MAN page from Old RedHat 5.X perl-5.004-4.i386.rpm

PERLBUG

Section: Perl Programmers Reference Guide (1)
Updated: perl 5.004, patch 04
Index

NAME

perlbug - how to submit bug reports on Perl

SYNOPSIS

perlbug [ -v ] [ -a address ] [ -s subject ][ -b body | -f file ] [ -r returnaddress ][ -e editor ] [ -c adminaddress | -C ][ -S ] [ -t ] [ -d ] [ -h ]

perlbug [ -v ] [ -r returnaddress ] [ -ok | okay ]

DESCRIPTION

A program to help generate bug reports about perl or the modules thatcome with it, and mail them.

If you have found a bug with a non-standard port (one that was not partof the standard distribution), a binary distribution, or anon-standard module (such as Tk, CGI, etc), then please see thedocumentation that came with that distribution to determine the correctplace to report bugs.

perlbug is designed to be used interactively. Normally no argumentswill be needed. Simply run it, and follow the prompts.

If you are unable to run perlbug (most likely because you don't havea working setup to send mail that perlbug recognizes), you may have tocompose your own report, and email it to perlbugAATTperl.com. You mightfind the -d option useful to get summary information in that case.

In any case, when reporting a bug, please make sure you have run throughthis checklist:

What version of perl you are running?

Type perl -v at the command line to find out.

Are you running the latest released version of perl?

Look at http://www.perl.com/ to find out. If it is not the latestreleased version, get that one and see whether your bug has beenfixed. Note that bug reports about old versions of perl, especiallythose prior to the 5.0 release, are likely to fall upon deaf ears.You are on your own if you continue to use perl1 .. perl4.

Are you sure what you have is a bug?

A significant number of the bug reports we get turn out to be documentedfeatures in perl. Make sure the behavior you are witnessing doesn't fallunder that category, by glancing through the documentation that comeswith perl (we'll admit this is no mean task, given the sheer volume ofit all, but at least have a look at the sections that seem relevant).

Be aware of the familiar traps that perl programmers of various huesfall into. See the perltrap manpage.

Try to study the problem under the perl debugger, if necessary.See the perldebug manpage.

Do you have a proper test case?

The easier it is to reproduce your bug, the more likely it will befixed, because if no one can duplicate the problem, no one can fix it.A good test case has most of these attributes: fewest possible numberof lines; few dependencies on external commands, modules, orlibraries; runs on most platforms unimpeded; and is self-documenting.

A good test case is almost always a good candidate to be on the perltest suite. If you have the time, consider making your test case sothat it will readily fit into the standard test suite.

Can you describe the bug in plain English?

The easier it is to understand a reproducible bug, the more likely itwill be fixed. Anything you can provide by way of insight into theproblem helps a great deal. In other words, try to analyse theproblem to the extent you feel qualified and report your discoveries.

Can you fix the bug yourself?

A bug report which includes a patch to fix it will almostdefinitely be fixed. Use the diff program to generate your patches(diff is being maintained by the GNU folks as part of the diffutilspackage, so you should be able to get it from any of the GNU softwarerepositories). If you do submit a patch, the cool-dude counter atperlbugAATTperl.com will register you as a savior of the world. Yourpatch may be returned with requests for changes, or requests for moredetailed explanations about your fix.

Here are some clues for creating quality patches: Use the -c or-u switches to the diff program (to create a so-called context orunified diff). Make sure the patch is not reversed (the firstargument to diff is typically the original file, the second argumentyour changed file). Make sure you test your patch by applying it withthe patch program before you send it on its way. Try to follow thesame style as the code you are trying to patch. Make sure your patchreally does work (make test, if the thing you're patching supportsit).

Can you use perlbug to submit the report?

perlbug will, amongst other things, ensure your report includescrucial information about your version of perl. If perlbug is unableto mail your report after you have typed it in, you may have to composethe message yourself, add the output produced by perlbug -d and emailit to perlbugAATTperl.com. If, for some reason, you cannot runperlbug at all on your system, be sure to include the entire outputproduced by running perl -V (note the uppercase V).

Having done your bit, please be prepared to wait, to be told the bugis in your code, or even to get no reply at all. The perl maintainersare busy folks, so if your problem is a small one or if it is difficultto understand or already known, they may not respond with a personal reply.If it is important to you that your bug be fixed, do monitor theChanges file in any development releases since the time you submittedthe bug, and encourage the maintainers with kind words (but never anyflames!). Feel free to resend your bug report if the next releasedversion of perl comes out and your bug is still present.

OPTIONS

-a: Address to send the report to. Defaults to `perlbugAATTperl.com'.
-b: Body of the report. If not included on the command line, orin a file with -f, you will get a chance to edit the message.
-C: Don't send copy to administrator.
-c: Address to send copy of report to. Defaults to the address of thelocal perl administrator (recorded when perl was built).
-d: Data mode (the default if you redirect or pipe output). This prints outyour configuration data, without mailing anything. You can use thiswith -v to get more complete data.
-e: Editor to use.
-f: File containing the body of the report. Use this to quickly send aprepared message.
-h: Prints a brief summary of the options.
-ok: Report successful build on this system to perl porters. Forces -Sand -C. Forces and supplies values for -s and -b. Onlyprompts for a return address if it cannot guess it (for use withmake). Honors return address specified with -r. You can use thiswith -v to get more complete data. Only makes a report if thissystem is less than 60 days old.
-okay: As -ok except it will report on older systems.
-r: Your return address. The program will ask you to confirm its defaultif you don't use this option.
-S: Send without asking for confirmation.
-s: Subject to include with the message. You will be prompted if you don'tsupply one on the command line.
-t: Test mode. The target address defaults to `perlbug-testAATTperl.com'.
-v: Include verbose configuration data in the report.

AUTHORS

Kenneth Albanowski (<kjahdsAATTkjahds.com>), subsequently doctoredby Gurusamy Sarathy (<gsarAATTumich.edu>), Tom Christiansen(<tchrist@perl.com>), Nathan Torkington (<gnatAATTfrii.com>),Charles F. Randall (<cfrAATTpobox.com>) andMike Guy (<mjtgAATTcam.a.uk>).

BUGS

None known (guess what must have been used to report them?)

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