Frequently Asked Questions

Overall

1. Can we use Perl features that we haven't yet covered in class on this assignment?
   Yes, you can use anything you want - provided it is your own code, and it compiles on rcs-sun1.rpi.edu.

Part A

1. Do we need to concern ourselves with the possibility of clobbering our input file, if the original file name is already all caps?
   No. You may presume that at least one character in the filename will be a lower-case letter
2. DOS/Windows doesn't distinguish between upper- and lower-case file names!
   No it doesn't. Which is why this program needs to work on the Unix machine rcs-sun1.rpi.edu
3. Should our program allow users to enter absolute or relative pathnames for directories?
   Both. Conveniently, Perl's open() and chdir() functions handle this natively. (ie, a pathname beginning with a slash is treated as starting in the root directory, a pathname not starting with a slash is treated as starting in the current working directory).
4. What should we do if the directory the user enters does not exist?
   Exit the program with a suitable error message.

Part B

1. Do the words have to be listed in any particular order?
   No. Any order (or no order) is acceptable, so long as all words are printed, and it is clear how many times each word appeared.