File Copy

homer has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hello All, I discovered this site some time ago as a fledgling perl scripter and immediately tagged it as my favorite perl site! Now, I am advancing to the next stage of my perl career by posting my first question. I hope I am using this site correctly. I have been toiling over the following code:

use Win32API::File 0.08 qw( :Func );
use Net::Ping;
if(  $#ARGV > 1  || ! $ARGV[0] )  {
          usage();
          exit 1;
}
$source = '\path\to\local\file(s)';
$destination = '\path\to\remote\host';
$hostname = $ARGV[0];
$p = Net::Ping->new("icmp");
if( $p->ping($hostname )) {
          print "\u$hostname is alive.\n";
          copy($source, $destination);
} else {
        print "\u$hostname is not reachable\n";
$p->close();
}

sub usage {
        print "Please enter either an IP address or a Hostname\n";
        print "Usage: Copied file/s to specified Hostname or IP addres
+s";
}
[download]

My objective is to copy a file or files from my Win2k machine to one or more remote Win2k machines. I have been working with the Win32API::File module, but haven't been successful. It complains that it can't find the sub copy in my main package."Undefined subroutine &main::copy called at copynetcoolfiles.pl". Why is it only looking at my main symbol table when I have loaded the Win32API module? Could use some pointers. Thanks.

Comment on File Copy Download Code

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: File Copy by demerphq (Chancellor) on Mar 13, 2002 at 15:39 UTC
I think that File::Copy is what you want. It handles calling the win32 api calls transparently, making your immediate life easier, and your future life easier (its portable from W32-Mac-VMS to dare I say it nix). Yves / DeMerphq -- When to use Prototypes?* Advanced Sorting - GRT - Guttman Rosler Transform	[reply]
Re: File Copy by VSarkiss (Monsignor) on Mar 13, 2002 at 15:53 UTC
I actually think you should follow the advice from demerphq above and use File::Copy. Nonetheless, the direct answer to your question about why your code is failing is that `Win32API::File` doesn't have a routine called `copy` -- I think the one you're after is `CopyFile`. HTH	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: File Copy by Juerd (Abbot) on Mar 13, 2002 at 15:56 UTC
Why is it only looking at my main symbol table when I have loaded the Win32API module? When you don't specify a package yourself, Perl always assumes the current package, and when it doesn't find it, it looks in the packages in the `@ISA` array, but use (?!base) doesn't alter that array. For example, when you `use LWP::Simple;`, the module will export it's `get()` to the current package, and thus insert it in its symbol table. Even though @ISA isn't modified, Perl can find the `get()` routine, because it's in the same symbol table! Apparently, the Win32API::File module you're talking about, doesn't have a `copy()` function in the `:Func` tag. I have just searched in File.pm (I'm not a Windows user anymore, so I'm not familiar with Win32API-modules), and think the function you want is called "CopyFile". Good luck! U28geW91IGNhbiBhbGwgcm90MTMgY W5kIHBhY2soKS4gQnV0IGRvIHlvdS ByZWNvZ25pc2UgQmFzZTY0IHdoZW4 geW91IHNlZSBpdD8gIC0tIEp1ZXJk	[reply]