«

I am very very new to Perl and am trying automate a process in my AIX
Unix box. I issed the command ps -aef and sent it to a file. How do
I get how many different users running programs, the total time for
each user in hours:minutes format, and who is running the longest
process and the program name? I am not familiar with using the loops.
I know that I can probably use the date command to specify the date.
This is where I am stuck thus far. Please help anyone...

#! /usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;

@users;
@tmpfile = OPEN(DataFileHandle, /home/smallp/data.txt);

$tmpfile[0];
$users[0];

for ($count= 0; $count <= $#users; $count++ {
If $tmpline[0] eq $users[i]
if TRUE then exit
push(@users, $users[0]);
}

DeveloperGuy <> wrote:

> I am very very new to Perl


We will still expect that you use Perl rather than something
merely Perlish-looking.


> and am trying automate a process in my AIX
> Unix box. I issed the command ps -aef and sent it to a file.


You can do that from within Perl itself, no need for a file.

my @ps_lines = `ps -aef`; # backwards single quotes
or
my @ps_lines = qx/ps -aef/; # backwards single quotes in disguise
or
open PS, 'ps -aef|' or die "could not run ps $!";
while ( <PS> ) ...


> How do
> I get how many different users running programs, the total time for
> each user in hours:minutes format, and who is running the longest
> process and the program name?


By parsing the output of the ps command.

You might want to use Perl's unpack() or substr() functions
to help you with that.


> I am not familiar with using the loops.


Then become familiar with using the loops, they are documented in:

perldoc perlsyn


> I know that I can probably use the date command to specify the date.


You can do that from within Perl too, no need for an external date program.

perldoc -f localtime
perldoc -f gmtime


> This is where I am stuck thus far. Please help anyone...
>
> #! /usr/bin/perl
>
> use strict;


When you put that in your programs you are making a promise:

I promise to declare my variables before using their short names.

If you break your promise, then perl will refuse to run your program.


> use warnings;
>
> @users;


You have not declared that variable, so perl refuses to run your program.

my @users;


> @tmpfile = OPEN(DataFileHandle, /home/smallp/data.txt);


Perl does not have an OPEN() function, only an open() function.

Case matters.

Put 'quotes' around your strings.

open() returns a single thing, no need for an array to hold its return value.

It is a convention to use all UPPER CASE for filehandles.

You should always, yes *always*, check the return value from open()
to ensure that you actually got what you asked for:

open DATA_FILEHANDLE, '/home/smallp/data.txt' or
die "could not open '/home/smallp/data.txt' $!";


Your code never makes use of the filehandle. You will need to *read*
from it to get the data to process...


> $tmpfile[0];
> $users[0];


Those are do-nothing statements, they have no useful effect.

What were you hoping those 2 lines of code would do for you?


> for ($count= 0; $count <= $#users; $count++ {


A more Perlish way to get the same thing is:

foreach my $count ( 0 .. $#users ) {


> If $tmpline[0] eq $users[i]


Perl does not have an "If" keyword, only an "if" keyword.

Case (still) matters.

You need (parenthesis) around the condition in an if statement.


> if TRUE then exit


Perl does not even have a "then" keyword, nor a "TRUE" keyword.

This is not Perl code. What language is it?



--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas

On 12 Oct 2004, you wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:

> I am very very new to Perl and am trying automate a process in my AIX
> Unix box. I issed the command ps -aef and sent it to a file. How do
> I get how many different users running programs, the total time for
> each user in hours:minutes format, and who is running the longest
> process and the program name? I am not familiar with using the loops.
> I know that I can probably use the date command to specify the date.
> This is where I am stuck thus far. Please help anyone...

This means you need to bite the bullet and actually pay for a book. For
recommendations, go to http://learn.perl.org/

Now:

> #! /usr/bin/perl
>
> use strict;
> use warnings;

Good

> @users;

Not good:

D:\Home> perl -c t.pl
Bareword found where operator expected at t.pl line 7, near "/home/smallp"
(Missing operator before allp?)
Global symbol "@users" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 6.
Global symbol "@tmpfile" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 7.
syntax error at t.pl line 7, near "/home/smallp"
Global symbol "@tmpfile" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 9.
Global symbol "@users" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 10.
Global symbol "$count" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 12.
Global symbol "$count" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 12.
Global symbol "@users" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 12.
Global symbol "$count" requires explicit package name at t.pl line 12.
syntax error at t.pl line 12, near "++;"
t.pl has too many errors.

Why did you not fix this stuff before posting?

> @tmpfile = OPEN(DataFileHandle, /home/smallp/data.txt);

perldoc -f open

I think it was Tad who put it most eloquently: You can't just make s**t up
and expect it to work!

> $tmpfile[0];
> $users[0];

Huh?

> for ($count= 0; $count <= $#users; $count++ {
> If $tmpline[0] eq $users[i]
> if TRUE then exit

Huh???

> push(@users, $users[0]);
> }

I guess I'll take the bait anyway.

I have:

D:\Home> ps -v
PS (cygwin) 1.11
Process Statistics
Copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Red Hat, Inc.
Compiled on May 25 2004

and I get:

D:\Home> ps -aef
UID PID PPID TTY STIME COMMAND
hbb1 582167 1 con 16:09:39 /usr/bin/BASH
hbb1 565087 1 con 16:09:52 /usr/bin/PS

#! /usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;

my $name = 'd:/home/data.txt';

open my $file, '<', $name
or die "Cannot open $name: $!";

<$file>; # assuming first line is header, so skip it

my $ps;

while(<$file>) {
chomp;
s/^\s*//g; # skip lines with whitespace only
next unless length $_;
my ($uid, $pid, $ppid, $tty, $stime, $command) = split;

$ps->{$pid} = {
uid => $uid,
ppid => $ppid,
tty => $tty,
stime => $stime,
command => $command,
};
}

use Data:umper;
print Dumper $ps;
__END__

Output:

D:\Home> perl t.pl
$VAR1 = {
'565087' => {
'uid' => 'hbb1',
'ppid' => '1',
'command' => '/usr/bin/PS',
'stime' => '16:09:52',
'tty' => 'con'
},
'582167' => {
'uid' => 'hbb1',
'ppid' => '1',
'command' => '/usr/bin/BASH',
'stime' => '16:09:39',
'tty' => 'con'
}
};

A. Sinan Unur <> wrote:

> I think it was Tad who put it most eloquently: You can't just make s**t up
> and expect it to work!


Nope, that was MJD, not me:

http://perl.plover.com/Questions4.html


--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas

Tad McClellan <> wrote in
news::

> A. Sinan Unur <> wrote:
>
>> I think it was Tad who put it most eloquently: You can't just make
>> s**t up and expect it to work!
>
>
> Nope, that was MJD, not me:
>
> http://perl.plover.com/Questions4.html

Ah! Apologies for the misattribution and thank you for the link.

Sinan.

A. Sinan Unur <> wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:

> I think it was Tad who put it most eloquently: You can't just make s**t up
> and expect it to work!

I've always heard it attributed to MJD, though the quote as I know it
also contains the word "retardo".

Anno

Anno Siegel <> wrote:
> A. Sinan Unur <> wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:
>
>> I think it was Tad who put it most eloquently: You can't just make s**t up
>> and expect it to work!
>
> I've always heard it attributed to MJD, though the quote as I know it
> also contains the word "retardo".


That's how I found the link I posted, I googled for "retardo perl".




--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas

Tad McClellan <> wrote:

> Anno Siegel <> wrote:
>> A. Sinan Unur <> wrote in
>> comp.lang.perl.misc:
>>
>>> I think it was Tad who put it most eloquently: You can't just
>>> make s**t up and expect it to work!
>>
>> I've always heard it attributed to MJD, though the quote as I
>> know it also contains the word "retardo".
>
>
> That's how I found the link I posted, I googled for "retardo
> perl".
>
>

I remembered the phrase, "The error mesage is GOD", seeing a clip of
MJD *screaming* it, and that he had posted his list of Good Advice to
usenet. From the Google usenet archive:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm...1%40plover.com

"Of course it doesn't work! That's because you don't know what you
are doing!"

(Sounds like some of my programs.)

(DeveloperGuy) wrote in message news:<. com>...
> I am very very new to Perl and am trying automate a process in my AIX
> Unix box. I issed the command ps -aef and sent it to a file. How do
> I get how many different users running programs, the total time for
> each user in hours:minutes format, and who is running the longest
> process and the program name? I am not familiar with using the loops.
> I know that I can probably use the date command to specify the date.
> This is where I am stuck thus far. Please help anyone...
>
> #! /usr/bin/perl
>
> use strict;
> use warnings;
>
> @users;
> @tmpfile = OPEN(DataFileHandle, /home/smallp/data.txt);
>
> $tmpfile[0];
> $users[0];
>
> for ($count= 0; $count <= $#users; $count++ {
> If $tmpline[0] eq $users[i]
> if TRUE then exit
> push(@users, $users[0]);
> }

This isn't Perl this is ****... You must NOT of read anything at
all... Pick up a book or read a tutorial or the manpages.. I'm not
even going to rewrite this crap...

(krakle) wrote in message news:<. com>...
> (DeveloperGuy) wrote in message news:<. com>...
> > I am very very new to Perl and am trying automate a process in my AIX
> > Unix box. I issed the command ps -aef and sent it to a file. How do
> > I get how many different users running programs, the total time for
> > each user in hours:minutes format, and who is running the longest
> > process and the program name? I am not familiar with using the loops.
> > I know that I can probably use the date command to specify the date.
> > This is where I am stuck thus far. Please help anyone...
> >
> > #! /usr/bin/perl
> >
> > use strict;
> > use warnings;
> >
> > @users;
> > @tmpfile = OPEN(DataFileHandle, /home/smallp/data.txt);
> >
> > $tmpfile[0];
> > $users[0];
> >
> > for ($count= 0; $count <= $#users; $count++ {
> > If $tmpline[0] eq $users[i]
> > if TRUE then exit
> > push(@users, $users[0]);
> > }
>


Okay, I finally got the script to read the file.

#! /usr/bin/perl
#This program reads a file based on the command ps -aef called data.txt
#and the following questions have to be answered
#how many users are running programs?
#what is the total time used by each user in hours: minutes?
#who is running the longest process, list user, time and name of program
#use strict;
#use warnings;

open(DataFileHandle, "/home/smallp/data.txt");

@tmpfile = <DataFileHandle>;
@users;
$users[0];

foreach $i (@tmpfile)
{
print "$i\n";
}
close DataFileHandle;