xbasic code help

[JerryBrightbill]

Re: xbasic code help

Close, but according to Windows convention for long paths, the exe and the argument should both be quoted, so you need one more.

sys_shell(\""C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\4x6.exe[COLOR="Red"]\"[/COLOR] \"C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\Trigger.jpg\"",1)

In some cases you don't need the quotes around each element, but adding them even when not needed is not a detriment.

Getting the quotes correct is always a challenge and using a quoted character string is easier. Another potential solution for long path names is to convert the path with file.longname_to_shortname() to convert a long name to a short name.

In this case, we still don't know if 4X6.exe even accepts an argument on startup. Many programs do not. If you can build a Windows shortcut that works, then the method described will work. But if it won't work in a shortcut, it won't work in sys_shell(). Until it is verified that a shortcut works, trying to force it to work in sys_shell() is an exercise in futility.

Another option is to build an old DOS bat file and then run that with sys_shell("filename.bat",2). A batch file may give more options and can be created before the sys_shell() and then deleted after it runs. A bit of a kludge, but a solution sometimes required for unusual problems.

Thus, this should have worked?

sys_shell(\""C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\4x6.exe \"C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\Trigger.jpg\"",1)

4x6 is only 64 kb. Must be a simple tool. Maybe write a new and better one in Purebasic! :D

[Jeff@Listbrokers]

Re: xbasic code help

Close, but according to Windows convention for long paths, the exe and the argument should both be quoted, so you need one more.

sys_shell(\""C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\4x6.exe[COLOR=red]\"[/COLOR] \"C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\Trigger.jpg\"",1)

In some cases you don't need the quotes around each element, but adding them even when not needed is not a detriment.

Getting the quotes correct is always a challenge and using a quoted character string is easier. Another potential solution for long path names is to convert the path with file.longname_to_shortname() to convert a long name to a short name.

In this case, we still don't know if 4X6.exe even accepts an argument on startup. Many programs do not. If you can build a Windows shortcut that works, then the method described will work. But if it won't work in a shortcut, it won't work in sys_shell(). Until it is verified that a shortcut works, trying to force it to work in sys_shell() is an exercise in futility.

Another option is to build an old DOS bat file and then run that with sys_shell("filename.bat",2). A batch file may give more options and can be created before the sys_shell() and then deleted after it runs. A bit of a kludge, but a solution sometimes required for unusual problems.

We did get it to accept command line (in DOS) arguments, and Ed said he normally drops .jpg files onto his 4x6.exe shortcut to launch it.

Originally Posted by Jeff@Listbrokers
ok... the last thing I would try, that should, definitively show (to me) whether 4x6.exe's argument parsing is poorly written. Try doing the same thing that you just did in DOS but use the path without spaces... if it works correctly, to me, that indicates that the app is just poorly coded. If not, then, I'll have to scratch my head somemore in confusion.

This works.

I used

cd \HollywoodPM\Drops\

then
4x6.exe c:\HollywoodPM\Drops\trigger.jpg

and it opens Photo Shop and creates a 4x6 blank image area very fast doing it this way.

No word space

[G Gabriel]

Re: xbasic code help

This horse has been beaten to death and I don't wish to inflict any more atrocity on it but I still can't quite understand why did alpha chose in this particular function to use a space as a parameter separator as opposed to the conventional comma and how does alpha determine when it comes across the first space that it is part of the file name and not the separator?

This is how the help file illustrate how to use this function:

x = sys_shell("c:\windows\notepad.exe c:\windows\a5.ini",1)

Instead of relentless attempts to explain away a bad, albeit a small error, just fix it and move on.

[Doug Page]

Re: xbasic code help

Ed,

Came up with a solution for your droplets. Good ol' Alpha has already created the way to fix this using the file.longname_to_shortname() method. Since the droplet programs that Photoshop creates are not able to deal with spaces how about we try this:

dim droplet as c
dim photo as c

droplet=file.longname_to_shortname("C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\4x6.exe")
photo=file.longname_to_shortname("C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\Trigger.jpg")

sys_shell(droplet+" "+photo)

Hope this finally solves your problem!
Doug

[Digitaled]

Re: xbasic code help

Doug

Bingo Bigno it's a winner.

This works

droplet=file.longname_to_shortname("C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\4x6.exe")
photo=file.longname_to_shortname("C:\Program Files\HollywoodPM\Drops\Trigger.jpg")

sys_shell(droplet+" "+photo)


I did not use the

dim droplet as c
dim photo as c do i need to ?

Thank you very much.
It looks like i can get to work on it now that i know what folder i can place the droplets in.

[Marcel Kollenaar]

Re: xbasic code help

....Good ol' Alpha has already created the way to fix this using the file.longname_to_shortname() method.....
Hope this finally solves your problem!
Doug

Thanks Doug! Mine too! :)

[MikeC]

Re: xbasic code help

Ed,

From the HELP file:

Declaring a Variable

Before a variable is used either by a script or in an expression, it must be declared. A variable can be declared either explicitly (as a formal declaration in a script, a table, a set, a form, or an application) or implicitly (by assigning it a value for the first time in a script). In general, a variable declaration must specify two things: the name of the variable, and the type of data the variable will contain.

Most likely you must have already declared the variables mentioned previously for the script to work as intended.


Mike

[Lenny Forziati]

Re: xbasic code help

Gabe, you need to take a step back and re-examine the command and how it is used. Alpha didn't make a choice here to use a space as a parameter seprator. sys_shell executes a command line and the first parameter to that function is the command line to run.

The Windows command interpreter uses spaces to delimit command parameters from the command itself. If your specific command line needs spaces in it, that is a function of the operating system and nothing Alpha or any other software other than the operating system has any control over.

This horse has been beaten to death and I don't wish to inflict any more atrocity on it but I still can't quite understand why did alpha chose in this particular function to use a space as a parameter separator as opposed to the conventional comma and how does alpha determine when it comes across the first space that it is part of the file name and not the separator?

This is how the help file illustrate how to use this function:


Instead of relentless attempts to explain away a bad, albeit a small error, just fix it and move on.

[G Gabriel]

Re: xbasic code help

Lenny:
Here is what the help file says:

SYS_SHELL( Program_Name [ argument1 ... argumentN ] as C [, Window_Mode as N ] )

and for an example:

x = sys_shell("c:\windows\notepad.exe c:\windows\a5.ini",1)

My question is: how would alpha know when it comes across the first space if it is part of the name or a separator between the arguments?

The Windows command interpreter uses spaces to delimit command parameters from the command itself. If your specific command line needs spaces in it, that is a function of the operating system and nothing Alpha or any other software other than the operating system has any control over.

Then sys_shell() should not be a high level function as the example in this thread shows that it won't work as written. Only time it worked is when preceded by other commands to shorten the name, or as I suggested early on and somehow got missed in this lenthy thread to use variables to replace the long names.