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- package filetest;
-
- =head1 NAME
-
- filetest - Perl pragma to control the filetest permission operators
-
- =head1 SYNOPSIS
-
- $can_perhaps_read = -r "file"; # use the mode bits
- {
- use filetest 'access'; # intuit harder
- $can_really_read = -r "file";
- }
- $can_perhaps_read = -r "file"; # use the mode bits again
-
- =head1 DESCRIPTION
-
- This pragma tells the compiler to change the behaviour of the filetest
- permissions operators, the C<-r> C<-w> C<-x> C<-R> C<-W> C<-X>
- (see L<perlfunc>).
-
- The default behaviour to use the mode bits as returned by the stat()
- family of calls. This, however, may not be the right thing to do if
- for example various ACL (access control lists) schemes are in use.
- For such environments, C<use filetest> may help the permission
- operators to return results more consistent with other tools.
-
- Each "use filetest" or "no filetest" affects statements to the end of
- the enclosing block.
-
- There may be a slight performance decrease in the filetests
- when C<use filetest> is in effect, because in some systems
- the extended functionality needs to be emulated.
-
- B<NOTE>: using the file tests for security purposes is a lost cause
- from the start: there is a window open for race conditions (who is to
- say that the permissions will not change between the test and the real
- operation?). Therefore if you are serious about security, just try
- the real operation and test for its success. Think atomicity.
-
- =head2 subpragma access
-
- Currently only one subpragma, C<access> is implemented. It enables
- (or disables) the use of access() or similar system calls. This
- extended filetest functionality is used only when the argument of the
- operators is a filename, not when it is a filehandle.
-
- =cut
-
- $filetest::hint_bits = 0x00400000;
-
- sub import {
- if ( $_[1] eq 'access' ) {
- $^H |= $filetest::hint_bits;
- } else {
- die "filetest: the only implemented subpragma is 'access'.\n";
- }
- }
-
- sub unimport {
- if ( $_[1] eq 'access' ) {
- $^H &= ~$filetest::hint_bits;
- } else {
- die "filetest: the only implemented subpragma is 'access'.\n";
- }
- }
-
- 1;
-