Help with Create Process

[Luca_S_2]

Hi everyone,

I have a fortran main program from which I want to run an executable (foil.exe) with an instructions file (inst.txt). I am actually using the SYSTEMQQ(foil.exe < inst.txt) command, which works well.

Now, since my foil.exe sometimes fails convergence and crashes, I would like to insert the possibility to kill the executable after a fixed time interval. I studied the example provided by Mr. Steve Lionel http://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/275071#comment-1548443, but i have some difficulty as I try to make things work. First, i tried to create a process which just runs the executable foil.exe, and everything is right, in the sense that I am able to control the timeout, and kille the application by the WaitForSingleObject instruction.

Problems arise when i try to add the instruction file to the procedure. As i read from the forum, create process does not accept cmd instructions like '<', so I created a batch file 'script.bat' with the full command ' foil.exe < inst.txts', and I made CreateProcess to run the batch file. The application  runs properly, and the instructions are read correctly but, in this case, I am not able to control/kill the process with WaitForSingleObject.

Am I doing something wrong? I have to point out that this is my first experience with CreateProcess instruction. I found this topic http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms682499(v=vs.85).aspx which I suspect could be related to my problem, but the fact that it refers to C++ applications poses serious difficulties, as i know nothing, or so, about C++ programming.

Does anyone have any experience of similar situation?

Thank you for your time,

Luca

[jimdempseyatthecove]

Luca,

Try this: Insted of running a batch file, run CMD.EXE followed by an enquoted text argument that consists of the former SYSTEMQQ commant line. Prior to this text, you can optionally insert other options for CMD to use. From CMD window, type "help cmd" to get a list of options.

Jim Dempsey

[Paul_Curtis]

If the commanline for the new process is complex, enclose it in double-quotes, and be sure to null-terminate, eg,

progname = ' "c:\mydir\myprog < info.txt" 'c

[fortran]

TYPE(T_STARTUPINFO)               :: si
TYPE(T_PROCESS_INFORMATION)       :: pi

!     TYPE T_PROCESS_INFORMATION
!     SEQUENCE
!       integer(HANDLE) hProcess ! knowns  HANDLE
!       integer(HANDLE) hThread ! knowns  HANDLE
!       integer(DWORD) dwProcessId ! knowns  DWORD
!       integer(DWORD) dwThreadId ! knowns  DWORD
!     END TYPE

CALL ZeroMemory (LOC(pi), SIZEOF(pi))
CALL ZeroMemory (LOC(si), SIZEOF(si))

si%cb           = SIZEOF(si)
si%dwFlags       = STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW
si%wShowWindow = SW_SHOWNORMAL

IF (CreateProcess (NULL,                        & ! process name
                   progname,                    & ! command line                    
                   NULL_SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES,    & ! security attributes                    
                   NULL_SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES,    & ! thread attributes
                   FALSE,                        & ! handle inheritance
                   0,                            & ! creation flags
                   NULL,                        & ! environment block
                   NULL,                        & ! initial working path
                   si,                            & ! startup info
                   pi) ) THEN                        ! process info                

    !   child process is running...
    
    rval = CloseHandle (pi%hProcess)
    rval = CloseHandle (pi%hThread)

!    problem creating new process
ELSE
    rval = GetLastError()
    SELECT CASE (rval)
    CASE (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND)
        emsg = 'FILE NOT FOUND'C
    CASE (ERROR_DIRECTORY)
        emsg = 'DIRECTORY NOT FOUND'C
    CASE (ERROR_PATH_NOT_FOUND)
        emsg = 'PATH NOT FOUND'C
    CASE (ERROR_BAD_PATHNAME)
        emsg = 'BAD PATH NAME'C
    CASE DEFAULT
        emsg = 'Cannot create process'c
    END SELECT
    rval = MessageBox (ghwndMain, emsg, "Launch Error"C, &
                       IOR(MB_OK,MB_ICONERROR))
END IF

[/fortran]

[JVanB]

Why are you using the nonstandard 'string'C syntax? Doesn't it create problems when there are backslashes in the string, as here?

[Luca_S_2]

Thank you very much for your help. I will try following your suggestions.