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From: lwall@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: perl -x take argument as a filename (bug or feature?)
Message-ID: <9146@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Date: 15 Aug 90 05:48:34 GMT
References: <STEF.90Aug13172814@zweig.sun> <COMPOSER.90Aug14001232@bucsf.bu.edu>
Reply-To: lwall@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Larry Wall)
Distribution: comp.lang.perl
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Lines: 32

In article <COMPOSER.90Aug14001232@bucsf.bu.edu> composer@cs.bu.edu writes:
: So, Larry, are both
: 	perl -xdirectory
: and
: 	perl -x directory
: supposed to be legal?
: 
: To allow the latter should be a simple fix.

Yes the fix is simple, but it would bust

	perl -x arg1 arg2 arg3

In general, the space can be optional on a switch only if the argument
is required.  And I want to allow a simple

	perl -x

for the cases in which it doesn't matter which directory it runs in.

: In article <STEF.90Aug13172814@zweig.sun>
: 	stef@zweig.sun (Stephane Payrard) writes:
: 
:  > Assumiong there is no file named argument in the current directory,
:  > pipe this article in 'perl -x argument'. The  output is:
:  > Can't open perl script "argument": No such file or directory
:  >
:  > I would have been expected the string 'argument' to be printed.

I would too.  I guess that makes it a bug.

Larry