[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #39392] geometry package: loading/unloading the package may clobber user variables

[Rafael Laboissiere]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?39392>

                 Summary: geometry package: loading/unloading the package may
clobber user variables
                 Project: GNU Octave
            Submitted by: rlaboiss
            Submitted on: Tue 02 Jul 2013 06:40:56 AM GMT
                Category: Octave Forge Package
                Severity: 3 - Normal
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Incorrect Result
                  Status: None
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: 
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: dev
        Operating System: GNU/Linux

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Details:

When loading/unloading the geometry package, some variables defined by the
users may be clobbered, like in the example below:


octave:1> pkg unload geometry
octave:2> ii = 0;
octave:3> pkg load geometry
octave:4> ii
error: 'ii' undefined near line 4 column 1


This happens because the scripts PKG_{ADD,DEL} use and clear a series of
variables.  One possible solution for the problem is provided in the patch
attached to this bug report. This patch is pretty minimal and just wraps the
commands in both PKG_ADD and PKG_DEL inside functions with quite "unlikely"
names __geometry_pkg_{add,del}__, which are called afterwards. These functions
are cleared at the end of the scripts.

This problem also affects other Octave-Forge packages.  I will try to track
them down soon.



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File Attachments:


-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue 02 Jul 2013 06:40:56 AM GMT  Name: unintrusive-pkg-add-del.patch 
Size: 1kB   By: rlaboiss
Patch for PKG_ADD and PKG_DEL
<http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?file_id=28475>

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