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perldoc -f -t and perldoc -t -f don't do the same thing #897

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@p5pRT

Migrated from rt.perl.org#1830 (status was 'resolved')

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  1. p5pRT commented on Nov 26, 1999

    @p5pRT
    Author

    From ged@C2H5OH.jubileegroup.co.uk

    I used perldoc -f -t to get help on a function, instead of the
    correct perldoc -t -f. Although it is strictly correct that
    the form I used was strictly not correct, the output was garbage
    as opposed to something sensible. It looks as if the output is
    always the same, but I haven't tested that. Here's the output
    of `perldoc -f -t sub'​: (108 lines of output delimited by +++++
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    =item I<-X> FILEHANDLE

    =item I<-X> EXPR

    =item I<-X>

    A file test, where X is one of the letters listed below. This unary
    operator takes one argument, either a filename or a filehandle, and
    tests the associated file to see if something is true about it. If the
    argument is omitted, tests C<$_>, except for C<-t>, which tests STDIN.
    Unless otherwise documented, it returns C<1> for TRUE and C<''> for FALSE, or
    the undefined value if the file doesn't exist. Despite the funny
    names, precedence is the same as any other named unary operator, and
    the argument may be parenthesized like any other unary operator. The
    operator may be any of​:
    X<-r>X<-w>X<-x>X<-o>X<-R>X<-W>X<-X>X<-O>X<-e>X<-z>X<-s>X<-f>X<-d>X<-l>X<-p>
    X<-S>X<-b>X<-c>X<-t>X<-u>X<-g>X<-k>X<-T>X<-B>X<-M>X<-A>X<-C>

      -r File is readable by effective uid/gid.
      -w File is writable by effective uid/gid.
      -x File is executable by effective uid/gid.
      -o File is owned by effective uid.

      -R File is readable by real uid/gid.
      -W File is writable by real uid/gid.
      -X File is executable by real uid/gid.
      -O File is owned by real uid.

      -e File exists.
      -z File has zero size.
      -s File has nonzero size (returns size).

      -f File is a plain file.
      -d File is a directory.
      -l File is a symbolic link.
      -p File is a named pipe (FIFO), or Filehandle is a pipe.
      -S File is a socket.
      -b File is a block special file.
      -c File is a character special file.
      -t Filehandle is opened to a tty.

      -u File has setuid bit set.
      -g File has setgid bit set.
      -k File has sticky bit set.

      -T File is a text file.
      -B File is a binary file (opposite of -T).

      -M Age of file in days when script started.
      -A Same for access time.
      -C Same for inode change time.

    Example​:

      while (<>) {
      chop;
      next unless -f $_; # ignore specials
      #...
      }

    The interpretation of the file permission operators C<-r>, C<-R>,
    C<-w>, C<-W>, C<-x>, and C<-X> is by default based solely on the mode
    of the file and the uids and gids of the user. There may be other
    reasons you can't actually read, write, or execute the file. Such
    reasons may be for example network filesystem access controls, ACLs
    (access control lists), read-only filesystems, and unrecognized
    executable formats.

    Also note that, for the superuser on the local filesystems, the C<-r>,
    C<-R>, C<-w>, and C<-W> tests always return 1, and C<-x> and C<-X> return 1
    if any execute bit is set in the mode. Scripts run by the superuser
    may thus need to do a stat() to determine the actual mode of the file,
    or temporarily set their effective uid to something else.

    Note that C<-s/a/b/> does not do a negated substitution. Saying
    C<-exp($foo)> still works as expected, however--only single letters
    following a minus are interpreted as file tests.

    The C<-T> and C<-B> switches work as follows. The first block or so of the
    file is examined for odd characters such as strange control codes or
    characters with the high bit set. If too many strange characters (E<gt>30%)
    are found, it's a C<-B> file, otherwise it's a C<-T> file. Also, any file
    containing null in the first block is considered a binary file. If C<-T>
    or C<-B> is used on a filehandle, the current stdio buffer is examined
    rather than the first block. Both C<-T> and C<-B> return TRUE on a null
    file, or a file at EOF when testing a filehandle. Because you have to
    read a file to do the C<-T> test, on most occasions you want to use a C<-f>
    against the file first, as in C<next unless -f $file && -T $file>.

    If any of the file tests (or either the C<stat()> or C<lstat()> operators) are given
    the special filehandle consisting of a solitary underline, then the stat
    structure of the previous file test (or stat operator) is used, saving
    a system call. (This doesn't work with C<-t>, and you need to remember
    that lstat() and C<-l> will leave values in the stat structure for the
    symbolic link, not the real file.) Example​:

      print "Can do.\n" if -r $a || -w _ || -x _;

      stat($filename);
      print "Readable\n" if -r _;
      print "Writable\n" if -w _;
      print "Executable\n" if -x _;
      print "Setuid\n" if -u _;
      print "Setgid\n" if -g _;
      print "Sticky\n" if -k _;
      print "Text\n" if -T _;
      print "Binary\n" if -B _;

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Perl Info
    
    
    Site configuration information for perl 5.00503:
    
    Configured by ged at Thu Nov 25 18:30:52 GMT 1999.
    
    Summary of my perl5 (5.0 patchlevel 5 subversion 3) configuration:
      Platform:
        osname=linux, osvers=2.0.34, archname=i686-linux
        uname='linux c2h5oh 2.0.34 #1 thu jun 4 18:59:35 pdt 1998 i686 unknown '
        hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=define
        usethreads=undef useperlio=undef d_sfio=undef
      Compiler:
        cc='cc', optimize='-O2', gccversion=egcs-2.90.29 980515 (egcs-1.0.3 release)
        cppflags='-Dbool=char -DHAS_BOOL -I/usr/local/include'
        ccflags ='-Dbool=char -DHAS_BOOL -I/usr/local/include'
        stdchar='char', d_stdstdio=define, usevfork=false
        intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8
        d_longlong=define, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=12
        alignbytes=4, usemymalloc=n, prototype=define
      Linker and Libraries:
        ld='cc', ldflags =' -L/usr/local/lib'
        libpth=/usr/local/lib /shlib /lib /usr/lib
        libs=-lndbm -lgdbm -ldbm -ldb -ldl -lm -lc
        libc=/lib/libc.so, so=so, useshrplib=false, libperl=libperl.a
      Dynamic Linking:
        dlsrc=dl_dlopen.xs, dlext=so, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags='-rdynamic'
        cccdlflags='-fpic', lddlflags='-shared -L/usr/local/lib'
    
    Locally applied patches:
        
    
    
    @INC for perl 5.00503:
        /usr/lib/perl5/5.00503/i686-linux
        /usr/lib/perl5/5.00503
        /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005/i686-linux
        /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.005
        .
    
    
    Environment for perl 5.00503:
        HOME=/home/ged
        LANG (unset)
        LANGUAGE (unset)
        LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/qt/lib:
        LOGDIR (unset)
        PATH=/usr/local/qt/bin:/usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/andrew/bin:/usr/openwin/bin:/usr/local/lib/jdk1.1.7/bin:/usr/games:.:/usr/lib/teTeX/bin
        PERL_BADLANG (unset)
        SHELL=/bin/bash
    
    
  2. p5pRT commented on Nov 26, 1999

    @p5pRT
    Author

    From @mjdominus

    I used perldoc -f -t to get help on a function, instead of the
    correct perldoc -t -f. Although it is strictly correct that
    the form I used was strictly not correct, the output was garbage
    as opposed to something sensible.

    perldoc -f foo delivers the description of the foo function.

    You asked for perldoc -f -t.

    You got the description of the Perl's `-t' function.

  3. p5pRT commented on Nov 26, 1999

    @p5pRT
    Author

    From [Unknown Contact. See original ticket]

    Hi there,

    On Fri, 26 Nov 1999, Mark-Jason Dominus wrote​:

    Ged Haywood wrote​:

    I used perldoc -f -t to get help on a function, instead of the
    correct perldoc -t -f. Although it is strictly correct that
    the form I used was strictly not correct, the output was garbage
    as opposed to something sensible.

    perldoc -f foo delivers the description of the foo function.

    You asked for perldoc -f -t.

    You got the description of the Perl's `-t' function.

    Er, I thought -t was an operator, not a function.
    But hey, I'm happy if you are.

    Kind regards,
    Ged Haywood.

  4. p5pRT commented on Nov 27, 1999

    @p5pRT
    Author

    From [Unknown Contact. See original ticket]

    G . W . Haywood <ged@​C2H5OH.jubileegroup.co.uk> writes​:

    This is a bug report for perl from ged@​jubileegroup.co.uk,
    generated with the help of perlbug 1.26 running under perl 5.00503.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    [Please enter your report here]

    I used perldoc -f -t to get help on a function, instead of the
    correct perldoc -t -f. Although it is strictly correct that
    the form I used was strictly not correct, the output was garbage
    as opposed to something sensible.

    It is not "garbage" - it is the documentation that relates to the '-t'
    "function" which is what you (unitentionally) asked for ...

    t looks as if the output is
    always the same, but I haven't tested that. Here's the output
    of `perldoc -f -t sub'​: (108 lines of output delimited by +++++
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    =item I<-X> FILEHANDLE

    =item I<-X> EXPR

    =item I<-X>

    --
    Nick Ing-Simmons

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