Use return(0); instead of exit(0); for "exiting" Perl's main.

The problem remaining is to be able to exit the Perl script from a Perl sub whose exit() calls you do not control (as opposed from Perl main). Perhaps with a signal trap? or redefining exit() if at all possible?

Here is a simple test perl-embed program to harness:

/* harness for embedding Perl into C
   modified by Bliako
    from https://perldoc.perl.org/perlembed.html
   Compile:
    $(perl -MConfig -e 'print $Config{cc}') perl_embed_simple.c $(perl
+ -MExtUtils::Embed -e ccopts -e ldopts) -o perl_embed_simple
   30/01/2019
*/
#include <stdio.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <EXTERN.h>    /* from the Perl distribution     */
#include <perl.h>    /* from the Perl distribution     */
 
static PerlInterpreter *my_perl;  /***    The Perl interpreter    ***/

void cleanup(void);
//let perl handle it
void signal_handler(int signum){ printf("got signal %d\n", signum); }

int main(int argc, char **argv, char **env){
    signal(SIGINT, signal_handler);
    PERL_SYS_INIT3(&argc,&argv,&env);
    my_perl = perl_alloc();
    printf("%s : perl_alloc()\n", argv[0]);
    perl_construct(my_perl);
    printf("%s : perl_construct()\n", argv[0]);
    PL_exit_flags |= PERL_EXIT_DESTRUCT_END;
    char *embedding[] = { "", "-e", "0" };
    perl_parse(my_perl, NULL, 3, embedding, NULL);
    printf("%s : perl_parse()\n", argv[0]);

    const char perlcode[] =
"print \"hello world\\n\";"
"return(0);"
"print \"still here\";"
;
    printf("%s : executing :\n%s\n", argv[0], perlcode);
    SV *ret = eval_pv(perlcode, FALSE);
    if( SvTRUE(ERRSV) ){ fprintf(stderr, "%s : eval_sv() has failed wi
+th:\n%s\nfor the code:\n%s\n", argv[0], SvPVx_nolen(ERRSV), perlcode)
+; cleanup(); exit(1); }

    printf("%s : done.\n", argv[0]);
    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
}
void cleanup(void){
    perl_destruct(my_perl);
    perl_free(my_perl);
    PERL_SYS_TERM();
}
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bw, bliako