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Also, most operating systems permit invoking programs that are not in the PATH environment variable, so there is no guarantee that the value of $^X is in PATH. For VMS, the value may or may not include a version number.</p> <p>You usually can use the value of $^X to re-invoke an independent copy of the same perl that is currently running, e.g.,</p> <pre><code>@first_run = `$^X -le "print int rand 100 for 1..100"`;</code></pre> <p>But recall that not all operating systems support forking or capturing of the output of commands, so this complex statement may not be portable.</p> <p>It is not safe to use the value of $^X as a path name of a file, as some operating systems that have a mandatory suffix on executable files do not require use of the suffix when invoking a command. To convert the value of $^X to a path name, use the following statements:</p> <pre><code># Build up a set of file names (not command names). use Config; $this_perl = $^X; if ($^O ne 'VMS') {$this_perl .= $Config{_exe} unless $this_perl =~ m/$Config{_exe}$/i;}</code></pre> <p>Because many operating systems permit anyone with read access to the Perl program file to make a copy of it, patch the copy, and then execute the copy, the security-conscious Perl programmer should take care to invoke the installed copy of perl, not the copy referenced by $^X. The following statements accomplish this goal, and produce a pathname that can be invoked as a command or referenced as a file.</p> <pre><code>use Config; $secure_perl_path = $Config{perlpath}; if ($^O ne 'VMS') {$secure_perl_path .= $Config{_exe} unless $secure_perl_path =~ m/$Config{_exe}$/i;}</code></pre> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="footer"> <p>Perldoc Browser is maintained by Dan Book (<a href="https://metacpan.org/author/DBOOK">DBOOK</a>). Please contact him via the <a href="https://github.com/Grinnz/perldoc-browser/issues">GitHub issue tracker</a> or <a href="mailto:dbook@cpan.org">email</a> regarding any issues with the site itself, search, or rendering of documentation.</p> <p>The Perl documentation is maintained by the Perl 5 Porters in the development of Perl. 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