Bug #45634 for XML-Easy: errors testing XML-Easy

Fri May 01 17:16:35 2009 JDlugosz [...] TradeStation.com - Ticket created

Subject:	errors testing XML-Easy
Date:	Fri, 1 May 2009 17:15:57 -0400
To:	<bug-XML-Easy [...] rt.cpan.org>
From:	"John Dlugosz" <JDlugosz [...] TradeStation.com>

EML-Easy-0.0002 perl, v5.10.0 built for MSWin32-x64-multi-thread Binary build 1003 [285500] provided by ActiveState http://www.ActiveState.com Windows XP x64 edition When running "build test", I got many pop-up error boxes stating that MSVCR80.dll could not be found. I have 23 files by that name on the machine, including 3 versions in the WinSxS\amd_64 area, which is what is normally found when a program is built using Visual Studio 8. TradeStation Group, Inc. is a publicly-traded holding company (NASDAQ GS: TRAD) of three operating subsidiaries, TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC and NFA), TradeStation Technologies, Inc., a trading software and subscription company, and TradeStation Europe Limited, a United Kingdom, FSA-authorized introducing brokerage firm. None of these companies provides trading or investment advice, recommendations or endorsements of any kind. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

Sun May 03 16:38:30 2009 zefram [...] fysh.org - Correspondence added

Subject:	Re: [rt.cpan.org #45634] errors testing XML-Easy
Date:	Sun, 3 May 2009 21:38:06 +0100
To:	John Dlugosz via RT <bug-XML-Easy [...] rt.cpan.org>
From:	Zefram <zefram [...] fysh.org>

John Dlugosz via RT wrote: Show quoted text

>When running "build test", I got many pop-up error boxes stating that >MSVCR80.dll could not be found.

This sounds like a general problem with loading compiled XS modules. I expect you'll get the same result with any XS module from CPAN; try Crypt::UnixCrypt_XS, for example. I'm afraid I can't help you with getting this to work generally. You'd best ask in fora that are concerned specifically with Perl on Windows. Until you've got XS module loading fixed, though, there is a workaround for XML::Easy. It actually has a pure Perl implementation of the parser and serialiser, as a backup for the XS version. Working from a clean (freshly unpacked) distribution directory, if you delete lib/XML/Easy.xs before building then it won't compile the XS code at all, and the module should work fine without it. It'll run thirty times slower this way, but at least you can get started in using it. -zefram

Sun May 03 16:38:30 2009 The RT System itself - Status changed from 'new' to 'open'

Mon May 04 12:59:41 2009 JDlugosz [...] TradeStation.com - Correspondence added

Subject:	RE: [rt.cpan.org #45634] errors testing XML-Easy
Date:	Mon, 4 May 2009 12:59:17 -0400
To:	<bug-XML-Easy [...] rt.cpan.org>
From:	"John Dlugosz" <JDlugosz [...] TradeStation.com>

Show quoted text

> -----Original Message----- > From: Zefram via RT [mailto:bug-XML-Easy@rt.cpan.org] > Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2009 3:39 PM > To: John Dlugosz > Subject: Re: [rt.cpan.org #45634] errors testing XML-Easy > > <URL: https://rt.cpan.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=45634 > > > John Dlugosz via RT wrote:

> >When running "build test", I got many pop-up error boxes stating that > >MSVCR80.dll could not be found.

> > This sounds like a general problem with loading compiled XS modules. > I expect you'll get the same result with any XS module from CPAN; > try Crypt::UnixCrypt_XS, for example. I'm afraid I can't help you > with getting this to work generally. You'd best ask in fora that are > concerned specifically with Perl on Windows. > > Until you've got XS module loading fixed, though, there is a workaround > for XML::Easy. It actually has a pure Perl implementation of the > parser > and serialiser, as a backup for the XS version. Working from a clean > (freshly unpacked) distribution directory, if you delete > lib/XML/Easy.xs > before building then it won't compile the XS code at all, and the > module > should work fine without it. It'll run thirty times slower this way, > but at least you can get started in using it. > > -zefram

Yes, it does seem to be general. The compiler is missing a switch. I found a work-around on a discussion of another module, to manually fix it after building before installing. As for being endemic, I think the different build packages (Module Buider, MakeMaker, whatever) each has its own code. As for the fallback implementation, I would like to point out that this messes up the unit tests. When the xs could not be loaded, the tests passed anyway. It should seperatly test the xs and fallback. I suspect that if the xs _is_ loaded, the fallback is not tested. TradeStation Group, Inc. is a publicly-traded holding company (NASDAQ GS: TRAD) of three operating subsidiaries, TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC and NFA), TradeStation Technologies, Inc., a trading software and subscription company, and TradeStation Europe Limited, a United Kingdom, FSA-authorized introducing brokerage firm. None of these companies provides trading or investment advice, recommendations or endorsements of any kind. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

Tue May 05 05:25:58 2009 zefram [...] fysh.org - Correspondence added

Subject:	Re: [rt.cpan.org #45634] errors testing XML-Easy
Date:	Tue, 5 May 2009 10:25:36 +0100
To:	John Dlugosz via RT <bug-XML-Easy [...] rt.cpan.org>
From:	Zefram <zefram [...] fysh.org>

John Dlugosz via RT wrote: Show quoted text

>I found a work-around on a discussion of another module, to manually fix >it after building before installing. As for being endemic, I think the >different build packages (Module Buider, MakeMaker, whatever) each has >its own code.

You should probably report this to <module-build@perl.org>. Show quoted text

>As for the fallback implementation, I would like to point out that >this messes up the unit tests. When the xs could not be loaded, the >tests passed anyway. It should seperatly test the xs and fallback. >I suspect that if the xs _is_ loaded, the fallback is not tested.

Actually there *are* dual tests for the two implementations. The tests t/{read,write}.t test whatever implementation is used by default. The tests t/{read,write}_pp.t disable the XS version, so they specifically test the fallback implementation, and they run the same test cases. There isn't anything testing specifically the XS version, though. XML::Easy does not regard it as an error if the XS version is unavailable. If XS doesn't work at build time, the test suite will end up testing the pure Perl version twice, and declare it OK to install. Perhaps there should be some warning in that case. But if XS works at build time, the dual testing is meant to prepare for a situation where the XS fails at runtime (by version mismatch or whatever). Should there then be a warning when using the fallback implementation at runtime? It seems cleaner to just get on with providing the functionality. -zefram

Tue May 05 12:46:47 2009 JDlugosz [...] TradeStation.com - Correspondence added

Subject:	RE: [rt.cpan.org #45634] errors testing XML-Easy
Date:	Tue, 5 May 2009 12:46:25 -0400
To:	<bug-XML-Easy [...] rt.cpan.org>
From:	"John Dlugosz" <JDlugosz [...] TradeStation.com>

Show quoted text

> XML::Easy does not regard it as an error if the XS version is > unavailable. > If XS doesn't work at build time, the test suite will end up testing > the > pure Perl version twice, and declare it OK to install. Perhaps there > should be some warning in that case. But if XS works at build time, > the dual testing is meant to prepare for a situation where the XS fails > at runtime (by version mismatch or whatever). Should there then be a > warning when using the fallback implementation at runtime? It seems > cleaner to just get on with providing the functionality. > > -zefram

Well, it should be a warning in the sense that it is OK to install... but *don't* *install* the broken XS module. If it is silently accepted, all Perl programs that use it will cause the OS error pop-up to appear and then wait for the user to dismiss it, and then run correctly anyway. There is no indication as to where that is coming from, and an advanced user tracking it down will just find "Perl.exe", not the module causing it. --John TradeStation Group, Inc. is a publicly-traded holding company (NASDAQ GS: TRAD) of three operating subsidiaries, TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC and NFA), TradeStation Technologies, Inc., a trading software and subscription company, and TradeStation Europe Limited, a United Kingdom, FSA-authorized introducing brokerage firm. None of these companies provides trading or investment advice, recommendations or endorsements of any kind. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.