[Info-vax] callable BACKUP example

[Dave Froble]

On 7/8/2021 7:11 PM, Chris Townley wrote:
> On 08/07/2021 23:53, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 7/8/2021 5:42 PM, Chris Townley wrote:
>>> On 08/07/2021 18:49, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>>> On 7/8/2021 12:22 PM, VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
>>>>> Does anybody have the callable BACKUP example in compilable format?
>>>>>
>>>>> Trying to select and copy it from the PDF manual gives me garbage.
>>>>>
>>>>> FWIW, that's the ugliest bit of VMS documentation I have read in a
>>>>> very long while.
>>>>
>>>> I rewrote the example in the manual and ended up with:
>>
>>>> BACKUP/LIST look OK on the result.
>>>>
>>> Always beware of copying/pasting from Word or PDF - it usually does
>>> strange things - especially with quotes!
>>
>> It was more than copy/paste problems.
>>
>> The example in the manual declared a function:
>>
>> unsigned int subtest(void *);
>>
>> without using it.
>>
>> It did:
>>
>> static char input_str[] = "[.wrk]";
>> ...
>> input_dsc.dsc$w_length = sizeof(input_str);
>>
>> which I believe must be off by 1.
>>
>> It did not declare return type of main and it made all variables
>> global instead of local in main, which is valid C but not very
>> good C.
>>
>> Arne
>>
>>
> Ouch!
>
> Chris
>

"Cut-n-Paste" usually means the user didn't bother to understand the 
example/source.  That isn't a good idea at any time.  The doc examples 
are to help one understand, not to be blindly copied.

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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