I have a very long, very repetitive set of tasks I'd like to do which is relatively slow, so what I'd like to do is fill a batch folder with files listing the tasks, then add files to it. That way the script can churn through files 1 to 10, while I get files 11 to 15 ready, and just dump them in without the script having to stop.

Here's my first attempt: 

$batch_dir = "batch/";
$log_dir = "batchlog/";

while (1) {
    opendir( D, $batch_dir ) or die;
    print "checking $batch_dir for files\n";
    @batchfiles = grep { !/^\./ } readdir(D);

    unless (@batchfiles) {
        print "Done: no more files to process\n";
        exit;
    }

    # batchfiles contains all files at 
    # most recent readdir() 
    foreach $file (@batchfiles) {
        open( F, "$batch_dir$file" ) or die "$!";
        while (<F>) {
            do_stuff_with($_);
            # actual processing omitted
        }
        close(F);
        rename("$batch_dir$file","$log_dir$file") || die "$!";
        print "finished $file\n";
    }
}

[download]

Are there any problem, omissions, Traps for the Unwary in that that fellow monks can see?


($_='kkvvttuubbooppuuiiffssqqffssmmiibbddllffss')
=~y~b-v~a-z~s; print

In reply to Batch Processing Files by Cody Pendant

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