Hi, I am having a strange problem with expect.pm which hopefully others have encountered. I have set up my own prompt and do some checking and send a command to another program, I expect to wait for the result and display it before moving to the next prompt but I get my prompt back much earlier and after giving 1 to 2 more inputs, I get the previous result back. If I make it very simple, no subroutines, checks etc, I suppose it works fine. **using debugging, it seems somehow I am getting extra prompts from called program (due to longer wait?) and so expect matches and goes on!** I used the recommended settings to get a pipe-like behaviour. 2) Is there a simpler way I can just have a running program in the background, give it input, fetch output and display it back on stdout, besides using expect. the cleaned up code is somewhat like this: 
$mapfile="toy2.map";
$outfile="toy2.smv";

 open(spcmap,"<",$mapfile) || die("Couldn't read $mapfile: $!");
 expectsmv();
 close($mapfile);
 
sub expectsmv
{
 my $exp = new Expect;
my ($bout, $aout, $err);

  $exp->log_stdout(0);
  $exp->raw_pty(1);  
  $exp->manual_stty(1);

 my $command="NuSMV -int";
  $exp->spawn($command)
    or die "Cannot spawn $command: $!\n";

#$exp->log_file("expect_log");

  # Remove the banner

#  $exp->send("\n");
 my $patidx = $exp->expect(undef,'NuSMV > ', '-re','NuSMV\s+>\s+' );
#$exp->clear_accum();

#Setup NuSMV and load model file

$exp->send("read_model -i $outfile \n");
$exp->send("process_model \n");
#$err = $exp->error;


#if($err != 0){ print "Error=", $err ;}
#$exp->clear_accum();


while(1)
{
 print "B2S > ";
  my $cmd = <STDIN>;

if($cmd =~ /\s*quit\s+/){
    last;
    $exp->soft_close();
}
elsif($cmd =~ /\s*query\s+./)
{

my($q, $c) = split(" ",$cmd,2);

#$cmd = nusmv_q_trans($c);
chomp($cmd);

$exp->clear_accum();
if($cmd !~ /\b*error1\b*/){  
$cmd = "check_spec -p \" $cmd \" ";
print "\n $cmd \n";
  $exp->send($cmd);}
else
{
print "\n Error \n";
}



  #Do some pattern matching with either the simple interface

 my $patidx = $exp->expect(undef,'NuSMV > ', '-re','NuSMV\s+>\s+'  );

 $err = $exp->exp_error();

if($err != 0){ print "Error=", $err ;}
else{
# print $patidx;
 ($bout = $exp->exp_before)  =~ tr/\r//d;
 $err = $bout;

#$bout = nusmv_res_trans($bout);
print $bout;
}
 }    # end of elsif
else # Not a Query
{
  $exp->send($cmd);

 my $patidx = $exp->expect(undef,'NuSMV > ', '-re','NuSMV\s+>\s+'  );

 $err = $exp->exp_error;
if($exp->error() != 0){ print $exp->error(); last;}
else{
 ($bout = $exp->exp_before)  =~ tr/\r//d;
 ($aout = $exp->exp_after)  =~ tr/\r//d;

print $bout;

}
}    #end of else
}

$exp->clear_accum();

}    #end of subroutine

#Routine for Translating Query into nusmv format

sub nusmv_q_trans {
 my ($cmd)
 = @_;

#change species names to bngl S# format
# search for a species name; beginning with alphabet and replace with 
+S# found from hash
print $cmd;

#$cmd =~ s/\b([a-zA-Z])\w*\b/S$smap{$1} /g;

$cmd =~ s{
     \b([a-zA-Z])\w*\b 
    }
     {
     $smap{$1}
        ? "S$smap{$1}"
        : return "error1"
    }xge;

$cmd =~ tr/_//d;

return $cmd;


}

sub nusmv_res_trans {
 my ($res)
 = @_;

$res =~ s/\bS(\d+)\b/$spar[$1]/g;

return $res;
}

[download]
here' the debug code: 
B2S > help
Sending 'help \012' to spawn id(4)
        Expect::print('Expect=GLOB(0x98195cc)','help \x{a}') called at
+ ./expecttest.pl line 96
        main::expectsmv() called at ./expecttest.pl line 7
Starting EXPECT pattern matching...
        Expect::expect('Expect=GLOB(0x98195cc)',10000,'NuSMV > ','-re'
+,'NuSMV\s+>\s+') called at ./expecttest.pl line 99
        main::expectsmv() called at ./expecttest.pl line 7
spawn id(4): list of patterns:
  #1: -ex `NuSMV > '
  #2: -re `NuSMV\\s+>\s+'
 
 
spawn id(4): Does `'
match:
  pattern #1: -ex `NuSMV > '? No.
  pattern #2: -re `NuSMV\\s+>\s+'? No.
 
Waiting for new data (10000 seconds)...
 
spawn id(4): Does `NuSMV > '
match:
  pattern #1: -ex `NuSMV > '? YES!!
    Before match string: `'
    Match string: `NuSMV > '
    After match string: `'
    Matchlist: ()
Returning from expect successfully.
B2S >
Sending ' \012' to spawn id(4)
        Expect::print('Expect=GLOB(0x98195cc)',' \x{a}') called at ./e
+xpecttest.pl line 96
        main::expectsmv() called at ./expecttest.pl line 7
Starting EXPECT pattern matching...
        Expect::expect('Expect=GLOB(0x98195cc)',10000,'NuSMV > ','-re'
+,'NuSMV\s+>\s+') called at ./expecttest.pl line 99
        main::expectsmv() called at ./expecttest.pl line 7
spawn id(4): list of patterns:
  #1: -ex `NuSMV > '
  #2: -re `NuSMV\\s+>\s+'
 
 
spawn id(4): Does `'
match:
  pattern #1: -ex `NuSMV > '? No.
  pattern #2: -re `NuSMV\\s+>\s+'? No.
 
Waiting for new data (10000 seconds)...
 
spawn id(4): Does `NuSMV > '
match:
  pattern #1: -ex `NuSMV > '? YES!!
    Before match string: `'
    Match string: `NuSMV > '
    After match string: `'
    Matchlist: ()
Returning from expect successfully.
B2S >
Sending ' \012' to spawn id(4)
        Expect::print('Expect=GLOB(0x98195cc)',' \x{a}') called at ./e
+xpecttest.pl line 96
        main::expectsmv() called at ./expecttest.pl line 7
Starting EXPECT pattern matching...
        Expect::expect('Expect=GLOB(0x98195cc)',10000,'NuSMV > ','-re'
+,'NuSMV\s+>\s+') called at ./expecttest.pl line 99
        main::expectsmv() called at ./expecttest.pl line 7
spawn id(4): list of patterns:
  #1: -ex `NuSMV > '
  #2: -re `NuSMV\\s+>\s+'
 
 
spawn id(4): Does `'
match:
  pattern #1: -ex `NuSMV > '? No.
  pattern #2: -re `NuSMV\\s+>\s+'? No.
 
Waiting for new data (10000 seconds)...
 
spawn id(4): Does `...   \012gen_ltlspec_bmc_onepb     get_internal_st
+atus  go                        \012go_bmc                    goto_st
+ate    help                      \012history                   pick_s
+tate      print_bdd_stats           \012print_clusterinfo         pri
+nt_current_state       print_fair_states         \012print_fair_trans
+itions    print_iwls95options       print_reachable_states    \012pri
+nt_usage               process_model            quit                 
+     \012read_model                read_trace              reset     
+                \012set                       set_bdd_parameters     
+   show_plugins              \012show_property             show_trace
+s               show_vars                 \012simulate               
+   source                    time                      \012unalias   
+                unset                     usage                     \
+012which                     write_boolean_model       write_flat_mod
+el          \012write_order               \012'
match:
  pattern #1: -ex `NuSMV > '? No.
  pattern #2: -re `NuSMV\\s+>\s+'? No.
 
Waiting for new data (10000 seconds)...
 
spawn id(4): Does `...en_ltlspec_bmc_onepb     get_internal_status    
+   go                    \012go_bmc                    goto_state    
+            help                      \012history                   p
+ick_state                print_bdd_stats           \012print_clusteri
+nfo         print_current_state       print_fair_states         \012p
+rint_fair_transitions    print_iwls95options  print_reachable_states 
+   \012print_usage               process_model    quit               
+       \012read_model                read_trace      reset           
+          \012set                       set_bdd_parameters        sho
+w_plugins              \012show_property             show_traces     
+     show_vars                 \012simulate                  source  
+          time                      \012unalias                   uns
+et              usage                     \012which                  
+   write_boolean_model       write_flat_model          \012write_orde
+r               \012NuSMV > '
match:
  pattern #1: -ex `NuSMV > '? YES!!
    Before match string: `...   \012gen_ltlspec_bmc_onepb     get_inte
+rnal_status       go                        \012go_bmc               
+     goto_state           help                      \012history      
+             pick_state             print_bdd_stats           \012pri
+nt_clusterinfo         print_current_state       print_fair_states   
+      \012print_fair_transitions    print_iwls95options       print_r
+eachable_states    \012print_usage               process_model       
+      quit                      \012read_model                read_tr
+ace                reset                     \012set                 
+      set_bdd_parameters        show_plugins              \012show_pr
+operty             show_traces               show_vars               
+  \012simulate source                    time                      \0
+12unalias   unset                     usage                     \012w
+hich     write_boolean_model       write_flat_model          \012writ
+e_order       \012'
    Match string: `NuSMV > '
    After match string: `'
    Matchlist: ()
Returning from expect successfully.
add_property              alias                     bmc_setup
bmc_simulate              build_boolean_model       build_flat_model
build_model               check_fsm                 check_invar
check_invar_bmc           check_ltlspec             check_ltlspec_bmc
check_ltlspec_bmc_onepb   check_property            check_spec
check_wff                 compute                   compute_reachable
dynamic_var_ordering      echo                      encode_variables
flatten_hierarchy         gen_invar_bmc             gen_ltlspec_bmc
gen_ltlspec_bmc_onepb     get_internal_status       go
go_bmc                    goto_state                help
history                   pick_state                print_bdd_stats
print_clusterinfo         print_current_state       print_fair_states
print_fair_transitions    print_iwls95options       print_reachable_st
+ates
print_usage               process_model             quit
read_model                read_trace                reset
set                       set_bdd_parameters        show_plugins
show_property             show_traces               show_vars
simulate                  source                    time
unalias                   unset                     usage
which                     write_boolean_model       write_flat_model
write_order
B2S >

[download]
AT

In reply to expect.pm problem by AT

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