perl -d temp3.pl

Then step into the Net::SMTP->new call. Now go through each command in the new sub until the

Bad command or file name

is printed. Restart the script and when you get to the line that created the error, step into it (assuming it's a sub). Repeat the method of going to the next command until the error message is printed again. Then, repeat the process. Yeah, it's a drawn out method of finding the problem, but it beats stepping through each sub until you find it. Maybe there's a better way, but I am not the one who knows. :)

Update: This is mostly in reference to finding the problem command and does not actually remove the error message. I'd be appreciative to know if there is a better way to actually get to the command that causes the error without going through the hassle I've come up with as a basic solution.

ALL HAIL BRAK!!!

The easiest way to hide this error may be to use a variation of the redirect example from open. This works on UNIX:

open(OLDERR, ">&STDERR");
open(STDERR, "/dev/null");
                                 
eval { my $smtp = Net::SMTP->new('relay.utah-inter.net') };

open(STDERR, ">&OLDERR");

die $@ if $@;
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But I don't know what the equivalent to /dev/null is on Windows. Note that just closing STDERR doesn't work, because warn() and die() won't produce output even after STDERR is reopened to OLDERR. I'm not sure why that is.

The eval/die is because, while you want to avoid that warning, if Net::SMTP->new() dies for some reason you want to know about it.

print "Hello, world!\n";
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Hey there.

ActivePerl only expects the shebang line on CGI files, not .pl files. I've written a bunch, this one is the first to exhibit this problem, and likewise it's the first to use Net::SMTP. Crazy stuff.

Alan "Hot Pastrami" Bellows

Oh, weird. Happily, that makes things so much easier! Closing STDOUT and then reopening it on OLDOUT does work (at least on UNIX), and the eval isn't necessary. See if this works for you:

open(OLDOUT, ">&STDOUT");
close(STDOUT);

my $smtp = Net::SMTP->new('relay.utah-inter.net');

open(STDOUT, ">&OLDOUT");
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Hmm, a good idea, but it still prints the "Bad command or filename". Mind you, I am only assuming that the message is not sent to STDERR because in troubleshooting, if I eval() it, it still prints that text, and $@ is clear. Also, when I don't eval() it, the script doesn't die() there, or even have a problem... it continues normally and successfully runs. Am I jumping to the wrong conclusion?

Alan "Hot Pastrami" Bellows

Oh... Then it is going to STDERR. eval {} only catches die messages; it doesn't catch warnings, which still go directly to STDERR. Try this snippet: eval { warn "Warning\n"; die "Dying\n"; };

This thing is really kicking my butt... if I use the following, the "Bad command..." error still appears:

use Net::SMTP;
open(OLDOUT, ">&STDOUT");
close(STDOUT);
my $smtp = Net::SMTP->new('relay.utah-inter.net');
open(STDOUT, ">&OLDOUT");
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...and if I use this...

 
use Net::SMTP;
open(OLDERR, ">&STDERR");
open(STDERR, "nul");
eval { my $smtp = Net::SMTP->new('relay.utah-inter.net') };
open(STDERR, ">&OLDERR");
die $@ if $@;
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...then another console window opens containing "Bad command or filename," and the process just runs forever until I terminate it. Crazy stuff.

Alan "Hot Pastrami" Bellows