octave forge packages with current CVS

[Ben Barrowes]

On Monday 22 October 2007, David Bateman wrote:
> Ben Barrowes wrote:
> > I just compiled and installed the latest octave cvs, and then tried to install octave forge
> > packages. However, after I downloaded the octave forge packages and cd'ed into the main
> > directory and input:
> > 
> > pkg install specfun-1.0.3.tar.gz
> > 
> > I got sent straight to debug, whereupon lasterr told me:
> > 
> > octave:1> pkg install specfun-1.0.3.tar.gz 
> > debug> lasterr
> > ans = error: load: unable to find file /home/barrowes/.octave_packages
> > debug> 
> > 
> > How does .octave_packages get created? What is its format? Did I skip a step?
> > 
> > 
> > octave:2> ver
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > GNU Octave Version 2.9.15+
> > GNU Octave License: GNU General Public License
> > Operating System: Linux 2.6.22.9-server-1mdv #1 SMP Thu Sep 27 04:28:02 CEST 2007 i686
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > octave:3> 
> > 
> > 
> > bb
> 
> Most odd, it should be created if it doesn't exist.. Does it exist? If
> so remove it and try again..
> 
> D.
> 
> 

I have found out what is going on here. I had set:

debug_on_error(1)

so that in pkg.m, when it gets to:

  try
    local_packages = load (local_list).local_packages;
  catch
    local_packages = {};
  end_try_catch

it was throwing an error at the load line before the catch happened. Thus the error. When I
turned debug_on_error off, the package installs fine.

I tested the behavior in ML. Consider a script, test2.m

clear all
try
 a(2)
catch
 'ccccccccccc'
end
a(3)

In ML, the output is:

>> test2
ans =
ccccccccccc
??? Index exceeds matrix dimensions.
Error in ==> test2 at 7
a(3)
7   a(3)
K>> 


So, ML ignores the equivalent of debug_on_error calls ("dbstop if error", BTW) when inside a
try block.


bb





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--- Ben Barrowes ----------- barrowes at crrel.usace.army.mil ---
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