This simplified version code works as expected:

Please mark your updates as such: It is uncool to update a node in a way that renders replies confusing or meaningless.

But when I try to duplicated this in my real world code, it doesn't work.

Then one of the lines you deleted when going from your original program to your simplified version were the cause of the problem, and not the code you've posted here. Personally I'd probably start with looking at the return values of get_value() by unrolling the while's condition like so:

use warnings;
use strict;
use Data::Dump;

my $cnt;
sub get_value { $cnt++ < 10 ? 'initializing' : 'ok' }

my $status;
#while( !( ($status = get_value()) eq 'initializing' ) ) {
while (1) {
    dd $status = get_value();
    last if $status eq 'initializing';
    print "X"
}
print "Y\n";
[download]

Update: "Disregard. This was a problem in the return value from get_value(), not the while loop test." - yep ;-)

Instead of logging where you are, consider also logging the values that contribute to the loop condition:

while (($status = gv() eq 'initializing')) {
  print "stuck in loop with status [$status], waiting for 'initializin
+g'\n";
}
[download]

Maybe it is initialising, or there is whitespace at the end...

The root cause of the problem was that I moved the get_value() function to another package where it did not have access to a variable it needed to work properly. So it was returning unexpected results.

The root cause of that problem was no tests to catch the problem.

Root_cause_analysis ++ :)

> that I moved the get_value() function to another package where it did not have access to a variable it needed to work properly.

how is this possible to happen silently under strict???

 DB<232> use strict;use warnings; print $XXX
lobal symbol "$XXX" requires explicit package name 
(did you forget to declare "my $XXX"?) at (eval 263)
[c:/Perl_524/lib/perl5db.pl:737] line 2.
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Cheers Rolf
_{(addicted to the Perl Programming Language :)
Wikisyntax for the Monastery}

Strictures don't bleed through to included packages. Consider:

# noname.pl:

use warnings;
use strict;
use lib '.';
use noname1;

print noname1::get_value();

# noname1.pm:

package noname1;

sub get_value {
    return $missingVar // 'Bogus value';
}

1;
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Prints:

Bogus value
[download]

Optimising for fewest key strokes only makes sense transmitting to Pluto or beyond

Sorry, I can't reproduce this; if get_value() returns 'initializing', then the loop terminates immediately.

use warnings;
use strict;

my $cnt;
sub get_value { $cnt++ < 10 ? 'initializing' : 'ok' }

my $status;
while( !( ($status = get_value()) eq 'initializing' ) ) {
    print "X"
}
print "Y\n";
[download]

Just prints one Y.

Edit: This was posted before the root node was updated, see my reply here.

cheers!

Update: Ignore, must have read it wrong.