TOOLS Release Notes

1 TOOLS Release Notes
These release notes concern the following tools:

coast

cover

dbg

Emacs support for Erlang (GNU Emacs only)

eprof

exref

instrument

make

tags

1.1 Tools 1.4.1
1.1.1 Improvements and New Features
1.1.1.1 Coast
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1.1.1.2 Cover
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1.1.1.3 Dbg
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1.1.1.4 Emacs Support for Erlang
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1.1.1.5 Eprof
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1.1.1.6 Exref
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1.1.1.7 Instrument
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1.1.1.8 Make
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1.1.1.9 Tags
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1.1.2 Fixed Bugs and Malfunctions
1.1.2.1 Coast

Recursive function calls containing other function calls as arguments are now recognised as being recursive.
Own Id: OTP-1981

There can no longer be a race condition if two (or more) processes, running the same code, tries to update the ETS tables used.
Own Id: OTP-2625

1.1.2.2 Cover
The cover module itself hasn't been changed. However, some malfunctions have been removed in the new coverage tool, coast, please see above for more details.
1.1.2.3 Dbg
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1.1.2.4 Emacs Support for Erlang
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1.1.2.5 Eprof
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1.1.2.6 Exref
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1.1.2.7 Instrument
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1.1.2.8 Make
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1.1.2.9 Tags
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1.1.3 Incompatibilities With Tools v1.4
1.1.3.1 Coast

The run function call will, if the call to the Coast-compiled module fails, return an exit signal instead of the tuple {'EXIT', Reason}.

The internal representation of data has been changed, meaning that all previously Coast-compiled modules have to be recompiled.

1.1.3.2 Cover
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1.1.3.3 Dbg
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1.1.3.4 Emacs Support for Erlang
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1.1.3.5 Eprof
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1.1.3.6 Exref
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1.1.3.7 Instrument
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1.1.3.8 Make
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1.1.3.9 Tags
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1.1.4 Known Bugs and Problems
1.1.4.1 Coast

1.1.4.2 Cover

Two or more processes, running the same code, may in rare situations give rise to race conditions when updating the ETS table used.
Own Id: OTP-2625

cover counts the number of executed statements, instead of the number of function calls. (This problem is solved by using coast instead!)
Own Id: OTP-1247

cover doesn't store the accumulated data persistently.
Own Id: OTP-1318

1.1.4.3 Dbg
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1.1.4.4 Emacs Support for Erlang
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1.1.4.5 Eprof
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1.1.4.6 Exref
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1.1.4.7 Instrument
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1.1.4.8 Make
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1.1.4.9 Tags
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1.2 Tools 1.4
Please note there is a new document module creating Emacs TAGS files, tags.
1.2.1 Improvements and New Features
1.2.1.1 Coast
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1.2.1.2 Cover
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1.2.1.3 Dbg
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1.2.1.4 Emacs Support for Erlang

Check auto generated Release Notes.

1.2.1.5 Tags
Added a reference manual.
1.2.1.6 Eprof
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1.2.1.7 Exref
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1.2.1.8 Make
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1.2.2 Fixed Bugs and Malfunctions
1.2.2.1 Coast
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1.2.2.2 Cover
The cover module itself hasn't been changed. However, some malfunctions have been removed in the new coverage tool, coast, please see above for more details, and also the section Known Bugs below.
1.2.2.3 Dbg
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1.2.2.4 Emacs Support for Erlang
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1.2.2.5 Eprof
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1.2.2.6 Exref

exref:delete_module/1 now works properly.
Own Id: OTP-1115

exref no longer have problems with guards (such as record and atom) in list comprehension (LC) expressions.
Own Id: OTP-1291

exref no longer mixes up modules
Own Id: OTP-1220

exref no longer changes the working directory.

exref now handles internal functions correctly under certain conditions.

When using the auto option, exref no longer enters an infinite loop.

1.2.2.7 Make
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1.2.3 Incompatibilities With Tools v1.2.1
There should be no noticeable incompatibilities between Tools v1.2.2 and the previous versions. However, for the sake of completeness, some minor issues that may change the behaviour for users taking advantage of undocumented and unsupported behaviour are listed below.
1.2.3.1 Coast
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1.2.3.2 Cover
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1.2.3.3 Dbg
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1.2.3.4 Emacs Support for Erlang
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1.2.3.5 Eprof
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1.2.3.6 Exref

exref:module no longer accepts modules specified as strings, so the implementation now agrees with the documentation.

1.2.3.7 Make
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1.2.4 Known Bugs and Problems
1.2.4.1 Coast

A recursive function call containing another function call as argument is currently not recognised as being recursive, unless the function call used as argument is made to a module not having been coast-compiled.
Own Id: OTP-1981

1.2.4.2 Cover

cover counts the number of executed statements, instead of the number of function calls. (This problem is solved by using coast instead!)
Own Id: OTP-1247

cover doesn't store the accumulated data persistently.
Own Id: OTP-1318

1.2.4.3 Dbg
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1.2.4.4 Emacs Support for Erlang

Occurences of $ confuses indentation mechanism.
Own Id: OTP-1203, OTP-1674, OTP-1675

1.2.4.5 Eprof
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1.2.4.6 Exref
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1.2.4.7 Make
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1.3 Tools v1.2.1
1.3.1 Improvements and new features
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1.3.2 Incompatibilities with Tools 1.2
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1.3.3 Fixed bugs and malfunctions

make

The function make:all now works withoout a Emakefile. Own Id: OTP-1340

exref

exref now know about the language construct query. Own Id: OTP-1368

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1.3.4 Known bugs and problems

exref

The function exref:delete_module/1 does not work properly, so subesquent calls to exref:analyse will give incorrect results. Own Id: OTP-1115

1.4 Tools version 1.2
1.4.1 Improvements and new features
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1.4.2 Incompatibilities with Tools 1.1
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1.4.3 Fixed bugs and malfunctions

cover

Deadlock situation with COVER compile solved.
Own Id: OTP-1072, Aux Id: HA34612.

Cover does now work with include files.
OwnId: OTP-1074, Aux Id: HA34302

Changed cover to used filename:find_src/1 instead of the obsolete file_util module.

1.4.4 Known bugs and problems

exref

Not cleaning up when module removed.

1.5 Tools version 1.1
1.5.1 Improvements and new features

exref

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cover

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1.5.2 Incompatibilities with Tools in OTP P1H
1.5.3 Fixed bugs and malfunctions

exref

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cover

Cover did not use Options in file/2 in a correct way (OTP-1074).

Cover tried to load the "tools" application dynamically which could cause deadlock in the startup if cover-compiled modules are involved at this stage. The attempt to load the application is now removed (must be specified in the start script).

1.5.4 Known bugs and problems