File: notes_history.html

package info (click to toggle)
erlang-doc-html 1%3A10.b.1a-1
links: PTS
area: main
in suites: sarge
size: 22,488 kB
ctags: 9,933
sloc: erlang: 505; ansic: 323; perl: 61; sh: 45; makefile: 39
file content (1955 lines) | stat: -rw-r--r-- 60,727 bytes
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>STDLIB Release Notes (Old)</TITLE>
  <style type="text/css">
<!--
    body          { background: white; margin: 3em }

    body          { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif }
    h1 h2 h3 h4   { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif }
    h1            { font-size: 48 }
    p li          { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif }
-->
  </style>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>This document describes the release notes for older versions
of the <CODE>stdlib</CODE> application.

<!--- ################################################################# --->

<h2>Stdlib 1.12</h2>


<!--- ----------------------------------------------------------------- --->

<h3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</h3>

<ul>

  <li>
    A bug in <code>sofs:partition/2</code> has been fixed.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4516)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Bugs concerning list comprehension and guards have been fixed in the
    Erlang interpreter.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4518)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <code>c:memory()</code> only reported half of the amount of
    <code>ets</code> memory allocated on 64-bit architectures. This bug has
    now been fixed.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4519)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    If a naughty child process did unlink(Supervisor), and then the
    supervisor decides to terminate that child, it would hang forever. The
    supervisor now uses erlang:monitor instead of waiting for exit-signals,
    so that naughty child processes can not make a supervisor hang.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4568)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq3601)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Fixes bug introduced in patch erl_458 that might have damaging effects
    on the supervisor causing unwanted behavior in the node.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4585)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq7713)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    erl_tar: Fixed a problem in extracting where a directory leading up to
    a symbolic link was not created if it didn't exist.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4595)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    ets:select could sometimes return an empty list although the match_spec
    was syntactically incorrect, due to the fact that no field in the table
    could match the head of the match_spec. As the match_spec was actually
    wrong, a badarg exception was expected. ets:select now always throws
    badarg when the match_spec cannot be compiled.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4598)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The names of temporary files created by the module
    <code>file_sorter</code> are now more unique than they used to be.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4600)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The file and filename modules now accept the same filenames. (Earlier
    version of the filename module did not accept atoms except at the
    top-level.) The documentation for file and filename has been updated.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4604)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A bug in <code>Dets</code> that could cause a loop has been fixed.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4609)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A file descriptor leak was removed in the error logger.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4641)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The linter now emits errors for unsafe variables in short circuit
    Boolean expressions (<code>andalso</code> and <code>orelse</code>).<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4671)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    ms_transform now handles record index (#a.b) in guards and bodies
    correctly. It also detects multiply defined records fields correctly
    (#a{a=3,a=3} gives error).<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4708)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A bug in <code>Dets</code> that could crash the Dets server has been
    fixed.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4730)<p>
  </li>

</ul>


<!--- ----------------------------------------------------------------- --->

<h3>Improvements and new features</h3>

<ul>

  <li>
    <P>A new function erlang:send/3 has been added to give more control to
    when to send if the sender risks being suspended or delayed due to
    automatic node connection. This function supersedes
    erlang:send_nosuspend/2,3, which is retained for backward
    compatibility, and has been upgraded to handle local processes and
    ports. See the documentation. <br> <P>The function gen_server:cast/2
    (and hence gen_server:abcast/2) has been corrected to not get stuck
    waiting for automatic node connection; if a node has to be connected
    for the cast to be sent, a helper process is spawned to do the send so
    that execution flow can return to the sender immediately.
    <P>The function gen_server:cast/2 has also been corrected to crash
    for invalid arguments.<br>
    (*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3968)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq 4387)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The previously undocumented modules <code>erl_tar</code> and
    <code>filelib</code> are now documented.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3135)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-1633)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A number of new functions has been added to the module queue, mostly
    regarding double-ended operations. See the documentation for details.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4113)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq7134)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    New functions in gen_fsm: send_event_after/2, start_timer/2 and
    cancel_timer/1 for FSM internal timer handling. See the documentation.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4146)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq 7075)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The <code>-include</code> and <code>-include_dir</code> directives
    substitute environment variable values for first path components
    beginning with a <code>$</code> (dollar) sign.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4385)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq7349)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The format of Dets files has been slightly changed for the purpose of
    reducing the risk of memory problems due to corrupt files.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4553)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    New function <code>dets:is_compatible_bchunk_format/2</code> to be used
    in conjunction with the new info tag <code>bchunk_format</code>.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4554)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A variant of rpc:multicall with timeout is added, and
    gen_server:multi_call has been fixed to discard late answers.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4586)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The Erlang interpreter has been optimized in such a way that tail
    recursive calls in the interpreted code lead to tail recursive calls in
    the interpreter.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4619)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    erlang:memory/0 and erlang:memory/1 have been added.
    erlang:memory/[0,1] return the same type of information as
    c:memory/[0,1] previously did. The erlang:memory/[0,1] functions
    operate in constant time. c:memory/[0,1] now use erlang:memory/[0,1]
    and do therefore now also operate in constant time (which they
    previously did not). <br> erlang:memory/[0,1] return more accurate
    information than c:memory/[0,1] previously did. <br> For more
    information about erlang:memory/[0,1] see the erlang(3) man page.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4637)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The new functions <code>exprs/4</code>, <code>expr/4</code> and
    <code>expr_list/4</code> in the <code>erl_eval</code> module add the
    possibility to supply a function that handles calls to nonlocal
    functions.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4643)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq7810)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Introduces a new API function gen_server:enter_loop/[4,5] that may be
    useful when a more complex initialization procedure is needed than the
    gen_server behaviour provides<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4662)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq7713, seq1051)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    To give applications better control of conversion of local time to UTC
    with respect to daylight saving time, there are two new functions:
    erlang:localtime_to_universaltime/2 and
    calendar:local_time_to_uinversal_time_dst/1. See the documentation for
    details.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4667)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq7797)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    There are new functions in <code>proc_lib</code> for spawning processes
    using a fun: <code>spawn/1,2</code>, <code>spawn_link/1,2</code>, and
    <code>spawn_opt/2,3</code>. <code>spawn_opt/5</code> is new as well.
    The reason for making all <code>spawn</code> functions in
    <code>erlang(3)</code> accessible from <code>proc_lib</code> is that
    when SASL is running you get crash reports for processes started using
    <code>proc_lib</code>, something that comes in handy during debugging.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4704)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-4718, OTP-4719)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The timer module is optimized. Previously the performance degraded
    linearly by the number of simultaneously active timers and was very
    poor if there where 1000 timers or more. Now this linear behaviour is
    removed and the time to create and cancel a timer is constant and
    independent of the number of timers.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4722)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Matching on the toplevel in the head of a fun sent to ets/dbg:fun2ms is
    now possible, creating a more natural way of accessing the match_spec
    variable '$_'. Thus then code ets:fun2ms(fun(A ={a,_}) -> A end) will
    work as expected.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4743)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <p>A http state bug in inet_drv (affecting gen_tcp) has been fixed.
    Patch from Claes Wikstrm. <p>A bug in defining max number of ports has
    been fixed. Patch from Claes Wikstrm. <p>A bug in erlang:port_call/3
    when calling a driver with a NULL driver struct ->call field has been
    fixed. Patch from Luke Gorrie. <p>There is a new function
    file:script/1,2 that does the same as file:eval/1 but gives a return
    value. For completness, file:path_script/2,3, file:eval/2 and
    file:path_eval/3 are also added. Suggestion from Ulf Wiger. See the
    documentation for details. <p><code>erlang:trace/3</code> did no clear
    trace flags on processes that were exiting. This bug has now been
    fixed. <p>The gen_udp options <code>add_membership</code> and
    <code>drop_membership</code> are now allowed. Patch from Vance Shipley.
    <p><code>gen_udp:open/1,2</code> with service name instead of port
    number now works. Patch from carlos@lfcia.org. <p>An unjustified
    compiler warning when using an explicit space character as pad
    character to <code>io:format/2</code> and similar has been removed.
    <p>If an illegal node name is used to start a node, now
    <code>net_kernel</code> fails noisily instead of just letting the node
    start in non-distributed mode. <p>Now
    <code>gen_server:format_status/2</code> also works with non-registered
    processes. <p>There are two new functions
    <code>erlang:list_to_integer/2</code> and
    <code>erlang:integer_to_list/2</code> that takes a number base
    argument. See the documentataion for details. <p>New format characters
    for <code>io:format/2</code> and similar are ~b, ~B, ~x, ~X, ~+ and ~#.
    See the documentaion for details. <p>New format characters for
    <code>io:fread/2</code> and similar are ~u, ~- and ~#. See the
    documentation for details. <p>The token scanner <code>erl_scan</code>
    has been rewritten to become twice as fast as before. Now, incomplete
    any-base numbers such as "16#" are regarded as errors instead of as
    zero. The allowed base number range has been extended to 2..36 instead
    of previously 2..16. <p>There is a new function
    <code>lists:split/2</code>. See the documentation. <p>For everyone that
    has written their own function to calculate the time difference between
    two <code>now()</code> calls there is now
    <code>timer:now_diff/2</code>. See the documentation.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4747)<p>
  </li>

</ul>


<!--- ################################################################# --->

<h2>Stdlib 1.11.0</h2>


<!--- ----------------------------------------------------------------- --->

<h3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</h3>

<ul>

  <li>
    The nxdomain error code was added to the erl_posix_msg module.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-2759)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq 1212)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <code>lists:sort/2</code> and <code>lists:merge/3</code> were not
    stable. <code>lists:ukeysort/3</code> and <code>lists:usort/2</code>
    could leave duplicates. A bug in <code>lists:umerge/3</code> has been
    fixed.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4204)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Traversing a read only Dets table no longer results in a crash.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4208)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    When converting a version 8 Dets file or repairing a version 9 Dets
    file containing sufficiently large objects, the resulting file was
    sometimes badly formed. This has been fixed.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4220)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Dets: <code>delete_object</code> after <code>insert</code>
    on a table of <code>set</code> type could cause crash; it was sometimes
    impossible to open a fragmented table; <code>init_table</code> did not
    always call <code>InitFun</code> exactly once;
    <code>delete_all_objects</code> did not handle fixed tables correctly.
    (Own Id: OTP-4268)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Bugs have been fixed in the <code>erl_lint</code> module. The compile
    options due to <code>erl_lint</code> are now documented in
    <code>compile(3)</code>.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4356)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A bug in <code>sofs:drestriction/3</code> has been fixed.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4451)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A fun with 12 arguments called from the shell would only be passed the
    first 11 arguments, causing a function_clause or badarity exception.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4456)<p>
  </li>

</ul>


<!--- ----------------------------------------------------------------- --->

<h3>Improvements and new features</h3>

<ul>

  <li>
    A convenient way to create match specifications for ets is provided by 
    the pseudo function ets:fun2ms/1 and the parse_transform ms_transform.
 	<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Documentation of the previously undocumented proc_lib:spawn_opt/4, and
    the spawn_opt option of gen_server:start, and gen_fsm:start has been
    added.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4189)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The <code>file_sorter</code> module now recognises a format called
    <code>binary</code> which compares binaries using the standard order of
    terms.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4221)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Dets: The function <code>init_table</code> recognizes the new options
    <code>min_no_slots</code> and <code>format</code>. The new function
    <code>bchunk</code> can be used in conjunction with
    <code>init_table</code> for copying open tables efficiently.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4268)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The <code>file_sorter</code> module now provides an easy way of passing
    a value from input functions to output functions: if the last input
    function returns <code>{end_of_input, Value}</code>, the first output
    function is called with the argument <code>{value, Value}</code>.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4326)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The function ets:select_count/2 is added to the stdlib application.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4407)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq7482)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    New functions <code>sofs:extension/3</code> and
    <code>sofs:partition/3</code>.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4449)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The undocumented and deprecated module 'bplus_tree' in stdlib has been
    removed.<br>
    (*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4468)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The deprecated module 'unix' has been removed. (Use 'os' instead.)<br>
    (*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4470)<p>
  </li>

</ul>

<!--- ################################################################# --->

<h2>Stdlib 1.10</h2>


<!--- ----------------------------------------------------------------- --->

<h3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</h3>

<ul>

  <li>
    The shell allowed patterns which did not have pattern syntax (for
    example function calls); they became patterns which always failed to
    match. Now they cause an exit instead, similar to unbound variables.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3284)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <code>dets:all/0</code> failed if it was called before any other dets
    calls had been made.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3621)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq 4590)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    In the documentation for <code>erl_lint</code> in OTP R6 and R7, the
    prefix "warn_" for the optional warning options
    <code>warn_unused_vars</code> and <code>warn_format</code> was left
    out.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3730)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Spurious format warnings were given by <code>erl_lint</code> for
    correct calls to <code>format/1</code>.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3731)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The hash function used in dict and sets is now erlang:phash/2 rather
    than the broken erlang:hash/2.<br>
    (*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3802)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    In earlier releases of OTP, the manual entry for
    <code>sys:change_code</code> was incorrect.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3806)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq 5034)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The functions in the <code>calendar</code> module now have better error
    checking, exiting for type errors. In particular,
    <code>is_valid_date/[1,3]</code> no longer return <code>true</code> for
    any invalid dates.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3925)<br>
    (Aux Id: seq5187)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    c:memory/[0,1] could previously fail erroneously with a badmatch. This
    problem has been solved.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4017)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Bug fix: <code>intersection/1</code> in the <code>sets</code> and
    <code>ordsets</code> modules no longer accepts the empty list as
    argument. The reason is that intersection of an empty set is undefined.<br>
    (*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4045)<p>
  </li>

</ul>


<!--- ----------------------------------------------------------------- --->

<h3>Improvements and new features</h3>

<ul>

  <li>
    It is no longer necessary to set a seed explicitly before using
    <code>random:uniform</code>; now <code>uniform:seed/0</code> will be
    called automatically. In addition, new functions exist for handling
    random numbers in a functional way.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3104)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq 1681)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    New functions added to <code>beam_lib</code>: <code>cmp/2</code>,
    <code>cmp_dirs/2</code>, <code>diff_dirs/2</code>,
    <code>strip/1</code>, <code>strip_files/1</code>, and
    <code>strip_release/1</code>. New chunks names recognized by
    <code>beam_lib</code>: <code>labeled_exports</code> and
    <code>labeled_locals</code>.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3738)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-2686)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    All functions in <code>beam_lib</code> module now accept a binary as
    well as a filename.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3760)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The <code>dets</code> module has been partly rewritten.
    <code>finsert/2</code> accepts a list of objects. <code>info/2</code>
    accepts the new item tags <code>access</code>, <code>ram_file</code>
    and <code>auto_save</code>, and the item tags <code>memory</code> and
    <code>pid</code> have been documented. The read cache has been removed
    and the <code>cache_size</code> option is ignored (incompatibility).
    Many functions have been more efficiently implemented than before, this
    holds in particular when there are several threads. The repair of Dets
    tables has been rewritten, and is significantly faster than before. New
    functions are: <code>to_ets/2</code> (adds Dets objects to an Ets
    table); <code>foldl/3</code> and <code>foldr/3</code> (iterate over the
    objects of a Dets table); <code>from_ets/2</code> (replaces Dets
    objects by Ets objects); <code>select/1,2,3</code> (select Dets objects
    using match specifications (see the ERTS User&acute;s Guide for a
    description of match specifications)); <code>match/1,3</code> (match
    Dets objects in chunks); <code>select_delete/2</code> (deletes Dets
    objects using match specifications); <code>delete_all_objects/1</code>
    (deletes all objects of a Dets table efficiently);
    <code>init_table/2</code> (initiates a Dets table using a function to
    gather objects); <code>pid2name/1</code> (returns the name of the Dets
    table handled by a pid).<br>
    (*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3786)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-3746, OTP-3782, OTP-1831)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A new API, member/2 has been added to ets and dets. This function makes
    it possible to check for key prescence in a table without reading out
    the actual data associated with the key.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3804)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq 5029)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <CODE>lists:merge3/3</CODE> is a new function that merges three sorted
    lists. <CODE>lists:merge/1</CODE> is a new function that merges a list
    of sorted lists.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3880)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Hidden nodes and hidden global groups have been introduced. This makes
    it possible to establish hidden connections between Erlang nodes. See
    global_group(3), and erl(1).<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3916)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-3963)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The new module <code>file_sorter</code> sorts terms on files.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-3926)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The number of commands that are saved in the shell can now be changed
    from the default number 20. The number of command results can be
    changed independently. See the documentation for the <code>shell</code>
    module.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4035)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq 7035)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The new module <code>sofs</code> manipulates sets of sets.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4039)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <CODE>usort/1</CODE>, <CODE>umerge/{1,2}</CODE>,
    <CODE>umerge3/3</CODE>, <CODE>ukeysort/2</CODE>,
    <CODE>ukeymerge/3</CODE>, <CODE>usort/2</CODE>, and
    <CODE>umerge/3</CODE> are new functions in the <CODE>lists</CODE>
    module. They work as <CODE>sort/1</CODE>, <CODE>merge/1</CODE> and so
    on, but remove duplicates.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4041)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    <code>dets:is_dets_file/1</code> is a new function that recognizes Dets
    tables.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4083)<br>
    (Aux Id: Seq7090)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    A modified format of Dets tables has been introduced in order to
    enhance performance, in particular when there are threads and for
    tables of type <code>bag</code> or <code>duplicate_bag</code>. The
    modified format preserves the time order of object insertions. The new
    <code>open_file/2</code> option <code>version</code> sets the version
    of new tables. Default is the version of the modified format. Opening a
    table of the hitherto default format does not convert the table unless
    the option <code>{repair,force}</code> is given.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4108)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    It is now possible to have the compiler check user-defined behaviours
    and not only the pre-defined OTP behaviours (gen_server etc.). <br>
    This is done by adding a function <CODE>behaviour_info/1</CODE> to the
    behaviour module. <CODE>behaviour_info(callbacks)</CODE> should return
    a list of <CODE>{FunctionName,Arity}</CODE> which defines the callback
    functions the behaviour uses. <br> When a callback module with the
    attribute <CODE>-behaviour(Behaviour)</CODE> is compiled, its exported
    functions will be compared with the list returned by
    <CODE>Behaviour:behaviour_info(callbacks)</CODE> and a warning will be
    issued if any callback function is missing. <br> Note that the user
    must ensure that the module <CODE>Behaviour</CODE> is present at
    compile-time and can be found in the current code path.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4125)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Process termination when the process owns ETS tables is made
    considerably faster.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4154)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-3547)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Due to the handling of the ETS name-to-table translations, a ets call
    when the named table did not exist could take considerable time before
    throwing "badarg". This is no longer the case.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4155)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-3547)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    The following new functions are added to the ets modules: ets:select/2
    ets:select/3 ets:select/1 ets:match/3 ets:match/1 ets:match_object/3
    ets:match_object/1 ets:member/2 ets:delete_all_objects/1
    ets:delete_object/2 ets:from_dets/2 ets:to_dets/2 ets:test_ms/2 - See
    the ETS manual page for details. Furthermore the ets:insert/2 function
    now also accepts a list of objects to be inserted.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4156)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-3547)<p>
  </li>

  <li>
    Ets:safe_fixtable/2 is made more efficient. Fixation is done without
    message passing and structures are held internally by the emulator.<br>
    (Own Id: OTP-4157)<br>
    (Aux Id: OTP-3547)<p>
  </li>

</ul>


<H2>Stdlib 1.9.4</H2>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
Dets file repair failed with {error, eaccess} on the Windows
platforms in stdlib-1.9.3 (patched R7B). This is now corrected
and dets files can be repaired.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3909<br>
Aux Id: Seq 5146


<LI>
Ets:info/2 and dets:info/2 no longer returns values other than
'undefined' for non existing ets/dets tables. The behaviour is
now as described in the documentation.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3877<br>
Aux Id: Seq 5112


<LI>
The (betatest) ets:select/2 call in R7B may no longer
crash the emulator. This only affects customers beta testing
this functionality.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3882


</UL>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
The <CODE>ets</CODE> module now contains iterator functions
<CODE>foldl/3</CODE> and <CODE>foldr/3</CODE> analogous to the ones
in the <CODE>lists</CODE> module.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3746

<LI>
Somewhat faster repair of dets files.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3782<br>
Aux Id: OTP-3746


</UL>

<H2>Stdlib 1.9.1 (R7B)</H2>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
A new better and more portable hash BIF, <code>erlang:phash/2</code>, has been
introduced. The <code>dets</code> module will use the <code>erlang:phash/2</code>
for newly created tables. To rebuild an old table and start to use the
new hash BIF, give the <code>{repair,force}</code> option to <code>dets:open_file/2</code>.
See the documentation.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3397

<LI>
Function c:memory/[0,1] added. It can be used to
retrieve current memory allocation status,
see the documentation of the c module.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3698


<LI>
A new predefined macro has been introduced:
<CODE>?MODULE_STRING</CODE>, which expands to the name of the
current module, as a string.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3705<br>
Aux Id: OTP-3706


</UL>
<H2>Stdlib 1.9 (R7A)</H2>
<H3>Known problems</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
If Erlang is started with longnames
(e.g., <code>erl -name foo</code>),
then <code>slave:start/1</code> on a nonexistent host exits
instead of returning an error tuple.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2635


<LI>
Excessively large variable numbers in the matching functions
in the <CODE>ets</CODE> module can crash Erlang or block it for
a long time, e.g., <CODE>ets:match(Table, '$123456789')</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3064


<LI>
The shell allows patterns which do not have pattern syntax
(for example function calls); they become patterns which
always fail to match.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3284


<LI>
When using the <CODE>warn_unused_vars</CODE> option to the compiler,
warnings may be incorrectly
given for variables used within list comprehensions.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3412


</UL>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
Exporting variables from a <CODE>catch</CODE>, which is not legal
Erlang, was not caught by the linter in OTP R6, but caused the
compiler to crash instead.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3440


<LI>
Using functions in the <CODE>io</CODE> module to do I/O on a
remote node could hang if the file process had terminated.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3497<br>
Aux Id: OTP-2400


<LI>
In OTP R6, if there were many <CODE>case</CODE>, <CODE>if</CODE>
or <CODE>receive</CODE> constructions
in one function and variables were exported from them,
<CODE>erl_lint</CODE> (and thus compilation)
could consume too much memory, even making compilation
impossible.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3504


<LI>
The (previously undocumented) function
<CODE>gen_server:multi_call/4</CODE> reported good nodes as bad,
if one of the nodes was on an unreachable host.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3587<br>
Aux Id: Seq 4568, OTP-3588


</UL>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
The <CODE>win32reg</CODE> module has now been documented.
At the same time, a few problems were fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1704


<LI>
The construction <CODE>??Arg</CODE> for an argument to a macro
expands to a string containing the tokens of the argument,
similar to the <CODE>#arg</CODE> stringifying construction in C.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3425


<LI>
Calls using <CODE>gen_server</CODE>, <CODE>gen_fsm</CODE> and
<CODE>gen_event</CODE> to a process on another node no longer
hang indefinitely if the timeout is <CODE>infinity</CODE> and
the process doesn't exist. The exit reason in that case
is <CODE>noproc</CODE> (for local
processes, this change was made already in OTP R5).
<br>Own Id: OTP-3470<br>
Aux Id: OTP-3074


<LI>
Warnings for variables exported from a <CODE>case</CODE>,
<CODE>if</CODE> or <CODE>receive</CODE> are now
only given if the variables are later used within a
pattern.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3475


<LI>
The sets and dict modules have been updated. There are now
the following modules: <CODE>dict</CODE> (unorded dictionary),
<CODE>orddict</CODE> (ordered dictionary), <CODE>sets</CODE> (unordered set),
and <CODE>ordsets</CODE> (ordered set). The API functions have
been extended to allow more efficient updates of sets and
dictionaries. Some API functions are now considered deprecated.
See the documentation for each module.
<br>
<p>Note that <CODE>dict</CODE> module uses a new internal representation.
Applications that bypassed the documented API functions and
assumed that dictionaries were lists will no longer work.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-3519


<LI>
Bug-fix in <CODE>digraph</CODE>: one can no longer create loops 
in acyclic graphs. New functions in <CODE>digraph</CODE>: 
<CODE>info/1</CODE>, <CODE>no_vertices/1</CODE>, <CODE>no_edges/1</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3522


<LI>
The new module <CODE>digraph_utils</CODE> implements some
algorithms based on depth-first traversal of directed graphs.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3523


<LI>
The function <CODE>gen_server:multi_call/4</CODE>, which was
previously undocumented, is now documented.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3588<br>
Aux Id: OTP-3587


<LI>
Bug-fix in <CODE>digraph</CODE>: <CODE>get_path/3</CODE> and 
<CODE>get_cycle/2</CODE> no longer occasionally duplicate the 
first vertex in the presence of a loop.
New functions in <CODE>digraph</CODE>: <CODE>get_short_path/3</CODE> and 
<CODE>get_short_cycle/2</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3630


<LI>
The new module <CODE>beam_lib</CODE> reads data from BEAM files.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3637


<LI>
The system event {out, ...} that gen_server
generates now includes State. See the documentation
for gen_server, System Events.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3651


<LI>
The gen_ family (mostly gen_server and gen_fsm)
and rpc has been rewritten to use the new BIF
erlang:monitor/2 as much as possible. This should
improve performance and remove some possibilities 
of hanging gen_server calls. In particular, 
gen_server:multi_call/2..4 and 
rpc:multi_server_call/2,3 should now never hang,
at least not when all nodes are of this
release. See also the documentation for 
gen_server and rpc.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3660


</UL>


<H2>Stdlib 1.8.1</H2>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
<CODE>lists:sort/2</CODE> is stable again.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3344


<LI>
The command-completion feature of the shell has been
improved. Pressing the tab key now also lists possible completions
(but only if no new character was added to the completion).
<br>Own Id: OTP-3354


</UL>
<H2>Stdlib 1.8</H2>
<H3>Known problems</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
If Erlang is started with longnames
(e.g., <code>erl -name foo</code>),
then <code>slave:start/1</code> on a nonexistent host exits
instead of returning an error tuple.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2635


<LI>
Excessively large variable numbers in the matching functions
in the <CODE>ets</CODE> module can crash Erlang or block it for
a long time, e.g., <CODE>ets:match(Table, '$123456789')</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3064


<LI>
The shell allows patterns which do not have pattern syntax
(for example function calls); they become patterns which
always fail to match.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3284


</UL>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
When <CODE>c:c(File, Options)</CODE> was used with options such
that an intermediate file was produced instead of an
object file (e.g., 'S'), it still tried to load an object
file (which would be the old one, if one existed).
<br>
This has been changed. A warning message will be printed
(<CODE>Warning: No object file created - nothing loaded</CODE>)
and no object file will be loaded even if an (older) object
file exists.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3056<br>
Aux Id: OTP-3054


<LI>
Erlang shell line editing (e.g., M-B to back up over a word)
didn't handle all Latin-1 characters correctly.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3158


<LI>
<CODE>ets:tab2list/1</CODE> returned the list in the wrong order
for a table of type <CODE>ordered_set</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3319


</UL>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
The new lint option <CODE>{warn_format, Verbosity}</CODE> causes
warnings to be given for malformed calls to <CODE>io:format</CODE>
and some similar functions. <CODE>Verbosity</CODE> is an integer
which determines the amount of warnings to give (0 = no
warnings).
<br>Own Id: OTP-1387


<LI>
Dets now has a write through caching mechanism as well as
an auto save feature. Dets more seldom needs to repair files.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1831<br>
Aux Id: OTP-1526


<LI>
Many functions in stdlib do not enforce the types which the
functions are documented to accept, thus resulting in
undefined behaviour when given arguments of invalid type.
Stricter error checking has been added to some functions in
stdlib, namely
<CODE>io:get_chars</CODE>,
<CODE>lists:keymember/3</CODE>,
<CODE>lists:keysearch/3</CODE>,
<CODE>lists:keydelete/3</CODE> and
<CODE>lists:keyreplace/4</CODE>,
resulting in an exit if an invalid argument is given.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-2689<br>
Aux Id: OTP-2441


<LI>
New functions <CODE>lists:sort(Fun, List)</CODE> and
<CODE>lists:merge(Fun, List1, List2)</CODE> can be used for
sorting/merging with respect to any criterion;
<CODE>Fun(A,B)</CODE> should
return whether <CODE>A</CODE> comes before <CODE>B</CODE> in the
ordering.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2948


<LI>
A new function <CODE>c:bt(Pid)</CODE>, available in the shell
without module prefix, shows a stack backtrace for a
process (i.e., calls <CODE>erlang:process_display(Pid,
backtrace)</CODE>).
<br>Own Id: OTP-3122


<LI>
The new function <CODE>c:q()</CODE> (also defined in the module
<CODE>shell_default</CODE> so that the module prefix need not be
given in the shell) calls <CODE>init:stop</CODE>, and thus provides
a short command to stop Erlang in a controlled way.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3123


<LI>
The functions <CODE>behaviour_info/[0,1]</CODE> have been
removed from the module <CODE>systools</CODE>.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-3159<br>
Aux Id: OTP-1965


<LI>
The function <CODE>c:i()</CODE> now gives two lines of information
for each process, including: heap size, stack size,
registered name.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3160


<LI>
The output functions in the <CODE>io</CODE> module
no longer return an error term in case of
errors; they exit instead.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-3178


<LI>
The new lint option <CODE>warn_unused_vars</CODE> causes warnings to
be given for variables which are not used (unless they begin
with an underscore, in which case no warning is given).
<br>Own Id: OTP-3181


<LI>
Parenthesis-matching in the shell has been improved.
A new command key ^] performs
visible parenthesis blink, like the closing characters
(i.e., ')', '}' or ']'),
but it also inserts the proper matching character.
The closing characters now beep if the matching opening
character isn't of the right kind.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3250


<LI>
Enable the supervisor to handle other replies than {ok, Pid} when starting children.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3251


<LI>
The erl_internal:builtins/0 function has been removed.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-3300


<LI>
Due to an oversight, the following improvement was
left out of the documentation in previous releases:
The operator <CODE>--</CODE> performs list subtraction.
It is also available as the function <CODE>lists:subtract/2</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3318


<LI>
The following functions in the <CODE>lists</CODE> module now have
a faster implementation compared to previous releases:
<CODE>map/2</CODE>, <CODE>last/1</CODE>, <CODE>keysearch/3</CODE>,
<CODE>keymember/3</CODE> and all sorting functions.
The functions <CODE>member/2</CODE>, <CODE>reverse/2</CODE>,
<CODE>keysearch/3</CODE> and <CODE>keymember/3</CODE> are now
entirely implemented as BIFs.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3334


<LI>
Ets tables on remote nodes can no longer be accessed directly.
Also, the format of the table identifiers returned by
<CODE>ets:open/2</CODE> have changed. Incorrectly written applications
that assume that the table identifier is a tuple will no
longer work.
<br>
Most functions in the <CODE>ets</CODE> module are now BIFs. The internal
and undocumented BIFs that the <CODE>ets</CODE> module used to call
have been removed. Applications that incorrectly used the those
BIFs directly will no longer work.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-3337


</UL>




<H2>Stdlib 1.7</H2>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
Erlang shell line editing (e.g., M-B to back up over a word)
didn't handle all Latin-1 characters correctly.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3158

</UL>

<H2>Stdlib 1.6.1</H2>

<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
When a module with behaviour <CODE>gen_server</CODE>,
<CODE>gen_event</CODE> or <CODE>gen_fsm</CODE> was compiled, warnings
were given for
absent call-back functions, except for <CODE>code_change</CODE>.
Now, a warning is given for absent <CODE>code_change</CODE> as
well.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3148<br>
Aux Id: OTP-3072, OTP-3026


</UL>
<H2>Stdlib 1.6</H2>

<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
The previously undocumented function <CODE>queue:to_list/1</CODE>
didn't work properly. Now, it returns the elements of
the queue, the oldest first in the list.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2701<br>
Aux Id: Seq 1069


<LI>
A tab in the Erlang shell (modulename completion) could
block a big system (&gt;1000 modules) for several seconds and
consumed a huge amount of memory. The reason for this was that 
<CODE>append</CODE> was used to create the list of all modules and
this is very inefficient. This has now been corrected: 
1) <CODE>code:all_loaded</CODE> no longer uses append. 2)  <CODE>append</CODE>
and
all other BIFs can no longer consume unlimited amounts of
memory before a garbage collection occurs.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2708


<LI>
<CODE>erl_parse:abstract/1</CODE> crashed when given terms such
as <CODE>[4|5]</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2836


<LI>
The module <CODE>erl_id_trans</CODE> didn't handle unary operators
before numeric literals, or the Mnemosyne <CODE>query</CODE>
expression.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2838


<LI>
C-nodes previously could get an rpc:call trying to execute
process_info on the C-node. C-nodes are so called "hidden" 
nodes and should not get any rpc calls by accident. This is
now corrected.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2953


<LI>
<CODE>erl_scan:string/[1,2]</CODE> handled comments incorrectly.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2986


<LI>
<CODE>ets:match_object/2</CODE> is made faster by removing a
<CODE>receive after 1</CODE> and letting the internal BIF 
db_match_object decide
if the current process should be rescheduled.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2987<br>
Aux Id: Seq 1500


<LI>
ets:match_delete now works correctly for the duplicate_bag
ets table type.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3005<br>
Aux Id: Seq 1512


<LI>
The handling of the freelist in <CODE>dets</CODE> is 
made more efficient. In the previous version of dets
the <CODE>dets:close/1</CODE> could take several hours in the worst
case because of computation which tried to combine the
freelist. This is now corrected and the new version has
significantly better performance in dets:open_file and
dets:close  while having the same or marginally 
worse performance on dets:delete. The time it takes 
to open or close a dets file is now always short (at the seconds
level at worst , in the most cases much faster).
<br>Own Id: OTP-3025


<LI>
<CODE>erl_pp:form/[1,2]</CODE> now format upper-case record
names correctly; previously the necessary quoting was left
out. This affected for example the tools <CODE>cover</CODE>
and <CODE>coast</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3058, OTP-2952<br>
Aux Id: OTP-2952


<LI>
If the argument to the attribute <CODE>-include_lib</CODE> didn't
contain a '/', the compilation/preprocessing crashed,
instead of giving a proper error message.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3073


<LI>
<CODE>erl_lint:is_guard_test/1</CODE> did not accept
floating-point literals. This caused execution using
<CODE>erl_eval</CODE> (for example in the shell) to behave
incorrectly when floating-point literals occurred in guards.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3091


</UL>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
The erl_tar:table/2 function now returns more information
about each member in the tar file if given the <CODE>verbose</CODE>
option.  Tww new functions, erl_tar:t/1 and erl_tar:tt/2,
prints the members of the tar file instead of returning them.
The <CODE>tt/1</CODE> function simply prints the name of each member
(like 'tar t'), while <CODE>tt/2</CODE> prints more information
similar to 'tar tv'.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2520


<LI>
For consistency, <CODE>lists:seq(N,N,0)</CODE> now returns
<CODE>[N]</CODE> instead of giving an error.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-2613


<LI>
The syntax of Erlang tokens has been extended to
allow the use of the full ISO-8859-1 (Latin-1)
character set. This is noticeable in the following
ways: all the Latin-1 printable characters can be used
and are shown without the escape backslash convention;
atoms and variables can use all Latin-1 letters.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2985


<LI>
The result of <CODE>c:m(Module)</CODE> contains a tuple
<CODE>{time, Time}</CODE> which represents the date and time of
compilation
of the module. Previously, the time was in the local timezone
of the compilation. Since there is no record of what that
timezone was, the time information was unreliable, and
has been changed to always be in GMT (if the underlying
system supports it - in other words, what
<CODE>erlang:universaltime/0</CODE> returns).
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-3012


<LI>
The <CODE>export_all</CODE> compilation option no longer produces one
warning for each function defined in a module; it produces
one single warning (since <CODE>export_all</CODE> shouldn't be used
in production code).
<br>Own Id: OTP-3020


<LI>
When compiling, warnings for functions which are not used
are now given also for functions which call only themselves.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3021<br>
Aux Id: OTP-1007


<LI>
Due to an oversight, the following improvement was
left out of the documentation in previous releases:
<p>
The variables used in the matching functions in the
<CODE>ets</CODE> module are not
restricted to '$0' to '$9' anymore.
<br>Own Id: OTP-3063


<LI>
The <CODE>gen_server:call</CODE> now uses the new BIF <CODE>monitor/2</CODE> which
makes it possible to monitor the death of processes. This 
makes the  call safer and the feedback to the
caller will be immediate if the serving process has died
or dies when it services the call. Previously the only 
way to prevent a hanging here was to use the <CODE>Timeout</CODE> argument
to the call function. A potential incompability is that the
<CODE>gen_server:call</CODE> and comparable functions in the 
<CODE>gen_event</CODE> and <CODE>gen_fsm</CODE> modules now can exit
with another reason than <CODE>timeout</CODE> when the server has
terminated its execution. The new reason is <CODE>noproc</CODE>.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-3074


<LI>
A note on forward compatibility. Users are urged to refrain
from using the following constructions: 1) numeric ASCII
codes for characters; 2) strings spanning several lines;
3) the character constant "<CODE>$ </CODE>" to produce a space.
These constructions are still legal, but will produce
warnings in future releases, and at some point may be
removed from the language.
Instead, use: 1) character constant syntax; 2) the
escape code "<CODE>\n</CODE>"; 3) the character constant
"<CODE>$\s</CODE>".
<br>Own Id: OTP-3083

</UL>


<H2>Stdlib 1.5.2</H2>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
<CODE>ets:file2tab</CODE> which uses <CODE>disk_log</CODE> now uses the <CODE>read_only</CODE> option to <CODE>disk_log:open</CODE>
when it opens the file.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1716<br>
Aux Id: OTP-1765


<LI>
On Unix, if the name of the current directory contained a blank,
<CODE>os:cmd/1</CODE> would fail.  This has been corrected.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2026


<LI>
It was possible for ets:all/1 to include malformed table
identifiers in the result. This has been fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2214


<LI>
The compiler previously silently accepted that a module
defined a function with the same name and arity as an
imported function. This now causes an error.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2338<br>
Aux Id: seq 793


<LI>
erl_scan:string/1 used to exit in many situations where it
should return an error tuple. This has been fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2347


<LI>
When given a bad first argument, io:format/3, io:fwrite/3 and
io:fread/3 could hang instead of returning an error.
This has been fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2400


<LI>
lists:seq/3 hanged instead of exiting for some invalid
arguments; e.g., lists:seq(1, 5, -1). This has been fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2404


<LI>
Guard expressions could cause exit when used in shell
and erl_eval, instead of causing the guard to fail.
This has been fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2405


<LI>
missing parameter, Id, in 
application_controller:do_change_appl/3 fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2681<br>
Aux Id: seq 1029


<LI>
The low level process interface 'proc_lib' used by
itself and also by generic servers has a syncronisation
bug. The scenario is
<br>
1. Process A calls proc_lib:spawn() returning
the process id B of the child. The function
will wait for an answer from the child.
<br>
2. The function times out waiting for an answer
from the child using proc_lib:init_ack().
<br>
3. Process A tries again calling proc_lib:spawn()
returning process id C. But now the child B
has answered and because the wait function
doesn't check where the answer comes from
it believes that it was process C that
was succeeding.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2702<br>
Aux Id: seq1051


</UL>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
erl_lint now gives warnings for some useless
constructions which are usually the result of misspellings,
e.g., "7(X)", or "s#state{nr=1}".
<br>Own Id: OTP-1927<br>
Aux Id: OTP-1961


</UL>
<H2>Stdlib 1.5.1</H2>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
keysort/2 is now stable (i.e., it preserves the order
of elements which have the same key).
Bad arguments now cause an exit, instead of just silently
returning the input list.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-2300


<LI>
A call to dets:open_file/1 resulting in an error could
cause both the caller and the dets server to hang.
This has been fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2399


<LI>
The documentation for erl_parse:parse_term/1 incorrectly
stated that it returns the abstract form of a term, so that
parse_term/1 and tokens/1 are the inverses of each other.
Actually, erl_parse:parse_term/1 returns the term itself.
The documentation has been changed to reflect this.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2401


</UL>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
Many functions in stdlib do not enforce the types which the
functions are documented to accept, thus resulting in
undefined behaviour when given arguments of invalid type.
Stricter error checking has been added to some functions in
stdlib, namely lists:sublist/[2,3] and lists:keysort/2,
resulting in an exit if an invalid argument is given.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-2441<br>
Aux Id: OTP-2300, OTP-2689


<LI>
ets:i/0 used to truncate entries which didn't fit in the
designated field. Now, nothing is truncated - the remaining
entries are pushed to the right instead.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2524


</UL>
<H2>R3B02 (Stdlib 1.4.2)</H2>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
<CODE>dets</CODE> can now repair files even if parts of the segment 
array is truncated. The problem occured when <CODE>mnesia</CODE> 
was used.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2056<br>
Aux Id: seq 559, OTP-2042


<LI>
The compiler (on jam systems) did report "error head-mismatch"
on the wrong line (the last instead of the first head-mismatch).
This is corrected.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2125<br>
Aux Id: seq 616


<LI>
A <CODE>dets</CODE> internal problem with <CODE>split_to_binary</CODE> 
which caused mnesia user problems is fixed.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2156<br>
Aux Id: seq 636


<LI>
If the system was halted when <CODE>dets</CODE> is in the middle of
repairing a small file (i.e a file that is repaired in RAM), this could result in a corrupt <CODE>dets</CODE> file. This is now corrected. The version of
the <CODE>dets</CODE> file format is stepped to 8 and version 6 and 7
files are automatically upgraded when they are opened.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2221<br>
Aux Id: seq 672


<LI>
In previous R3 releases, <CODE>slave:start/X</CODE> didn't 
work if <CODE>erl</CODE>
was started with long names (<CODE>-name Name</CODE>).
<br>Own Id: OTP-2288<br>
Aux Id: seq 746


<LI>
<CODE>dets</CODE> is now put under control of a supervisor when it is started.
This corrects the earlier problem that caused <CODE>dets</CODE> to be terminated when mnesia was terminated even though there could be other users of <CODE>dets</CODE>.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2296<br>
Aux Id: seq 754


<LI>
<CODE>ets:new/2</CODE> could case the whole emulator to crash if
called with a not well formed list as second argument.
Example: <CODE>ets:new(a,[set|protected])</CODE> which should
result in <CODE>{'EXIT',{badarg,Reason}}</CODE> and not make the emulator 
to crash. This is corrected.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2314<br>
Aux Id: seq 769


<LI>
A <CODE>dets</CODE> file must be closed by the owner (i.e the
process that opened it). <CODE>{error, not_owner}</CODE> will be
returned if another process tries to close the file.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2393


</UL>
<H2>R3B (Stdlib 1.4.1)</H2>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
If the evaluator exits while the shell is reading a new prompt,
the exit message will be printed immediately.
<br>Own Id: OTP-2085<br>
Aux Id: seq 592


</UL>
<H2>R3A (Stdlib 1.4)</H2>
<H3>Fixed errors and malfunctions</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
In dets tables of type bag an object could sometimes be 
duplicated by mistake. This is corrected.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1642


<LI>
The ets:info/2 BIF used to fail with badarg if the table
didn't exist, contrary to the documentation which
states that undefined should be returned.
The implementation has been corrected.
This might break existing code that evaluated ets:info/2
within a catch and assumed that an nonexisting table was
indicated by an 'EXIT' tuple.
<br>(*** POTENTIAL INCOMPATIBILITY ***)
<br>Own Id: OTP-1868<br>
Aux Id: seq 418


<LI>
The function sys:log_to_file didn't close old files, 
this is corrected.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1977


</UL>
<H3>Improvements and new features</H3>

<UL>

<LI>
The function nativename/1 has been added to the filename
module.  It converts a filename to a form acceptable for
command shell and native applications on the currently
running platform.  Specifically, on Windows it replaces
slashes with backslashes.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1632


<LI>
Enhancements in dets: Support for etimated_no_objects.
Dets now uses ram_files pread and pwrite which results in
significantly improved performance for certain operations.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1641


<LI>
The documentation regarding terminate and trap_exits is
improved for the gen_* modules.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1755


<LI>
The following functions are added to the module calendar:
now_to_local_time/1, 
now_to_universal_time/1  (== now_to_datetime/1), 
local_time_to_universal_time/1, 
universal_time_to_local_time/1.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1801


<LI>
New table option 'duplicate_bags' added to both ets and dets.
A 'duplicate_bag' table can have several identical objects.
<br>Own Id: OTP-1810


</UL>

<A NAME="1"><!-- Empty --></A><H2>1 Stdlib 1.3.2</H2><A NAME="1.1"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>1.1 Incompatibilities with Stdlib 1.3.1</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     Because of the major updates to the <CODE>slave</CODE> module a
         version of OTP with this new slave module as described
         here *cannot* start slave nodes on computers using an
         older version of OTP, and vice versa.

         <BR>
The return values from <CODE>slave</CODE> on error are
         changed (atoms are used instead of strings).

         <BR>
Own Id:OTP-1463
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="1.2"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>1.2 Fixed Bugs and malfunctions</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     <CODE>filename:basename(&#34;/foo/bar/&#34;)</CODE> returned wrong
         result: <CODE>[]</CODE>. The last <CODE>/</CODE> should be ignored and
         the result should be <CODE>&#34;bar&#34;</CODE>.

         <BR>
Own Id:OTP-1451
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="1.3"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>1.3 Improvements and new features</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     <CODE>slave:start</CODE> is enhanced to work on other platforms
         (e.g WIN32). Previously it was UNIX specific.

         <BR>
Own Id:OTP-1463
        <BR>
<LI>     The <CODE>timer</CODE> module is modified to be a gen_server
         and is now supervised by the safe kernel supervisor.

         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1469
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="2"><!-- Empty --></A><H2>2 Stdlib 1.3.1</H2><A NAME="2.1"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>2.1 Fixed Bugs and malfunctions</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     <CODE>ets</CODE> tables created before the system was converted to a
         distributed system could not be accessed then the system
         became distributed. The representation of the <CODE>ets</CODE> table
         identifier is thus changed.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1393
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="3"><!-- Empty --></A><H2>3 Stdlib 1.3</H2><A NAME="3.1"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>3.1 Improvements and new features</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     <CODE>erl_eval</CODE> did crash on valid input like:
         <BR>
<PRE>1&#62; lists:sort(A=[1,2]).
            </PRE>
         A correction conserning variable bindings is done.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1295
         <BR>
<LI>     <CODE>dets:next</CODE> did sometimes erreounously return <CODE>'$end_of_table'</CODE>.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1293
         <BR>
<LI>     Corrected spelling errors in <CODE>help()</CODE> printout from shell.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1038
         <BR>
<LI>Added a new function <CODE>sync_notify</CODE> in <CODE>gen_event</CODE>.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1310

        <BR>
<LI>     The functions <CODE>add_sup_handler/3</CODE> and
         <CODE>swap_sup_handler/3</CODE> are added to the
         <CODE>gen_event</CODE> module. They are used to supervise
         <CODE>gen_event</CODE> handlers.

         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1122
        <BR>
<LI>     It is possible to add several handlers using the same call-back
         module to a <CODE>gen_event</CODE> event manager. Use the new
         <CODE>{Module, Id}</CODE> syntax for such event handlers.
        <BR>
<LI>     <CODE>gen_event</CODE> generates an error report when a handler
         crashes.
        <BR>
<LI>Two new supervisor types <CODE>rest_for_one</CODE> and
         <CODE>simple_one_for_one</CODE> are added.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1177
        <BR>
<LI><CODE>os:type/1</CODE> and its documentation is corrected. 
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1185
        <BR>
<LI>     The function <CODE>init_ack/1</CODE> is added to the <CODE>proc_lib</CODE>
         module.
        <BR>
<LI>     <CODE>erl_lint</CODE> produces warnings related to the <CODE>behaviour</CODE>
         module attribute. For example, missing call-back functions are
         reported. This feature is used by the compiler.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1200
        <BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="3.2"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>3.2 Fixed Bugs and malfunctions</H3><P><UL>
<LI><CODE>gen_server:cast</CODE> and <CODE>gen_server:abcast</CODE> did 
         sometimes crash if the server did not exist.
         <BR>
Own Id:OTP-1343
        <BR>
<LI>The <CODE>ets</CODE> reference manual is corrected to describe
         what happens when trying to access a non existant table.
         <BR>
Own Id:OTP-1244
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="3.3"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>3.3 Incompatibilities with Stdlib 1.2</H3><P>-
<A NAME="4"><!-- Empty --></A><H2>4 Stdlib 1.2</H2><A NAME="4.1"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>4.1 Improvements and new features</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     The <CODE>dets</CODE> module has been greatly enhanced. Previously
         the <CODE>dets</CODE> module had no real space management on the file.
         Now, space is managed on a per file basis by a builtin buddy system.
         This means that allocation is much faster. The format of a dets file
         is consequently also changed, the dets module will however 
         recognize files with the old format and automatically upgrade
         the file to the new format the first time it is opened.
         <BR>
This has consequences for the Mnesia system, or rather it does not,
         since the version upgrade is done automatically.
        <BR>
<LI>    A new module <CODE>filename</CODE> which has a number of useful functions 
                for manipulation of filenames. These functions are recommended
                to use
                when writing applications which shall be runnable on a number
        of different platforms.
        <BR>
<LI>    A new module <CODE>os</CODE> which provides functions which enables
        various information from the host operating system to the Erlang 
        programmer. The function <CODE>cmd/1</CODE> is equivalent with the 
        <CODE>unix:cmd/1</CODE> on a unix platform and will also be available
        on other platforms if applicable, e.g on Windows NT. This function
        is the recommended way of issuing operating system commands from
        Erlang programs (rather than <CODE>unix:cmd/1</CODE>). Other functions
        in the module are <CODE>version</CODE> and <CODE>type&#62;</CODE> which give
        information about the host operating system version and type.
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="4.2"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>4.2 Fixed Bugs and malfunctions</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     The <CODE>ets</CODE> man page updated (Name instead of Id).
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1001.
        <BR>
<LI>     The <CODE>ets</CODE> module now handles arbitrarily many variables.
         Previously there was an upper limit of 10.
         <BR>
Own Id: OTP-1124.
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="5"><!-- Empty --></A><H2>5 Stdlib 1.1</H2><A NAME="5.1"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>5.1 Improvements and new features</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     Added <CODE>disk_log</CODE>, a disc based term logging facility.

        <BR>
<LI>     Added <CODE>dets</CODE>, a disc based term storage.

        <BR>
<LI>     Added <CODE>proc_lib:start/3,4</CODE>,
         <CODE>proc_lib:start_link/3,4</CODE> and
         <CODE>proc_lib:init_ack/2</CODE> for synchronous start of
         <CODE>proc_lib</CODE> processes.

        <BR>
<LI>     Added <CODE>regexp</CODE>, regular expression functions for strings.

        <BR>
<LI>     It is possible to have anonymous supervisors.
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="5.2"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>5.2 Fixed Bugs and malfunctions</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     Fixed bug in <CODE>timer</CODE> there timeouts would cause an internal
         error under heavy load.
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="5.3"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>5.3 Incompatibilities with OTP P1G</H3><P><UL>
<LI>     It is possible to change the internal state of the event manager
         using the <CODE>gen_event:call</CODE> function. The <CODE>handle_call/2</CODE>
         call-back function should return in a similar way as the
         <CODE>handle_event/2</CODE> function.

        <BR>
<LI>     A <CODE>gen_event</CODE> worker should specify <CODE>dynamic</CODE> for
         modules in the supervisor child specification.
<BR>
</UL>
<A NAME="5.4"><!-- Empty --></A><H3>5.4 Known bugs and problems</H3><P>-
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<CENTER>
<HR>
<FONT SIZE=-1>
Copyright &copy; 1991-99
<A HREF="http://www.ericsson.se">Ericsson Utvecklings AB</A><BR>
<!--#include virtual="/ssi/otp_footer.html"-->
</FONT>
</CENTER>
</BODY>
</HTML>