Re: assign default value to variables I assign from split

Richard Lee wrote:
> John W. Krahn wrote:
>>
>>
>>>        open FILE, "ls -tr | zcat -d $directory/$file |", or die qq/you 
>>
>> My version of zcat does not have a -d switch, what does it do on your 
>> system?  It appears that "ls -tr | " in front of zcat is superfluous? 
>> What do you think it will do there?
> 
> Just to follow up on this,
> 
> zcat -d option does below
> 
> [root@myserver ~]# zcat -?
> zcat 1.3.5
> (2002-09-30)
> usage: zcat [-cdfhlLnNrtvV19] [-S suffix] [file ...]
> -c --stdout      write on standard output, keep original files unchanged
> -d --decompress  decompress

Just to follow up on your follow up:

$ zcat -?
Try `gzip --help' for more information.
$ zcat -V
gzip 1.3.12
Copyright (C) 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Copyright (C) 1993 Jean-loup Gailly.
This is free software.  You may redistribute copies of it under the terms of
the GNU General Public License <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by Jean-loup Gailly.
$ man zcat
GZIP(1)

NAME
        gzip, gunzip, zcat - compress or expand files

SYNOPSIS
        gzip [ -acdfhlLnNrtvV19 ] [-S suffix] [ name ...  ]
        gunzip [ -acfhlLnNrtvV ] [-S suffix] [ name ...  ]
        zcat [ -fhLV ] [ name ...  ]


Note that the -d switch applies to gzip only.  zcat by definition is 
*supposed* to decompress files.  (Why would zcat *compress* files?)



John
-- 
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