========================================================== Perl Resource Kit -- Win32 Edition Service Pack 1 5 - January - 1999 ========================================================== This is Service Pack 1 for the Perl Resource Kit--Win32 Edition. This service pack includes several enhancements and bug fixes for the Perl Resource Kit (PRK-Win32) since its initial release. In addition to various bug fixes, this service pack handles the issue of upgrading to more current versions of Perl and provides enhanced proxy support. This service pack must be installed over an existing PRK-Win32 package. See the notes and installation notes before proceeding. NOTES ----- Please review these important items before installing the service pack: + PRK-Win32 Service Pack 1 does not update network installations of Perl. A version of Service Pack 1 that does update network installations will be available from the ActiveState site during the first quarter of 1999. See http://www.ActiveState.com/PRK for updates. + This service pack brings Perl up to date with ActivePerl 509, plus Win32-OLE module version .1005. + If you apply PRK-Win32 Service Pack 1, you cannot uninstall just the service pack to roll back to the original PRK. INSTALLATION ------------ To install Service Pack 1, follow these steps: 1. Review the NOTES section above. 2. Download the service pack from ftp://ftp.activestate.com/PRK/ Save the self-extracting file (prksp1.exe) in a temporary location. 3. Make sure none of the programs included in the orginal PRK is running. We recommend you close all Windows applications as well. 4. Execute the file prksp1.exe by double-clicking it in the Windows Explorer or from the Run command on the Start menu. 5. Answer the questions about Perl's location on your system. 6. The upgrade installs. You should not need to restart your system. CHANGES IN SERVICE PACK 1 (5-January-99) ---------------------------------------- Core ---- (1) New build based on Perl 5.005_02. (2) Fixed a problem with -d and -e file test operators when they are used on a UNC sharepoint. (3) Fixed a problem with extended formats in sprintf(). (4) Fixed a bug in core when getting any port number in a call to bind(). (5) Updated core to support the latest version of Devel::Peek. (6) Fixed $^X so that it now returns the name by which the Perl interpreter was invoked. (7) perldoc now works for modules as well as POD. (8) Fixed a problem with the ProcessAffinity call in Process.dll on Windows 95. (9) MakeMaker now supports PerlArchitecture and version dependency for PPD target. (10) PPM.pl is converted to a .BAT file during setup. (11) PPM proxy support now works. See the PPM documentation. (12) PPM makes use of the XML::Parser to read and write its data file. (13) Several fixes were made to maintain binary compatability with Perl 5.005. (14) Improved the core documentation. (15) All packages that are installed to support PPM now appear when querying installed packages (16) Backticks are fixed in PerlScript and Perl for ISAPI on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. (17) system() is fixed in PerlScript and Perl for ISAPI on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. (18) PerlScript sets the PERLXS environment variable to PerlScript. This value is useful in determining the environment in which a script is being executed. (19) Fixed a problem to allow safe access to environment variables from PerlIS and PerlWS PerlDebugger ------------ (20) Fixed a bug that previously caused the Perl Debugger to take the CPU to 100% utilization. PerlCOM ------- (21) BackTicks now work on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. (22) system() now works on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. It no longer requires the second parameter to be empty. Instead, it tries to find the executable if the full path is not specified, (23) File::Find now reports the correct File size. (24) PerlCOM works correctly over DCOM. (25) The Perl Interpreter stays alive to support SubPerlCOM objects. Perl Objects returned from PerlCOM methods are automatically packaged up as PerlCOM Objects, which are technically known as SubPerlCOM object because they share the same Perl Interpreter as the PerlCOM object that created them. PerlCOM now keeps the Perl Interpreter alive as long as it is needed to support any outstanding SubPerlCOM objects. (26) PerlCOM now supports returning OLE Automation objects ( Win32::OLE Objects ) from PerlCOM methods. These objects are safe to use even after the Main PerlCOM object, which contains the Perl Interpreter, has been destroyed. This capability should also work over DCOM. For example, Perl can instantiate PerlCOM on a remote machine using DCOM. The remote PerlCOM object can then be used to instantiate an ADSI Object, or any other Automation Object, on the remote machine and have that object returned across machine boundaries to the local machine. The remote PerlCOM object can then be destroyed. (27) Multiple Perl Interpreters are fully supported in this version of PerlCOM. Multiple PerlCOM objects can now coexist in the same client process without conflicting. For example, if you create two instances of PerlCOM.Script, each one will contain a separate Perl Interpreter. Known Issues with PerlCOM: (28) The Net::Ping package causes a runtime exception when used with PerlCOM::CreateObject() on Win95. PerlCtrl -------- (29) PerlCtrl.exe will correctly build PerlCtrls and not complain about syntax errors in the control source. (30) Multiple Perl Interpreters are fully supported in this version of PerlCtrl. Multiple PerlCtrls can now coexist in the same client process without conflicting. (31) PerlCtrl now supports returning OLE Automation objects ( Win32::OLE Objects ) from PerlCtrl methods. These Ole objects are safe to use even after the PerlCtrl goes out of scope, destroying the Perl Interpreter. Known Issues with PerlCtrl: (32) Although controls built with PerlCtrl will operate on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT, the PerlCtrl builder only operates on Windows NT due to a limitation in the Win32 API. (33) Parameters to PerlCtrl Methods are [IN] only. Method parameters can be passed only by value, and not by reference. (34) Read Only properties are broken in this release of PerlCtrl. (35) Because PerlCtrl builds a binary Type Library, it does not support Case Smashing of methods or properties. This is not a bug and is the expected behavior. Case Smashing, however, is supported for method and properties of PerlCOM objects returned from PerlCtrl methods. Pl2exe ------ (36) Executables built with Pl2exe can use pipes; @INC is built correctly for executables built by Pl2exe. You may need to rebuild your executables for this fix to take effect Known issues with Pl2exe: (37) Pl2exe created executables that are behaving erratically should be rebuilt with the version of Pl2exe in Service Pack 1. (38) Although executables built with Pl2exe will operate on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT, the Pl2exe builder operates only on Windows NT due to a limitation in the Win32 API. KNOWN ISSUES - ORIGINAL PRK-Win32 (23-July-1998) ------------------------------------------------ The following known issues are from the initial version of the PRK-Win32. Their status in Service Pack 1 appears at the end of each item. (A) A last minute fix introduced an issue with PerlIS and PerlWS when scripts access environment variables. FIXED (B) If you are running IIS4.x and you select the options to map extensions during setup, you may have to delete duplicate mappings. NOT FIXED (IIS BUGLET) (C) IE 3.02 or higher is required to read the HTMLHelp version of the PRK online help. Other browsers will view the plain HTML version of the online help and Perl module documentation. The content is the same for both; only the presentation (including search capabilities) differs. The online help is available from the Start menu. NOT FIXED (D) (Response->End() is not working properly under PerlScript. Any call to to Response->End() should be followed by a call to exit(); FIXED (E) VPM connection gets closed before the request is complete when doing an interactive install. Click OK and continue using VPM. NOT FIXED (F) Uninstalling a package removes any modules installed but does not remove the directory in which the module was installed. NOT FIXED (G) Catching the interrupt signal (SIGINIT or Ctrl-C) and calling a handler does not always work. NOT FIXED (H) Win95 / Win98 do not support the APIs to run pl2exe. Refer to the MSKB article Q138735. This lack of support does not prevent an executable created on a WinNT machine with pl2exe from running on Win95 or Win98. NOT FIXED (I) There may be an issue using a UNC pathname for the CDROM when trying to reach the PRK CDROM Package Repository across your LAN with PPM / VPM. If this problem occurs, map a network drive to the CDROM share. Next, set up the Package Manager to access a repository on the mapped drive. See the Perl Utilities Guide for more instructions. NOT FIXED (J) Proxy support may not work at all times with VPM / PPM. However, if the environment variable HTTP_proxy is set, it will be used as the address of a proxy server for accessing the Internet, which may resolve the problem. FIXED (K) The PRK should not be installed in a path that contains spaces in it, as the spaces may cause problems for some of the programs that are part of the PRK. It is recommended that you install the PRK in the default location. NOT FIXED (L) There may be some issues with executables created by pl2exe. The issues include problems building @INC and the inability to open pipes within the program that was converted using pl2exe. FIXED (M) When using IE 3.02 for the HTMLHelp online help, you may need to click Back twice to return to the previous page. NOT FIXED (N) In order to build some extensions, it is necessary to add your compiler's library path to the 'libpth' variable in Config.pm NOT FIXED (O) Read-only PerlCTRL properties are not read only; you can also write to them. NOT FIXED (P) Some VPM functions (Verify and Remove) will not work with older browsers that rely on earlier versions of JScript. Browsers that won't work include IE 3.02, Navigator 3.01 and Navigator 3.02. To use these features, upgrade to a level 4 browser. NOT FIXED (Q) The package Compressed-Zlib is installed as part of the Core package but does not show up in the installed packages list in VPM. Since VPM uses Compressed-Zlib, attempting to install it using VPM causes an error. FIXED (R) PerlCtrl.exe will output "PerlCtrl ERROR: ctrlexample.pl had syntax errors." This message is likely incorrect due to an anomoly in PerlCtrl.exe. To build Perl Controls, use perl.exe and the PerlCtrl.pl script located in your Perl/5.005/bin directory, eg., perl PerlCtrl.pl MyControl.pl FIXED (S) PPM and VPM allow you to remove modules Mime-Base64 and HTML-Parser. PPM and VPM need these modules for certain operations and will break if these modules are removed. FIXED ---- END ----