[erlang-questions] escript head mismatch error

[Andy Gross]

By ending your main/3 function with a semicolon, you're telling the  
compiler that the next function is another function clause for main/3,  
when in fact it's a completely different function (with a different  
arity: (main/1) ) , hence the "head mismatch" error.

Semicolons are used as delimiters between function clauses with the  
same name and arity.  The main(_) ->  usage() function is not another  
main/3 function clause, although the semicolon at the end of main/3  
tells the compiler to expect another main/3 clause.   Replace the  
semicolon in main/3 with a dot (.) and the "head mismatch" error  
should go away.

See http://www.erlang.org/doc/reference_manual/functions.html#5 for  
more details on Erlang function declaration syntax.

- Andy Gross


On Feb 27, 2008, at 8:54 PM, db wrote:

> Can someone tell me what's head mismatch error?
>
> ./rpc_test:17: head mismatch
> escript: There were compilation errors.
>
> Line 17 is this:
> main(_) ->
>    usage()
>
>
> My escript:
> #!/usr/bin/env escript
> %% -*- erlang -*-
> %-mode(compile).
>
> -export([main/3, main/1, main/2]).
> %-export([main/3]).
>
> main(Node,Module,Args) ->
>    try
>        rpc:call(Node, Module, main, Args)
>
>    catch
>        _:_ ->
>            usage()
>    end;
>
> main(_) ->
>    usage().
>
> main(_,_) ->
>    usage().
>
> usage() ->
>    io:format("usage: You need to provide valid Node Name & Module  
> Name & Args\n"),
>    halt(1).
>
>
> thank you.
> -- 
> rk
>
> That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that  
> the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do  
> is increased.
> -Ralph Waldo Emerson _______________________________________________
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