invoke action script in WAS

[Sonia Sidhwaney]

I am trying to access external program through web application. I have created the action script in control panel...code section, but have trouble accessing the action script from A5W page.
I appreciate very much if someone can shed a light on this subject. I see it is done very easily by creating action script and creating button to access action script using desktop form but I want to use this functionality in web environment.

Thank you very much
Sonia

[Lenny Forziati]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

You cannot directly run an action script from an A5W page. What you need to do is copy the Xbasic for the action script into your A5W page to have it run.

However, depending on the external program you are trying to run, it's probably not going to work from an A5W page as you'd like. Xbasic run by the Web Application Server cannot do anything with the user interface, so you cannot use sys_open() or sys_shell().

What specifically are you trying to do?

-Lenny

[Sonia Sidhwaney]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

Lenny,
I am trying to access the graphical software by KIDASA. it is a graphical tool which produces earned value charts and graphs very easily. It can be accessed without user interface or parameters passing. It is exactly like accessing notebook.exe.
I created action script using point and click method in the control panel and tested the script, it starts the product all right in the test mode. I do not see where the xbasic code is generated and how to copy it in the web environment like you have suggested in your response.

Thank you for your prompt reply.
Sonia

[Lenny Forziati]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

This is covered in the documentation:

Viewing Xbasic

-Lenny

[Sonia Sidhwaney]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

Thank you for providing me the information. I looked at the xbasic code and it is using sys_shell as well as UI commands.
it is as follow:
'Open program: C:\Program Files\KIDASA\Milestones Professional 2004\System\Miles.exe
if file.exists("C:\Program Files\KIDASA\Milestones Professional 2004\System\Miles.exe") then
sys_shell("C:\Program Files\KIDASA\Milestones Professional 2004\System\Miles.exe ",1)
else
ui_msg_box("Error Opening Program","File 'C:\Program Files\KIDASA\Milestones Professional 2004\System\Miles.exe' does not exist.",ui_stop_symbol)
end if
Is that mean I will not be able to access external program from A5W page.

I tried to copy it to create a link but got the following message
404 Not Found
The requested URL /LivePreview/'Open program: C:/Program Files/KIDASA/Milestones Professional 2004/System/Miles.exe was not found on this server.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alpha Five Web Application Server/6.0 Build/1555 at SONIA-CTO Port 80.

I appreciate your response. May be I am not using the code right way in the alpha5 page.

Thank you

[Edward Larrabee]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

You can condense the Xbasic to :

sys_shell("C:\Program Files\KIDASA\Milestones Professional 2004\System\Miles.exe ",1)

Now there is no UI code. Of course, you can add the test for the existence of the program back in, but presumably you can guarantee that it exists.

[Lenny Forziati]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

The Xbasic code

sys_shell("C:\Program Files\KIDASA\Milestones Professional 2004\System\Miles.exe ",1)

would open a command prompt window on the server (which is a user interface) and cannot be run from the Web Application Server.

[Sonia Sidhwaney]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

That is exactly what i was thinking but trying it anyway.
You are right. it is not working.
So we can not access external program through web project.

[Robert Emery]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

Just a thought... maybe you can link to a document instead of the software. Then instruct each client to associate the document type with the program you want it to launch.

ISTR this works with Word or Acrobat...?

cheers,
Bob Emery

[Sonia Sidhwaney]

RE: invoke action script in WAS

excellent thought, Bob,
I will give it a try.
Thank you
Sonia