PERLBUG(1)
NNAAMMEE
perlbug - how to submit bug reports on Perl
SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
ppeerrllbbuugg [ --vv ] [ --aa address ] [ --ss subject ]
[ --bb body | --ff file ] [ --rr returnaddress ] [ --ee editor ]
[ --cc adminaddress | --CC ] [ --SS ] [ --tt ] [ --dd ] [ --hh ]
ppeerrllbbuugg [ --vv ] [ --rr returnaddress ] [ --ookk | ookkaayy ]
DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
A program to help generate bug reports about perl or the
modules that come with it, and mail them.
If you have found a bug with a non-standard port (one that
was not part of the standard distribution), a binary
distribution, or a non-standard module (such as Tk, CGI,
etc), then please see the documentation that came with
that distribution to determine the correct place to report
bugs.
perlbug is designed to be used interactively. Normally no
arguments will be needed. Simply run it, and follow the
prompts.
If you are unable to run ppeerrllbbuugg (most likely because you
don't have a working setup to send mail that perlbug
recognizes), you may have to compose your own report, and
email it to ppeerrllbbuugg@@ppeerrll..ccoomm. You might find the --dd
option useful to get summary information in that case.
In any case, when reporting a bug, please make sure you
have run through this 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 latest released version, get that one and see
whether your bug has been fixed. Note that bug
reports about old versions of perl, especially those
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 documented features in perl. Make sure the
behavior you are witnessing doesn't fall under that
category, by glancing through the documentation that
comes with perl (we'll admit this is no mean task,
given the sheer volume of it all, but at least have a
look at the sections that seem relevant).
Be aware of the familiar traps that perl programmers
of various hues fall 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 be fixed, because if no one can
duplicate the problem, no one can fix it. A good test
case has most of these attributes: fewest possible
number of lines; few dependencies on external
commands, modules, or libraries; runs on most
platforms unimpeded; and is self-documenting.
A good test case is almost always a good candidate to
be on the perl test suite. If you have the time,
consider making your test case so that 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 it will be fixed. Anything you can
provide by way of insight into the problem helps a
great deal. In other words, try to analyse the
problem 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
almost definitely be fixed. Use the diff program to
generate your patches (diff is being maintained by the
GNU folks as part of the ddiiffffuuttiillss package, so you
should be able to get it from any of the GNU software
repositories). If you do submit a patch, the cool-
dude counter at perlbug@perl.com will register you as
a savior of the world. Your patch may be returned
with requests for changes, or requests for more
detailed explanations about your fix.
Here are some clues for creating quality patches: Use
the --cc or --uu switches to the diff program (to create a
so-called context or unified diff). Make sure the
patch is not reversed (the first argument to diff is
typically the original file, the second argument your
changed file). Make sure you test your patch by
applying it with the patch program before you send it
on its way. Try to follow the same style as the code
you are trying to patch. Make sure your patch really
does work (make test, if the thing you're patching
supports it).
Can you use perlbug to submit the report?
ppeerrllbbuugg will, amongst other things, ensure your report
includes crucial information about your version of
perl. If perlbug is unable to mail your report after
you have typed it in, you may have to compose the
message yourself, add the output produced by perlbug
-d and email it to ppeerrllbbuugg@@ppeerrll..ccoomm. If, for some
reason, you cannot run perlbug at all on your system,
be sure to include the entire output produced by
running perl -V (note the uppercase V).
Having done your bit, please be prepared to wait, to be
told the bug is in your code, or even to get no reply at
all. The perl maintainers are busy folks, so if your
problem is a small one or if it is difficult to 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 the Changes file in any development releases
since the time you submitted the bug, and encourage the
maintainers with kind words (but never any flames!). Feel
free to resend your bug report if the next released
version of perl comes out and your bug is still present.
OOPPTTIIOONNSS
--aa Address to send the report to. Defaults to
`perlbug@perl.com'.
--bb Body of the report. If not included on the
command line, or in a file with --ff, you will get a
chance to edit the message.
--CC Don't send copy to administrator.
--cc Address to send copy of report to. Defaults to
the address of the local perl administrator
(recorded when perl was built).
--dd Data mode (the default if you redirect or pipe
output). This prints out your configuration data,
without mailing anything. You can use this with
--vv to get more complete data.
--ee Editor to use.
--ff File containing the body of the report. Use this
to quickly send a prepared message.
--hh Prints a brief summary of the options.
--ookk Report successful build on this system to perl
porters. Forces --SS and --CC. Forces and supplies
values for --ss and --bb. Only prompts for a return
address if it cannot guess it (for use with mmaakkee).
Honors return address specified with --rr. You can
use this with --vv to get more complete data. Only
makes a report if this system is less than 60 days
old.
--ookkaayy As --ookk except it will report on older systems.
--rr Your return address. The program will ask you to
confirm its default if you don't use this option.
--SS Send without asking for confirmation.
--ss Subject to include with the message. You will be
prompted if you don't supply one on the command
line.
--tt Test mode. The target address defaults to
`perlbug-test@perl.com'.
--vv Include verbose configuration data in the report.
AAUUTTHHOORRSS
Kenneth Albanowski (kjahds@kjahds.com), subsequently
doctored by Gurusamy Sarathy (gsar@umich.edu), Tom
Christiansen (tchrist@perl.com), Nathan Torkington
(gnat@frii.com), Charles F. Randall (cfr@pobox.com)
and Mike Guy (mjtg@cam.a.uk).
SSEEEE AALLSSOO
perl(1), perldebug(1), perltrap(1), diff(1), patch(1)
BBUUGGSS
None known (guess what must have been used to report
them?)