#!/usr/bin/perl -w

#######################################################
# lect07_system_misc
#
# discussion of some process-related miscellany,
#    including some points related to the system comman
#
# modified by Sharon Tuttle from "Learning Perl",
#    by Schartz and Phoenix
#
# last modified: 10-5-04
#######################################################

my @dirs = qw(fred|flintstone <barney&rubble> betty );

foreach (@dirs)
{
    chomp;
    print "#$_#\n";
}

# consider :
#    my $tarfile = "blah.tar";
#    
# what's the difference between:
#
# system "tar cvf $tarfile @dirs";
# system "tar", "cvf", $tarfile, @dirs;
#
# in system "tar cvf $tarfile @dirs";
# saying:

# tar cvf blah.tar fred|flintstone <barney&rubble> betty
# ...OR --- pipe results to a program named fred, 
#           which'll be run in the background,
#           redirecting results to a file betty... !

# system "tar", "cvf", $tarfile, @dirs;
# saying: pass a command tar the arguments cvf,
#                                          then whatever is in $tarfile,
#                                          then whatever is in @dirs
# ...but they go to the tar command, not to the general shell;

# multi-arg system also a good way to call another shell:

# system "/bin/tcsh", $command_desired;

#-----------------------------------------------------------
# system command's return value is based on exit status
#    of the returned child --- if 0, that's usually good!

#   !system blah or die "something went wrong";
 

# end of lect07_system_misc