Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!VAX1.CC.UAKRON.EDU!math-cs.kent.edu!news
From: gorpong@kentvax.kent.edu (Gordon C. Galligher)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl
Subject: Re: Perl 3.0 PL28 package and subroutine PROBLEMS (ie: I NEED HELP)
Keywords: Package, Subroutine
Message-ID: <1990Sep4.221950.17628@math-cs.kent.edu>
Date: 4 Sep 90 22:19:50 GMT
References: <1990Sep4.190721.8505@math-cs.kent.edu>
Organization: Kent State University
Lines: 30

Assuming, of course, that I get the first problem solved, what I want to know
is how to get some code in the package top to be executed whenever the file
is 'require'd or 'do'd (not dude).  I have this:

	#
	# Does a real alarm() function exist?
	#
	    eval "alarm(10); alarm(0);";            # Set, then unset (to test)
	    if ( length($@) == 0 )
	    {
		    $ALARMEXISTS = 1;               # Yeah, use alarm() in perl
	    }
	    else                                    # No, so make sure we can
	    {                                       # emulate it in here.
		    ($version, $patchlevel) =
			    $] =~ /(\d+\.\d+).*\nPatch level: (\d+)/;
		    die "Cannot use alarm() in pre-Perl 3.0 PL9 release\n"
	            if $version < 3.0 || ($version >= 3.0 && $patchlevel < 9.0);
	    }

This is just in the beginning, and the only thing before it is:  package ALARM;
and some comments.  Is there something else I need to do to get this executed?
I also set up some global variables there because I assumed they would be
executed when the 'do' happened (or the 'require').  Have I made a bad
assumption, or is something else wrong?  Perl did pass all of the tests.

As I have said many times today, any help you can give me would be greatly
appreciated.

		-- Gordon.