Forum OpenACS Development: Re: ns_job valid procs

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8: Re: ns_job valid procs (response to 7)
Posted by Jonathan Lee on 03/28/25 05:12 PM

Ah thank you! Double curly braces allowed the proc to be defined.

As far as adding the proc to a queue, I discovered that the variable could be evaluated if I synced it across interpreters:

ns_eval -sync set globalBar "world"
ns_job queue test_queue {foo $globalBar}

Interestingly, this was only required in the sandbox area I was given to test the functionality (located in a web directory). I'm not sure if it's some configuration in place or this was a quirk inherent to tcl running in {base_dir}/www, but I didn't need to use ns_eval -sync to set the variable anymore once moving the code to the {base_dir}/tcl directory.

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9: Re: ns_job valid procs (response to 8)
Posted by Brian Fenton on 03/29/25 04:37 PM
Happy to hear it worked. Regarding moving to Naviserver, I have migrated 2 applications from AOLserver to Naviserver, and while it's not super challenging, it does take time to get it correct, depending on the size of your codebase. And of course, you will also need to consider upgrading your OS, Tcl version, and database client, among other things. It was definitely worth it for us though.

Brian

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10: Re: ns_job valid procs (response to 9)
Posted by Jonathan Lee on 03/29/25 04:46 PM

Good advice. The time investment is definitely a concern.

Just to document for anyone else who runs into the same mental block I did, the best way to pass args into ns_job is using subst:

set bar "world"
ns_job queue test_queue [subst {foo $bar}]
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11: Re: ns_job valid procs (response to 10)
Posted by Gustaf Neumann on 03/30/25 02:52 PM
the best way to pass args into ns_job is using subst:

Avoid using subst the way you are suggesting, unless you are absolutely certain of the contents of the variable (e.g., bar). Using subst without full knowledge of the variable's content can lead to unexpected issues, no matter you’re using AOLserver or NaviServer.

Concerning a move to NaviServer: the first challenge when moving to NaviServer is adapting your configuration file. To save time, I recommend taking the latest sample configuration file for OpenACS provided in the NaviServer distribution and then updating the necessary values (such as ports, database names, etc.).

consider upgrading your OS, Tcl version, and database client, ...
If your site is subject to external audits, upgrading your operating system, Tcl version, and database client is not optional. Auditors often highlight the risks associated with using outdated or unmaintained software. Moreover, newer versions typically come with essential security improvements that help safeguard your system.