Launching an external program under Linux

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EOF	(Posted 2006) [#1]

Linux users,

Can you guys test to see if this BlitzMax code launches and handles an external program correctly?

a) Does a launched program run correctly?

Example: Try launching the BlitzMax IDE and monitoring the status bar of the laucher program.

b) Does the lauched program close immediately afterwards by itself?

c) can you terminate the launched program from the launchers GUI [Terminate application] button?

' Application Launcher

' Simons library
Import PUB.FreeProcess

AppTitle$="Max App Launcher"

' simple gui
Global win:TGadget=CreateWindow(AppTitle$,60,60,180,160,0,9)
Local but1:TGadget=CreateButton("Run applicaton",24,24,114,24,win,1)
Local but2:TGadget=CreateButton("Terminate application",24,56,114,24,win,1)

' variable to handle the launched application
Local myproc:TProcess

' timer for updating the statusbar
Local t:TTimer=CreateTimer(1)

' cross-platform executable extension filter
?Win32
Const ext$="Executable:exe"
?Linux
Const ext$=""
?Mac
Const ext$="Application:app"
?


' =====================================

' main loop

Repeat
	' DebugLog CurrentEvent.ToString()
	Select WaitEvent()
		Case EVENT_GADGETACTION
		Select EventSource()
			Case but1
			If AppRunning(myproc)
				Notify StripDir$(myproc.name$)+" still running!"
			Else
				f$=RequestFile$("Choose Executable",ext$)
				myproc=RunApp(f$)
			EndIf
			Case but2
			If AppRunning(myproc)
				myproc.Terminate
			Else
				Notify "No program to terminate"
			EndIf
		End Select
		Case EVENT_TIMERTICK
		UpdateStatusBar myproc
		Case EVENT_WINDOWCLOSE
		Exit
	End Select
Forever

End

' =====================================

' launch an application
Function RunApp:TProcess(app$)
	If app$="" Return Null
    Local proc:TProcess=TProcess.Create(app$,0)
    If Not Proc Notify "Failed to launch "+app$
	Return proc
End Function

' return true if app still running
Function AppRunning(p:TProcess)
	If p<>Null
		If p.Status() Return True
	EndIf
End Function


' update the status bar to reflect 'app running' status
Function UpdateStatusBar(p:TProcess)
	If p=Null
		SetStatusText win,"App not running"
		Return
	EndIf
	If p.Status()
		SetStatusText win,StripDir$(p.name$)+" running"
	Else
		SetStatusText win,"App terminated"
	EndIf
End Function

Sub_Zero

(Posted 2006) [#2]

a. It does launch GUI programs correctly, but not any Blitzmax fullscreen programs.

b. Nope, it does not close by itself

c. terminate does not work here, no

However, you program was able to detect that a program I launched (which stops by itself) did stop.