Hi there,
not being an English native speaker the text seems to be very clear! :-)
Here a rexxtry-session on a German Windows with all three usages:
D:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\Administrator>rexxtry
REXX-ooRexx_4.2.1(MT)_32-bit 6.04 15 Sep 2015
rexxtry.rex lets you interactively try REXX statements.
Each string is executed when you hit Enter.
Enter 'call tell' for a description of the features.
Go on - try a few... Enter 'exit' to end.
*dir=directory()*/;say "["dir"]"/
/[D:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\Administrator]/
........................................... rexxtry.rex on WindowsNT
*dir=directory("directory_that_does_not_exist")*/;say "["dir"]"/
/[]/
........................................... rexxtry.rex on WindowsNT
*dir=directory("d:\Dokumente und Einstellungen")/;/*/say "["dir"]"/
/[d:\Dokumente und Einstellungen]/
........................................... rexxtry.rex on WindowsNT
exit
* The first usage returns the current directory,
* the second usage supplies a non-existing-directory, which causes an empty
string to be returned,
indicating that no change of the current directory took place,
* the third usage supplies an existing directory, to which a switch occurs,
returning the now
(new) current directory.
HTH,
---rony
On 02.02.2016 23:10, Jon Wolfers wrote:
> Hi Bertram,
>
> Yes, this looks like a bug of some sort. The manual I have gives the
> description as you quote,
> but then the example that follows immediately after clearly does not expect
> the same behaviour.
>
> I would say that this is a documentation bug as the documentation lists two
> different behaviours
> which can't both be right, and the code only displays one of these behaviours.
>
> FWIW, I have been using this function wrongly for over a decade and for some
> unfathomable reason
> it has not yet caused a problem. This is probably because I set (& then
> ineffectively pop) the
> directory wherever it is critical.
>
> Unless anyone has further wisdom on this one of us should raise a bug report.
>
> Jon
>
> On 2 February 2016 at 21:44, Bertram Moshier <[email protected]
> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm confused about the directory function both in its usage and
> documentation.
>
> The documentation reads:
>
> Returns the current directory, changing it to /newdirectory/ if
> an argument is
> supplied and the named directory exists. If /newdirectory/ is not
> specified, the name
> of the current directory is returned. Otherwise, an attempt is
> made to change to the
> specified /newdirectory/. If successful, the name of the
> /newdirectory/ is returned;
> if an error occurred, null is returned.
>
>
> The opening sentence looks to be clear. The directory function will:
>
> 1. Obtain the current directory and
> 2. Change to a new directory (assuming it exist).
>
> The second sentence is also clear. If you don't include an argument,
> you'll get the name of
> the current directory and no attempt to change to a new directory will
> occur.
>
> What I don't understand are the last two sentences and how they relate to
> the first two
> sentences. They seem in conflict.
>
> "Otherwise" OK, otherwise to not having an argument (e.g. new
> directory), sure, it is what
> occurs in the opening sentence IF the directory exists.
>
> */_
> _/*
> */_All right, instead of analyzing the documentation maybe a simpler way
> to ask/say all this
> is:_/*
> */_
> _/*
>
> *_HOW DO I GET THE DIRECTORY FUNCTION TO OPERATE AS DESCRIBED IN THE
> OPENING SENTENCE?
> __The given is the directory specified by newdirectory does exists._*
>
>
> Basically what I would like is to code:
>
> Current_Directory = directory(New_Directory)
>
> and when New_Directory exists I get the Current Directory, if the New
> Directory doesn't exists
> I get null.
>
> It is how I read the opening sentence to the Directory function.
>
> What I am seeing though, is either the new directory or null and never
> the current directory,
> as described in the opening sentence.
>
>
>
>
> What am I trying to do is write a very simple function to:
>
> 1. State (like FSSTATE in CMS) the existence of a directory (new
> directory).
> 2. If it exists, cool, return and depending upon arguments leave the
> directory as either the
> new directory or the caller's current directory.
> 3. If it does not exist, then make the new directory, return, and like
> #2 leave the directory
> per arguments.
>
>
>
> *Yes, I can code based upon the behavior I'm seeing, but I'd like to
> understand how to get
> Rexx to behave as described in the opening sentence, PLEASE and Thank
> You.*
>
>
>
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--
--
__________________________________________________________________________________
Prof. Dr. Rony G. Flatscher
Department Informationsverarbeitung und Prozessmanagement
Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre und Wirtschaftsinformatik
D2-C 2.086
WU Wien
Welthandelsplatz 1
A-1020 Wien/Vienna, Austria/Europe
http://www.wu.ac.at
__________________________________________________________________________________
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