Re: 4GL RUN command question

Another way may be: 1) To have a passing values table (not temporary) CREATE TABLE passing ( pid INTEGER, proc_value INTEGER); 2) Define a shell environment variable PROC_PID=$$ export PROC_PID 3) Run the 4gl caller program (inside the 4gl...) DELETE FROM passing WHERE pid = fgl_getenv("PROC_PID") RUN my_command_string SELECT proc_value INTO my_local_int_var_ret_by_child FROM passing WHERE pid = fgl_getenv("PROC_PID")4) In the child shell script: #!/bin/shell RET_VAL=`program_that_returns_int_value` dbaccess my_database - - <<EOF INSERT INTO passing VALUES(${PROC_PID}, ${RET_VAL}); EOF exit I have used personally this mechanism successfully. (A "C" program that makes parsing and special calculations and returns a FLOAT value). Byte byte! -- Mario R. Canto mcanto@intec.unl.edu.ar mcanto@intec.arcride.edu.ar http://www.intec.unl.edu.ar/~mcanto Peter Lancashire wrote: > > Candy McCall wrote: > > Billy Wheeler asked for someone more awake. Here goes... ZZZzzzz... > > > > > Within a 4GL program, I want to run a shell > > script which will calculate an integer value. > > I then want to read that integer value into > > the 4GL program. Is it possible to > > read that value using the "RUN shell_script RETURNING > > integer_variable" command? > > The shell will return its status to 4GL (see manual). It does this with > the parameter to the exit command. As Billy says, it can be 0 to 255, > with 0 by convention meaning OK and the rest an error in the shell > script. > > > > > I've also thought of setting a value in a shell > > environment variable in the shell script and > > then reading the value using fgl_getenv(), but since > > the shell_script is a child process, I didn't think I could > > set a shell environment variable of the parent process > > (the 4GL program). > > Correct. A moment's thought will reveal the awful security risk if you > could do this. > > > > > A third way I've thought of is to place the integer variable > > in an ASCII file, then using the LOAD command, load > > the value into a temporary table. This is not the most > > elegant way of getting that value, but it will work. > > Does anyway know of a better way? > > Not elegant and not quick, as you will need two database connections. > > You could write to a file in the shell and then read (or load) that from > the 4GL caller - only one connection. There are file-reading functions > in the IIUG archives. > > > > > Thanks in advance, > > Candy > > -- > > Candy McCall > > ONLINE Computing, Inc. > > (candym@olcinc.com) > > Returning to the beginning, why do you want to do this? Calling a shell > script from 4GL just to do some sums seems strange. Is there some other > way? > > If you want a general expression evaluation, there has been some > discussion of that recently - see the usual dejanews. It occurs to me > that you could embed a tcl interpreter into your 4GL program. Don't ask > me how it's done, I just have a feeling that's what tcl was designed > for. Anyone else know more than I do (silly question)? > > -- > Peter Lancashire > Information Systems Specialist, Bayer plc > Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7AH, UK > Tel: +44-1635-562258, Fax: +44-1635-562281 > --- > If all else fails, read the instructions and the release notes. > Join Infuse, the UK Informix User Group at http://www.infuse.org.uk/ > -