Date:         Mon, 17 Jun 1996 09:06:51 -0500
Reply-To:     Jonathan Fry <jon@SPSS.COM>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Jonathan Fry <jon@SPSS.COM>
Organization: SPSS Inc.
Subject:      Re: Exit codes

Halpin B wrote:
>
> Why doesn't SPSS return a non-zero exit code when a job fails
> because of errors?
>
> I often have large production jobs to do, that involve long
> sequences of SPSS command files to be run, and it is extremely
> convenient to `package' things in a shell script or make file.
> However, you have to be able to stop the sequence when an
> intermediate file fails, and this is not reliably possible unless
> you can use the exit status.
>
> I'm using SPSS 4.0 under SunOS 4.1.4: perhaps later versions return
> exit status?
>
> Brendan
> --
> Brendan Halpin                                 |E-mail: brendan@essex.ac.uk
> ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change    |PGP key on servers
> University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK    |Work: +44-1206-873790
>                                                |Home: +44-1206-825250
 
--
SPSS Unix versions, release 5.0 and later, set the exit code to 2 if there was
a
fatal error (one which prevents subsequent commands from executing), or to 0
otherwise.
--------------------
Jonathan Fry
SPSS Inc.
jon@spss.com