Bug #19938 for Config-Auto:

Fri Jun 16 09:55:00 2006 Guest - Ticket created

If there is no XML::Simple to be found, and parse is asked to look at an XML File, it croaks with an unhelpful error message: Can't use string ("") as a subroutine ref while "strict refs" in use at //ms/dist/perl5/PROJ/Config-Auto/0.12/lib/perl5/Config/Auto.pm line 74 The score subroutine scores 'xml' as the best (and only option). The parse function then blindly dispatches the method in the method hash. But if XML::Simple failed to load, the 'xml' method is rudely removed from the method table. So please die if XML::Simple cannot be loaded, or die if xml scores and we haven't loaded it into %INC, or don't dispatch the method blindly, instead do something like this on line 74: return $methods{$method}->($file) if exists $methods{$method}; return; or any of a myriad other ways that don't obfuscate the underlying problem. Thanks!

Wed Jun 28 06:37:00 2006 kane [...] cpan.org - Correspondence added

On Fri Jun 16 09:55:00 2006, guest wrote: Show quoted text

> If there is no XML::Simple to be found, and parse is asked to look at an > XML File, it croaks with an unhelpful error message: > > Can't use string ("") as a subroutine ref while "strict refs" in use at > //ms/dist/perl5/PROJ/Config-Auto/0.12/lib/perl5/Config/Auto.pm line 74

Thanks for reporting. I've just uploaded Config::Auto 0.18 which holds a fix for this issue. From the changes file: 0.18 Wed Jun 28 12:22:29 2006 ================================ - Address #19938 which states that calling parse() on an xml config without XML::Simple installed dies ungracefully. As of this version, better diagnostics will be provided.

Wed Jun 28 06:37:01 2006 The RT System itself - Status changed from 'new' to 'open'

Wed Jun 28 06:37:03 2006 kane [...] cpan.org - Status changed from 'open' to 'resolved'