[GNC] Should the gnc-fq-* helper scripts be invoked as commands, or as an arg to perl?

[John Ralls]

> On Jun 13, 2021, at 12:39 AM, Jim DeLaHunt <list+gnucash at jdlh.com> wrote:
> 
> GnuCash ships with Helper Scripts  which make it easier to work with Finance::Quote. They are: gnc-fq-check, gnc-fq-dump, gnc-fq-helper, and gnc-fq-update. Collectively, call them gc-fq-* .
> 
> When running these Helper Scripts from a command prompt on MacOS and Linux, should they invoked as commands:
> 
> % gnc-fq-check
> 
> Or should they be invoked as an argument to a perl command:
> 
> % perl gnc-fq-check
> 
> ?
> 
> The wiki page https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Online_Quotes#Helper_Scripts says, pretty clearly, the former:
> 
> "While unixoid operating systems use a shebang (#!) to associate perl scripts with the Perl interpreter, others, e.g. Windows, will fail….
> C:\> gnc-fq-check [fails]…
> so use the following: … Prefix any gnc-fq-xxx perl script command with perl and a space: …
> perl gnc-fq-check …"
> 
> The perl invocation is described as a workaround needed on Windows because the shebang doesn't work. All the other examples show invocation as a command, e.g.
> 
> $ gnc-fq-check
> 
> This makes a difference on Unixoid systems when there are multiple Perl installations. Presumably command invocation of the helper scripts will always obey the shebang and thus always run the same Perl installation. But invocation as an argument to "perl" will run whichever Perl installation the environment dictates.
> 
> Am I correct in guessing that GnuCash 4.5 internally invokes these scripts (maybe just gnc-fq-helper) as an argument to a perl command?
> 
> If so, should the wiki page https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Online_Quotes use the same invocation?

The answer depends on what the user wants or in this case for which perl they want to or did install F::Q.  People who have multiple perl installations shouldn't need to be told; people who need to be told then they shouldn't have multiple perl installations.

Arthur Ransome opened 'Swallows and Amazons` with the doggerel 
  "Better drowned than duffers.
   If not duffers won't drown."

An excellent guiding principle to system administration.

Regards,
John Ralls