"Invalid argument" error with exec()

Sprad has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I'm probably doing something stupid here, but I can't seem to figure it out. I have this line in a script:

exec "foo.pl" or die "exec failed: $!\n";
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It returns the error: exec failed: Invalid argument

I've tried using single quotes, double quotes, putting the "foo.pl" in a scalar and passing that instead, using parens or not, using other commands instead of foo.pl (such as 'dir')... Nothing seems to work.

Please make me kick myself.

Pre-submission update: I was double-checking some things before hitting 'create', and I found that running the line with warnings on will give a little more information: Can't exec "cmd.exe": Invalid argument at ... So maybe it's not my fault?

---
A fair fight is a sign of poor planning.

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Re: "Invalid argument" error with exec()
by talexb (Chancellor) on Dec 12, 2003 at 19:56 UTC

So in English what that means is that Perl tried to shell out (as your script requested) but failed. This might have been a problem when your Perl was built, tested and installed .. or if you got your Perl from ActiveState, maybe your cmd.exe is in a non-standard location .. or maybe it's not on the current PATH.

--t. alex
Life is short: get busy!

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Re: "Invalid argument" error with exec()
by tcf22 (Priest) on Dec 12, 2003 at 18:39 UTC

exec("exectest.pl") or die "Error $!\n";
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Update:

- Tom

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Re: "Invalid argument" error with exec()
by PodMaster (Abbot) on Dec 12, 2003 at 20:56 UTC

exec $^X, qw[ -x -S foo.pl]

MJD says "you can't just make shit up and expect the computer to know what you mean, retardo!"
I run a Win32 PPM repository for perl 5.6.x and 5.8.x -- I take requests (README).
** The third rule of perl club is a statement of fact: pod is sexy.

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