Shell Programming and Scripting

All,

Does it matter what perl verios your running when you get syntax errors?

on version 5.6.1 the code works fine, but on 5.8.0 the code gets errors?

Code:

#!/usr/bin/perl
#use strict;
#use warnings;
my $mess = 'messages';
my $mess1 = 'messages.1';
my $mess2 = 'messages.2';
my $mess3 = 'messages.3';
my $mess4 = 'messages.4';
if (-e $mess4)
{print "File $mess4 exists.\n"}

errors:

line 7: my: command not found
line 8: my: command not found
line 9: my: command not found
line 10: my: command not found
line 11: my: command not found
line 15: syntax error near unexpected token `else'
line 15: `else {'

Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Ben

From these errors, it would seem that the script isn't run by Perl, but rather by the shell. How do you usually start it? Have you tried explicitly invoking Perl with the script as an argument?

Pludi,

I need some information: Have you tried explicitly invoking Perl with the script as an argument?

I dont know how to invoke perl?

Ben

On the command line, enter

Code:

perl yourscript.pl

And how do you usually start the script?

Pludi,

Thanks. Why would I have to invoke perl, if Ive never had to do that before?

Normally i just enter ./script.pl, to make it run.

Ben

So if invoked explicitly, it does work? (Remember, we aren't psychics, we only know what you tell us)

What's the difference between the working system and the non-working one, other than different Perl versions? What OS in what version, what shell, ...

Pludi,

Now I have completely different errors:

String found where operator expected at obj14-1.pl line 95, near "open (MESS1, ""
(Might be a runaway multi-line "" string starting on line 92)
(Missing semicolon on previous line?)
String found where operator expected at obj14-1.pl line 96, near "open (MESS, ""
(Might be a runaway multi-line "" string starting on line 95)
(Missing semicolon on previous line?)
Scalar found where operator expected at obj14-1.pl line 96, near "open (MESS, "$mess"
(Do you need to predeclare open?)


How do I find out versions and everything else you wanted to know?

Ben

---------- Post updated at 03:29 AM ---------- Previous update was at 03:13 AM ----------

I think I found out why....the system it works on is HPUX, the system it doesnt work on is Linux.

HPUX is running 5.6.1 perl version
Linux is running 5.8.0 perl version

Could that be it?

Ben