Some suggestions:

• You can use different delimiters in s///, so

  $sourceDir =~ s/\/\$/\$/;
  
  # is better written as
  $sourceDir =~ s#/\$#$#;
  [download]

  btw, what is that supposed to do? It replaces a '/$' with a '$' sign, I see no obvious use for that ...
• Instead of comparing files with a call to the external command diff - use File::Compare - it's portable and doesn't spawn an external process.

-- Hofmator

Thanks for the suggestions about an alternate delimiter and using File::Compare.

The regex ought to have been:

$sourceDir =~ s#/$##;

which would have removed a trailing forward slash at the end of a directory name. What I actually wrote was, as you mention, pointless.

If there is no second parameter then the program will compare the contents of the directory named in the first parameter with the contents of the current directory.

NOTE: Modified on 9/13/01 to fix bugs and add minor functionality. See comments for additional functionality. Here is the updated code:

# sierrathedog04, jonathansamuel@yahoo.com, August 2001
# First parameter is the target or VOB directory.
# Optional second parameter is the source or current directory.

# Ver. 1.1, Sept. 13, 2001. Now uses File::Compare instead of diff;
# Modified printouts so only files are listed. (Not directories).

use strict;
require File::Compare;

print "\n";
my $targetDir = shift || die "Please pass the name of a target directo
+ry enclosed in quotes. \n";
chomp $targetDir;
$targetDir =~ s#/$##; # Removes any trailing forward slash from the di
+rectory.
unless (-d $targetDir) {
    die "$targetDir is not a valid target directory. Please pass the n
+ame of a valid target directory enclosed in quotes.  \n";
}

my $sourceDir = shift || ".";
opendir THISDIR, $sourceDir;
my @allFiles = grep { $_ ne '.' and $_ ne '..' && -f $_}  readdir THIS
+DIR;
closedir THISDIR;

foreach (@allFiles) {
        print  "$_ in source directory $sourceDir differs from that in
+ target directory $targetDir\n\n" if File::Compare::compare("$sourceD
+ir/$_", "$targetDir/$_") == 1;
        print "$_ found in source directory $sourceDir but not in targ
+et directory $targetDir\n\n" if File::Compare::compare("$sourceDir/$_
+", "$targetDir/$_") < 0;
}
print "\n...Finished checking source.\n\n\n";
opendir targetDIR, $targetDir;
my @alltargetFiles =  grep { $_ ne '.' and $_ ne '..'  && -f $_} readd
+ir targetDIR;
foreach (@alltargetFiles) {
        print "$_ found in target directory $targetDir but not in sour
+ce directory $sourceDir\n\n" if File::Compare::compare("$sourceDir/$_
+", "$targetDir/$_") < 0;
}
[download]

# sierrathedog04, jonathansamuel@yahoo.com, August 2001               
+          
# First parameter is the target or VOB directory.                     
+          
# Optional second parameter is the source or current directory.       
+          
                                                                      
+          
# Ver. 1.1, Sept. 13, 2001. Now uses File::Compare instead of diff;   
+          
# Modified printouts so only files are listed. (Not directories).     
+          

# Ver. 1.2 Sept. 19, 2001. Accepts optional parameters 'modified' and 
+'created' followed
 by directory names. If these parameters are used then the program wil
+l copy all modified
 files to the modified directory and all changed files to the changed 
+directory.

                                                                      
+          
use strict;                                                           
+          
require File::Compare;                                                
+          
                                                                      
+          
use Getopt::Long;                                                     
+          
my $modifiedDir;                                                      
+          
my $createdDir;                                                       
+          
GetOptions("modified:s" => \$modifiedDir, "created:s", => \$createdDir
+);        
$| = 1;                                                               
+          
                                                                      
+          
print "\n";                                                           
+          
my $targetDir = shift || die "Please pass the name of a target directo
+ry enclosed in quotes. \n";                                          
+                     
chomp $targetDir;                                                     
+          
$targetDir =~ s#/$##; # Removes any trailing forward slash from the di
+rectory.  
unless (-d $targetDir) {                                              
+          
    die "$targetDir is not a valid target directory.\nPlease pass the 
+name of a valid target directory enclosed in quotes.  \n";
}

my $sourceDir = shift || ".";
unless (-d $sourceDir) {
    die "$sourceDir is not a valid source directory.\nPlease pass the 
+name of a valid source directory enclosed in quotes.  \n";
}

if (defined $modifiedDir){
        unless (-d $modifiedDir) {
                die "$modifiedDir is not a valid modified directory. \
+nPlease use the --modified option to pass the name of a valid directo
+ry \nto which you wish to copy all modified files.";
        }
}

if (defined $createdDir){
        unless (-d $createdDir) {
                die "$createdDir is not a valid created directory. \nP
+lease use the --created option to pass the name of a valid directory 
+\nto which you wish to copy all created files.";
        }
}

opendir THISDIR, $sourceDir;
my @allFiles = grep { $_ ne '.' and $_ ne '..' && -f "$sourceDir/$_"} 
+ readdir THISDIR;
closedir THISDIR;

foreach (@allFiles) {
        if (File::Compare::compare("$sourceDir/$_", "$targetDir/$_") =
+= 1) {
                print  "$_ in source directory $sourceDir differs from
+ that in target directory $targetDir\n\n";
                print `cp $sourceDir/$_ $modifiedDir/$_`  if defined $
+modifiedDir;
        } elsif (File::Compare::compare("$sourceDir/$_", "$targetDir/$
+_") < 0) {
                print "$_ found in source directory $sourceDir but not
+ in target directory $targetDir\n\n";
                print `cp $sourceDir/$_ $createdDir/$_`  if defined $m
+odifiedDir;
        }
}
print "\n...Finished checking source.\n\n\n";

opendir targetDIR, $targetDir;
my @alltargetFiles =  grep { $_ ne '.' and $_ ne '..'  && -f $_} readd
+ir targetDIR;
foreach (@alltargetFiles) {
        print "$_ found in target directory $targetDir but not in sour
+ce directory $sourceDir\n\n" if File::Compare::compare("$sourceDir/$_
+", "$targetDir/$_") < 0;
}
[download]

my @alltargetFiles = grep { $_ ne '.' and $_ ne '..' && -f $_} readdir targetDIR;
ought to be
my @alltargetFiles = grep { $_ ne '.' and $_ ne '..' && -f "$targetDir/$_"} readdir targetDIR;