From jeremyhetzler@gmail.com

Created by jeremyhetzler@gmail.com

Message-Id​: <5.8.7_3884_1145571853@​frederick>

This is a bug report for perl from jeremyhetzler@​gmail.com,
generated with the help of perlbug 1.35 running under perl v5.8.7.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The error message when passing exists() a wrong argument type is​:

  $ perl -e'exists $foo'
  exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element at -e line 1.

Likewise, /bin/splain reports​:

  $ perl -e'exists $foo' 2>&1 | splain
  exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element at -e line 1 (#1)
  (F) The argument to exists() must be a hash or array element, such as​:

  $foo{$bar}
  $ref->{"susie"}[12]

However, the argument to exists can legitimately also be a subroutine
name​:

  $ perl -e'exists &foo'

The docs correctly state that the argument can be any of a hash element,
an array element, or a subroutine name.

The error message should be​:
  exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element or subroutine name at
-e line 1.

The splain output should be​:
  (F) The argument to exists() must be a hash or array element or
  a subroutine name, such as​:

  $foo{$bar}
  $ref->{"susie"}[12]
  &foo

Flags:
     category=core
     severity=low

Site configuration information for perl v5.8.7:

Configured by gerrit at Fri Dec 30 02:40:15     2005.

Summary of my perl5 (revision 5 version 8 subversion 7) configuration:
   Platform:
     osname=cygwin, osvers=1.5.18(0.13242), 
archname=cygwin-thread-multi-64int
     uname='cygwin_nt-5.1 inspiron 1.5.18(0.13242) 2005-07-02 20:30 i686 
unknown unknown cygwin '
     config_args='-de -Dmksymlinks -Duse64bitint -Dusethreads 
-Uusemymalloc -Doptimize=-O3 -Dman3ext=3pm -Dusesitecustomize'
     hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=define
     usethreads=define use5005threads=undef useithreads=define 
usemultiplicity=define
     useperlio=define d_sfio=undef uselargefiles=define usesocks=undef
     use64bitint=define use64bitall=undef uselongdouble=undef
     usemymalloc=n, bincompat5005=undef
   Compiler:
     cc='gcc', ccflags ='-DPERL_USE_SAFE_PUTENV -fno-strict-aliasing 
-pipe -I/usr/local/include',
     optimize='-O3',
     cppflags='-DPERL_USE_SAFE_PUTENV -fno-strict-aliasing -pipe 
-I/usr/local/include'
     ccversion='', gccversion='3.4.4 (cygming special) (gdc 0.12, using 
dmd 0.125)', gccosandvers=''
     intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8, byteorder=12345678
     d_longlong=define, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=12
     ivtype='long long', ivsize=8, nvtype='double', nvsize=8, 
Off_t='off_t', lseeksize=8
     alignbytes=8, prototype=define
   Linker and Libraries:
     ld='ld2', ldflags =' -s -L/usr/local/lib'
     libpth=/usr/local/lib /lib /usr/lib
     libs=-lgdbm -ldb -lcrypt -lgdbm_compat
     perllibs=-lcrypt -lgdbm_compat
     libc=/usr/lib/libc.a, so=dll, useshrplib=true, libperl=libperl.a
     gnulibc_version=''
   Dynamic Linking:
     dlsrc=dl_dlopen.xs, dlext=dll, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags=' -s'
     cccdlflags=' ', lddlflags=' -s -L/usr/local/lib'

Locally applied patches:
     SPRINTF0 - fixes for sprintf formatting issues - CVE-2005-3962


@INC for perl v5.8.7:
     /home/steveb/lib/perl
     lib
     /usr/lib/perl5/5.8/cygwin
     /usr/lib/perl5/5.8
     /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8/cygwin
     /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8
     /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8/cygwin
     /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8
     /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8/cygwin
     /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8
     /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8/cygwin
     /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8
     .


Environment for perl v5.8.7:
     HOME=/home/steveb
     LANG (unset)
     LANGUAGE (unset)
     LD_LIBRARY_PATH (unset)
     LOGDIR=/home/steveb/log
 
PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/c/WINDOWS/system32:/c/WINDOWS:/c/WINDOWS/System32/Wbem:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/c/Program 
Files/VDMSound:/c/Program Files/ATI Technologies/ATI Control 
Panel:/d/Java/jdk1.5.0_05/bin:/d/programs/diskeeper/:/c/Program 
Files/MKVtoolnix:~/scripts:/c/Program Files/PuTTY
     PERL5LIB=/home/steveb/lib/perl:lib
     PERLIO=perlio
     PERLLIB=/e/steveb/lib/perl
     PERL_BADLANG (unset)
     SHELL=/usr/bin/bash

From @rgs

Jeremy Hetzler (via RT) wrote​:

The error message when passing exists() a wrong argument type is​:

$ perl -e'exists $foo'
exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element at -e line 1.

However, the argument to exists can legitimately also be a subroutine
name​:

$ perl -e'exists &foo'

The docs correctly state that the argument can be any of a hash element,
an array element, or a subroutine name.

The error message should be​:
exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element or subroutine name at
-e line 1.

So, one should probably merge both error messages :

  $ perl -e 'exists &foo()'
  exists argument is not a subroutine name at -e line 1.

The RT System itself - Status changed from 'new' to 'open'

From jeremyhetzler@gmail.com

Rafael Garcia-Suarez via RT wrote​:

So, one should probably merge both error messages :

$ perl \-e 'exists &foo\(\)'
exists argument is not a subroutine name at \-e line 1\.

I hadn't noticed that. Yes, they should both give the same error
message. Here's an updated version that's a little more clear​:

  exists argument is not a HASH element, ARRAY element, or subroutine
  name at -e line 1.

I think this would work for both the $foo and &foo() cases.

Jeremy

From p5p@spam.wizbit.be

On Thu Apr 20 15​:31​:19 2006, jeremyhetzler@​gmail.com wrote​:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The error message when passing exists() a wrong argument type is​:

$ perl -e'exists $foo'
exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element at -e line 1.

[...]

However, the argument to exists can legitimately also be a subroutine
name​:

$ perl -e'exists &foo'

The docs correctly state that the argument can be any of a hash
element,
an array element, or a subroutine name.

The error message should be​:
exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element or subroutine name at
-e line 1.

[...]

Patch that changes the error message to​:
  'exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element or a subroutine'
attached.

From p5p@spam.wizbit.be

patch_op_exists

From @rgs

2008/5/17 Bram via RT <perlbug-followup@​perl.org>​:

Patch that changes the error message to​:
'exists argument is not a HASH or ARRAY element or a subroutine'
attached.

Thanks, applied as #33849.

@rgs - Status changed from 'open' to 'resolved'