Hi:BACKGROUND:
I have a LS agent that calls a batch file.
PROBLEM:
When this batch file is called it calls the agent in the console window rather than an external DOS window.
SOLUTION?
Can you explain this as it is causing problems as I want the agent to wait until the external window looses focus and then continues.
rgds, james
Subject: 2 things
a) depends on how you call the batchfile. Provide code here so people can see what you’re doing.b) any calls to execute external programs are asynchronous, ie. they won’t block or wait, the call will immediately return, regardless how long your batch file will run (it’s run inside a CMD.EXE shell anyway). If you really need to wait until the called program completed, you need to obtain the PID of the called process and then monitor it yourself until it goes away (using the W32 API, you could use WaitForSingleObject(), etc.)
Thomas - IBM
Subject: RE: 2 things
You could also wait on a semaphore file created at the end of the batch script. No need to dive into the murky depths of the Win32 API (and it works cross platform)
Subject: RE: 2 things
Sometimes the obviously easier things completely escape me 
Subject: I know, I’ve seen your code. 
Subject: Be careful when you go back to the office next week…
…as all kinds of bad things “all of a sudden” might happen to you…and I wonder why
Subject: *LOL. When you least expect it, expect it!
Subject: Example Code
Thks guys for all the useful tips :)I use some code that I got of LDD to wait until the external batch file window looses focus.
This code definately worked but something recently has caused it to start executing in the server console???
If I run the agent manually then it executes successfully by running seperately in its own cmd window?
Now you can have a laugh at my ‘simple’ code…
RunApp:
Sub RunApp (program$)
structure:
start.cb = Len(start)
ret& = CreateProcessA(0&, program$, 0&, 0&, 1&, NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, 0&, 0&, start, proc)
ret& = WaitForSingleObject(proc.hProcess, INFINITE)
ret& = CloseHandle(proc.hProcess)
End Sub
Initilaze:
'Execute java
Print ( " ")
Print(" *********** Date greater - running java extractor. ***************** ")
'Set current directory using UNC path so extractor can be run from clients
Chdrive "c"
Chdir "c:\utils\doti\extractor\src"
' taskId% = Shell("extractor.bat", 1)
Print " ******* Extractor Opened *********"
RunApp("c:\utils\doti\extractor\src\extractor.bat")
Print " ******* Extractor Closed *********"
qryediflag.SQL = "DELETE FROM XML_FLAG"
resultediflag.Execute
'Vaildation of xml document is performed from extractor program. Therefore the xml file is not created is not valid.
Print " ********** XML FILE Successfully Generated ******* "
End If
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
james
Subject: RE: Example Code
*DeclareDeclare Function OpenProcess Lib _
“kernel32” (Byval dwDesiredAccess As Long, _
Byval bInheritHandle As Long, _
Byval dwProcessID As Long) As Long
Declare Function WaitForSingleObject _
Lib “kernel32” (Byval hHandle As Long, _
Byval dwMilliseconds As Long) As Long
Declare Function CloseHandle Lib _
“kernel32” (Byval hObject As Long) As Long
Private Const SYNCHRONIZE = &H100000
Private Const INFINITE = -1&
'Error on call
Private Const WAIT_FAILED = -1&
'Normal completion
Private Const WAIT_OBJECT_0 = 0
'Timeout period elapsed
Private Const WAIT_TIMEOUT = &H102&
*Function
Public Function WaitForProcessClose(Byval PID _
As Long, Byval TimeOut As Long) As Boolean
’ Timeout needs to be passed in milliseconds!
Dim hProc As Long
Dim nRet As Long
Const fdwAccess = SYNCHRONIZE
’ Try opening process; wait on it to close.
hProc = OpenProcess(fdwAccess, False, PID)
If hProc Then
nRet = WaitForSingleObject(hProc, TimeOut)
Select Case nRet
Case WAIT_TIMEOUT
' Still open.
WaitForProcessClose = False
Case WAIT_OBJECT_0
' Process has closed.
WaitForProcessClose = True
Case Else
' Error on call.
WaitForProcessClose = False
’ ApiErrorDump Err.LastDllError, _
’ “WaitForSingleObject”
End Select
Else
' Nothing we can do, at this point.
' Process may be gone already?
’ ApiErrorDump Err.LastDllError, _
’ “OpenProcess”
WaitForProcessClose = True
End If
’ Clean up.
Call CloseHandle(hProc)
End Function
What I also did was to used with the following section in another routine where I had a list of batchfiles to execute, it looks like this:
Dim taskId As Variant
Forall i In BatchFileNameList
Print BatchFileNameList(Listtag(i))
taskid = Shellid(BatchFileNameList(Listtag(i)))
TaskIdList(Listtag(i)) = taskid
End Forall
After this i only need to step thru the list I used anoter function to do this:
Function ExternalCommandsFinished(TaskIdList List As String) As Boolean
ExternalCommandsFinished = False
Forall i In TaskIdList
If WaitForProcessClose(TaskIdList(Listtag(i)),60000) Then
Print TaskIdList(Listtag(i)) & " is finished"
Else
Print TaskIdList(Listtag(i)) & " is hanging"
ExternalCommandsFinished = False
Exit Function
End If
End Forall
ExternalCommandsFinished = True
End Function
To call this function I used:
If ExternalCommandsFinished(TaskIdList) Then
Call whatever
Else
Call whatever
End If