system must be producing two Unix \012 new lines for a Microsoft single newline \015\012. Without being able to examine the test with a debugger, the only way to verify this is to provide the fix and see if the problem goes away when this great group of testers try for the fourth time. Revised *fin* method to take a handle, change *pm2datah* method handle, *$fh*, to binary by adding a *binmode $fh* statement, and pass the actual thru the *fin* method for test 18. Use *fin($fh)* to read in the data for *pm2data*, test 19 Unit Under Test (UUT), instead of using the raw file handle. The *fin* method takes any \015\012 combination and changes it into the logical Perl new line, *"\n"*, for the current operating system. File::FileUtil 0.01 * At 02:44 AM 6/14/2003 +0200, Max Maischein wrote: A second thing that I would like you to reconsider is the naming of "Test::TestUtil" respectively "Test::Tech" - neither of those is descriptive of what the routines actually do or what the module implements. I would recommend renaming them to something closer to your other modules, maybe "Test::SVDMaker::Util" and "Test::SVDMaker::Tech", as some routines do not seem to be specific to the Test::-suite but rather general (format_array_table). Some parts (the "scrub" routines) might even better live in another module namespace, "Test::Util::ScrubData" or something like that. Broke away all the file related methods from Test::TestUtil and created this module File::FileUtil so the module name is more descriptive of the methods within the module. * Broke the smart nl code out of the fin method and made it is own separate method, smart_nl method. At 02:44 AM 6/14/2003 +0200, Max Maischein wrote: Perl, as Perl already does smart newline handling, (even though with the advent of 5.8 even Unix-people have to learn the word "binmode" now :-)) The only place where I see Perl does smart newline handling is the crlf IO displine introduce in Perl 5.6. The File::FileUtil has a use 5.001 so that 5.6 Perl built-ins cannot be used. Added comment to smart_nl that for users with 5.6 Perl that it may be better to use the built-in crlf IO discipline. * For the load_package method that uses a eval "require $package" to load the package, the $@ does not capture all the warnings and error messages, at least not with ActiveState Perl. Added code the captures also the warnings, by temporaily reassigning $SIG(__WARN__), and added these to the $@ error messages. * Added two new tests to verify the NOGO paths for the for the load_package method. One tests for load module failure looking for all the possilbe information on why the module did not load. The other verifies that the vocabulary is present after the loading the module. This information is very helpful when you must remote debug a load failure from CPAN testing whose is running on a different platform. File::FileUtil 0.02 Added the method *hex_dump*. File::FileUtil 0.03 test_lib2inc Returns to parent directory of the first t directory going up from the test script instead of the t directory. find_t_roots Added the function find_t_roots that returns the parent directory of all the directories in @INC 3.4 Adaptation data. This installation requires that the installation site has the Perl programming language installed. Installation sites running Microsoft Operating systems require the installation of Unix utilities. An excellent, highly recommended Unix utilities for Microsoft operating systems is unxutils by Karl M. Syring. A copy is available at the following web sites: http://unxutils.sourceforge.net http://packages.SoftwareDiamnds.com There are no other additional requirements or tailoring needed of configurations files, adaptation data or other software needed for this installation particular to any installation site. 3.5 Related documents. There are no related documents needed for the installation and test of this release. 3.6 Installation instructions. Instructions for installation, installation tests and installation support are as follows: Installation Instructions. To installed the release file, use the CPAN module in the Perl release or the INSTALL.PL script at the following web site: http://packages.SoftwareDiamonds.com Follow the instructions for the the chosen installation software. The distribution file is at the following respositories: http://www.softwarediamonds/packages/File-SmartNL-0.01 http://www.perl.com/CPAN-local/authors/id/S/SO/SOFTDIA/File-SmartNL-0.01 Prerequistes. File::Package => 0 Security, privacy, or safety precautions. None. Installation Tests. Most Perl installation software will run the following test script(s) as part of the installation: t/File/smartNL.t Installation support. If there are installation problems or questions with the installation contact 603 882-0846 Esupport@SoftwareDiamonds.comE 3.7 Possible problems and known errors There is still much work needed to ensure the quality of this module as follows: * State the functional requirements for each method including not only the GO paths but also what to expect for the NOGO paths * All the tests are GO path tests. Should add NOGO tests. * Add the requirements addressed as *# R: * comment to the tests 4.0 NOTES The following are useful acronyms: .d extension for a Perl demo script file .pm extension for a Perl Library Module .t extension for a Perl test script file POD Plain Old Documentation 2.0 SEE ALSO