Re: MM_VMS and File::Spec::VMS.pm intertanglement.

Craig A. Berry wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 8:39 AM, John E. Malmberg <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> Now about MM_VMS, based on previous e-mail discussions, these routines exist
>> because VMS PERL by default does not map the %ENV hash to DCL shell symbols.
> 
> They exist because WriteMakefile and its children split and recombine
> path components all over the place and some of those components are
> macros.  That generally works on Unix because there is no special
> directory syntax: if $(FOO) expands to 'bar', copying your files to
> /usr/local/$(FOO) works just fine.  But on VMS, you can't pass a macro
> to catdir and get reasonable results unless catdir expands the macro
> first.  Otherwise, you'd be doing things like copying your files to
> perl_root:[000000.$(FOO)] which would expand to
> perl_root:[000000.[.bar]] and give you a syntax error.

That makes sense.

>> If those specific $ENV values put in the makefile where exported using the
>> DCLsym module in the format MMK/MMS could use, then MM_VMS would not need to
>> be eliminating the macros.
> 
> As far as I know, MMK and MMS map logical names, not DCL symbols, to macros.

Nope, DCL symbols, not logical names.

This test was done on Eisner::

$ type test.mms

sys$login:bar$(test).tmp : sys$login:foo.tmp
    $ write sys$output "process target bar$(test).tmp"
    $ open/write xx  bar$(test).tmp
    $ close xx

sys$login:foo.tmp :
    $ write sys$output "process target foo.tmp"
    $ open/write xx foo.tmp
    $ close xx

$ show sym test
%DCL-W-UNDSYM, undefined symbol - check validity and spelling
$ test = "_override"
$ mmk/descrip = test.mms/log/verify
%MMK-I-OPENDESC, reading description file 
EISNER$DRA3:[DECUSERVE_MODERATOR.MALMB
ERG]TEST.MMS;10
%MMK-I-CHECKUPD, checking need to update target SYS$LOGIN:BAR_OVERRIDE.TMP
%MMK-I-TRGLKUF, lookup for target SYS$LOGIN:BAR_OVERRIDE.TMP failed - 
update required
-RMS-E-FNF, file not found
%MMK-I-CHECKUPD, checking need to update target SYS$LOGIN:FOO.TMP
%MMK-I-TRGRDT, target SYS$LOGIN:FOO.TMP revision date is 14-NOV-2008 
11:59:55.40
%MMK-I-TRGNUPD, target SYS$LOGIN:BAR_OVERRIDE.TMP is out of date - 
update requir
ed
%MMK-I-PERFUPD, performing actions to update SYS$LOGIN:BAR_OVERRIDE.TMP
$ write sys$output "process target bar_override.tmp"
process target bar_override.tmp
$ open/write xx  bar_override.tmp
$ close xx
$ del/sym test
$ define test logical
$ mmk/descrip = test.mms/log/verify
%MMK-I-OPENDESC, reading description file 
EISNER$DRA3:[DECUSERVE_MODERATOR.MALMB
ERG]TEST.MMS;10
%MMK-I-CHECKUPD, checking need to update target SYS$LOGIN:BAR.TMP
%MMK-I-TRGRDT, target SYS$LOGIN:BAR.TMP revision date is 14-NOV-2008 
11:59:55.41
%MMK-I-CHECKUPD, checking need to update target SYS$LOGIN:FOO.TMP
%MMK-I-TRGRDT, target SYS$LOGIN:FOO.TMP revision date is 14-NOV-2008 
11:59:55.40
%MMK-I-SRCRDT, source SYS$LOGIN:FOO.TMP revision date is 14-NOV-2008 
11:59:55.40
%MMK-S-NOUPDATE, target SYS$LOGIN:BAR.TMP is up-to-date
$

>> Now with the macros elimninated on VMS, the resulting makefile can be run
>> outside of the script that generated it, and it will still work.
>>
>> But if it were changed to have the environment variables set by perl, then
>> the resulting makefile would probably only be runnable by the script that
>> generated it, because that is also what set the environment variables.  But
>> that should also be the case with UNIX.
>>
>> Or am I missing something here?
> 
> I'm not quite following what you are proposing.  I think I did
> something for macro propagation in Module::Build's compatibility mode,
> which might be worth a look.
> 
>> Also, MMK/MMS should be able to use UNIX filename syntax, as long as every
>> file reference is in UNIX format.  That should be able to simplify  the work
>> in getting mm_vms to support the extended character set mode.
> 
> Er, assuming major rewrites of MMK and/or MMS to handle Unix syntax
> filenames, which they currently don't handle at all.

My mistake.  I thought I had tested MMK and MMS with UNIX format names. 
  I just tried again, and got syntax errors for my trouble.

-John
[email protected]
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