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 <bertrammosh...@gmail.com>
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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