return function

The return will return you to the part of your code directly following the function call to chkfile. So:

foreach $path (@paths) {
chdir $path;
chkfile();
# RIGHT HERE
chkfile2();
}

Although, there are some problems with your code....

- when you define a sub, it's supposed to have the sub keyword.
- You should be using 'warnings' and 'strict' for diagnostic purposes, scoping and other benefits.
- your variables don't have sigils

Here's a minor rewrite:


use strict;
use warnings;

my @paths = ("D:\\123\\archive",
"D:\\abc\\archive",
"D:\\def\\archive"
);
foreach my $path (@paths) {
chdir $path;
chkfile();
chkfile2();
}

sub chkfile {
  if (!$somefile) {
    return;
  }
  do something;
}

sub chkfile2 {
  if (!$somefile) {
    return;
  }
  do something;
}

Global symbol "@PATHS" requires explicit package

sub chkfile {
  my @files = glob "*.123";     #  BEGIN not safe after errors--compilation
  if (!@files) {
     return;
  }
  do something;
}

sub chkfile2 {
  if (!$somefile) {
    return;
  }
  do something;
}

Your variable is '@paths' not '@PATHS'.. Perl is case sensitive.

Note also that under 'strict' you must declare (scope) your variables with the my, our, or similar keyword or make package globals with fully qualified names. If you don't scope your variables, you'll get the same error.

ok, I got that fixed.
I still don't think the return is working.

under chkfile(), if no file, it is not returning to where I'm calling it from.
because it never call chkfile2

Are you sure it never call chkfile2?  What is $somefile?

sub chkfile2 {
 my @files = glob "*.gz";
  if (!@files) {
     return;
  }
  do something;
}

it actually does return to the right place.
I think the problem is that, if no file from chkfile, then chkfile2 is not doing the deletion.

sub chkfile {
  my @files = glob "*.123";    
  if (!@files) {
     return;
  }
  foreach my $file (@files) {
     unlink ($file);
  }
}

sub chkfile2 {
  my @files2 = glob "*.123";    
  if (!@files2) {
     return;
  }
  foreach my $file (@files2) {
     unlink ($file);
  }
}

If
  my @files = glob "*.123";    
  if (!@files) {
     return;
  }
returns
then what should chkfile2 delete?

OH, I'm sorry , I was doing a cut & paste.
chkfile2 will delete *.zip, *.gz

How do you delete *.zip, *.gz?
Can you delete then when
  if (!@files) {
     return;
  }
does not return?

sub chkfile2 {
  my @files2 = glob "*.zip *.gz";    
  if (!@files2) {
     return;
  }
  foreach my $file (@files2) {
     unlink ($file);
  }
}

I run into trouble, when there is no files to delete on chkfile.
then it goes into chkfile2, it found some files, but some how it didn't delete.
maybe, it have something to do with changing directory, see above code.

my @files2 = (glob "*.zip"),(glob "*.gz");
or
my @files2 = glob "*.{zip,gz}";

ok, here is the entire code. I substitute unlink with print, just for testing purposes.
it seems to be display all the files, except when there is no files, it won't print the heading.

#!/PERL/bin/perl -w
my $expire_days = 100;
my $cwd = getcwd();
use Time::localtime;
use File::stat;
use File::Basename;
use Cwd;
use strict;
use warnings;
my($atfiles) = "y";

my @PATHS = ( "D:\\123\\archive",
"D:\\abc\\archive",
"D:\\test\\archive",
"D:\\northgate\\archive"
);
foreach my $PATH (@PATHS) {
 my($atfiles) = "y";
chdir $PATH;
chkfile();
chkfile_2();
}

sub chkfile_2 {

if ($atfiles eq 'n') {
 print " ","\n";
 print "Filename                                  Size        Date: \n";
 print "--------                                  ----        ----- \n";
 $cwd = getcwd();
 print " ","\n";
 print "***** $cwd: *****\n";
 print " ","\n";
}

my @files2 = glob "*.{pgp}";
if (!@files2) {
   return;
}

foreach my $file (@files2) {
my $fst = stat( $file);
my $mytime = time();

if ($mytime - $fst->mtime > $expire_days * 86400) {
   my $date_string = ctime($fst->mtime);
   my $fsize = $fst->size;
   printf "%-40s %-10s %-24s\n",$file, $fsize, $date_string;
}
}
}

sub chkfile {
my @files = glob "*.{2*} *.{aand} *.{gab*}";

if (!@files) {
   my($atfiles) = "n";
   return;
}
print " ","\n";
print "Filename                                  Size        Date: \n";
print "--------                                  ----        ----- \n";
$cwd = getcwd();
print " ","\n";
print "***** $cwd: *****\n";
print " ","\n";
foreach my $file (@files) {
my $fst = stat( $file);
my $mytime = time();

if ($mytime - $fst->mtime > $expire_days * 86400) {
   my $date_string = ctime($fst->mtime);
   my $fsize = $fst->size;
   print "%-40s %-10s %-24s\n",$file, $fsize, $date_string;
}
}
}

#@files = glob "*.{2*} *.{aand} *.{gab*}"; #the spaces here are treated as part of the filename
#I presume you mean
my @files = glob("*.2*"),glob("*.aand"),glob("*.gab*");
or
my @files = glob("{*.2*,*.aand,*.gab*}");
or
my @files = glob("*.{{2,gab}*,aand}")

that doesn't seem to be the problem.

>my @files2 = (glob "*.zip"),(glob "*.gz");

Ozo, shouldnt this be

my @files2 = ((glob "*.zip"),(glob "*.gz"));

is not the exact answer I'm expecting, but OK.