Question about Lispworks

In Lispworks, here is what I need to do:


call and run an *.EXE program from windowsxp within a running lisp program. (the easy part, I think.)

Go back to the same place I called the program from in Lisp when the EXE file has been closed or quit.

I realize that this is a pretty hard question to answer, but none the less I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Mel

I'm not a regular lispworks user; but the trivial-shell portability library contains the following code which may help.

(system:call-system-showing-output
  command
  :prefix ""
  :show-cmd nil
  :output-stream output)

and here's an example somebody posted to stackoverflow.

(sys:call-system-showing-output "ls -l" :prefix "" :show-cmd nil)

You might find more info in the LW manual. It looks like there are also call-system and run-shell-command.

It is not the running part I am after. I am really after the stopping part. And, going back where it was called from.

When the program quits, you should get an exit code. The lisp code would then continue running from where it started the other program, no?

I don't understand your question.

that is what I have been needing. An Exit code. How do I get one?

I simply want to call a windows program like a subroutine would be called in basic or c. I just need to go back where it came from after the windows program stops.

Example. I am on my robot in Lisp. I call a chat.exe program from the c: directory when I am in Lisp.
It runs the chat program in windows called from Lisp. When I am finished with the chatbot, I say Exit. A subroutine would have a "Return" at this point, but this is Lisp. No return.

Instead of just leaving me there in windows, I want it to go back from where it was called in Lisp and keep operating the robot.

does this make sense???

Thanks!!

Try call-system. Pass ":wait t" in the parameters. It will block until the program exits. The value returned will be the exit code.

Just give it a try in the REPL.