Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!hub!eiffel!jp
From: jp@eiffel.UUCP (Jean-Pierre Sarkis)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel
Subject: Re: Eiffel Problems, Problems, Problems
Summary: Solution
Message-ID: <268@eiffel.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 90 21:41:02 GMT
References: <2983@goanna.oz.au> <5983@star.cs.vu.nl>
Organization: Interactive Software Engineering, Santa Barbara CA
Lines: 74

The garbage collector problem encountered by Paul
Menon and Jos Warmer apparently corresponds to a bug in the
run-time system of 2.2B, which manifests itself
when the garbage collector is run in certain
conditions (having to do with string objects).

The following fix, which should remove Professor
Menon's problem, may be applied by all installations.

Mail will be sent regarding the other problems mentioned
in Professor Menon's message.

-- Jean-Pierre Sarkis
jp@eiffel.com

(Reply address for this and any other customer support problem:
eiffel@eiffel.com)

------------------------------------------------------------

The correction should be applied to routine get_arg
in file

	_basic.c

in directory INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY/Eiffel/files.

How to proceed:

1. ``Change directory'' to the above directory.

2. Make a backup copy of file `_basic.c'.

3. Edit this file and change the definition of
function get_arg () as indicated below in ``diff'' format.

................. BEGIN CHANGE ......................
220,221c220,221
<       DATUM strarg;
<       if(n >= argc) return(DATINT(0));
---
>       DATPTR strarg;
>       if(n >= argc) return((DATUM)NULL);
238,240c238,241
<               strarg = DATOBJ ( MakeStr(p+1));
<               if (gac_option) ONCE(strarg);
<               return(strarg);
---
>               strarg = (DATPTR)malloc (sizeof(DATPTR));
>               (*strarg) = DATOBJ ( MakeStr(p+1));
>               if (gac_option) ONCE(*strarg);
>               return(*strarg);
260,262c261,264
<             strarg = DATOBJ ( MakeStr(p));
<             if (gac_option) ONCE(strarg);
<             return(strarg);
---
>             strarg = (DATPTR)malloc (sizeof(DATPTR));
>             (*strarg) = DATOBJ ( MakeStr(p));
>             if (gac_option) ONCE(*strarg);
>             return(*strarg);
................. END CHANGE ......................

4. Re-generate the archive of the run-time system by
running

	make -f _makeD

5. [Only on a BSD version of Unix]: Run

	ranlib _run_time.a


This should correct the problem.