[sf-perl] Can't use an undefined value as filehandle reference

[Vicki Brown]

I am trying to run tmail.pl
   http://pugetsoundsoftware.com/tmail.html
for The Job. The Company still runs Perl 5.005_03. (Don't get me started).

I get an error running the script:
    Can't use an undefined value as filehandle reference at tmail.pl line 149.

No error with newer Perl (5.8.5 on my desktop).

Here's the relevant code.  The error is on line 5 in the example.

     #!/usr/bin/perl

     $szForm = "/www/private/nonexistent.txt";

     DisplayError ("tmail: template form [$szForm] could not be opened")
       if (!open ($file, "<$szForm"));  # This line faults

     sub DisplayError {
         print @_, "\n";
     }


Perl 5.8.5 runs successfully and  prints
   tmail: template form [/www/private/nonexistent.txt] could not be opened

Perl 5.00503 shows
   Can't use an undefined value as filehandle reference at foo.pl line 5


How can I work around the problem?

Please don't suggest that I try to convince IT to upgrade Perl. :-(
That's not going to happen.

My other choice is to use a phenomenally ugly hunk of PHP code.
So if you can save me from that... Heeeeeeeeelllllllpppp!

-- 
- Vicki

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