Open & read redirected output from DOS app

[kedaman]

Show you're code you're using and i'll have a look at it

[Goyette]

kedaman, here's the code, such as it is. thanks for looking at it.

Don Goyette
[email protected]

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Private stCraftDir As String

Private Sub ActiveBar21_ToolClick(ByVal Tool As ActiveBar2LibraryCtl.Tool)

If Len(stCraftDir) = 0 Then
'stCraftDir = CurDir()
stCraftDir = "C:\craft"
End If

Select Case Tool.Name

Case "miCraftware": craft
Case "miCalLoad": CalLoad
Case "miCheckFiles": CheckFiles
Case "miCaPrint": CaPrint

Case "miExit": End

End Select

End Sub

Private Sub craft() 'run campaign craftware
Dim RetVal
Form1.Show
RetVal = Shell(stCraftDir + "\craft3.exe", 1)
End Sub
Private Sub CalLoad() 'run CalLoad (upload to sec'y of state)
Dim RetVal
RetVal = Shell(stCraftDir + "\cal\CALoad.exe", 1)
End Sub
Private Sub CaPrint() 'print upload file
Dim RetVal
RetVal = Shell(stCraftDir + "\cal\CaPrint.exe", 1)

End Sub
Private Sub CheckFiles()
Dim TaskID, RetVal As String

CommonDialog1.ShowOpen

pid = Shell(stCraftDir + "\cal\Caervw.exe " + CommonDialog1.FileName + _
" >" + stCraftDir + "\el\validtext.txt", 4)

RetVal = TextSrch(stCraftDir + "\el\validtext.txt", "return code:")

iretval = Val(Mid(RetVal, 13))
If iretval < 2 Then
intMsgBox = MsgBox("Passed OK: " + RetVal, vbCritical, "Verify")
Else
intMsgBox = MsgBox("Failed: " + RetVal, vbCritical, "Verify")
End If
End Sub

Private Function TextSrch(stFilename, stSrchStr) As String

' searches stFilename for line containing stSrchStr string and returns it
Dim stLine As String
lensrchstr = Len(stSrchStr)

'kedaman: this is where it fails as there is no
'file named stCraftDir + "\el\validtext.txt" (stCraftDir)

Open stFilename For Input As #1
Do While Not EOF(1)
Line Input #1, stLine
lenline = Len(stLine)
For ichar = 1 To lenline - lensrchstr + 1

If Mid(stLine, ichar, lensrchstr) = stSrchStr Then
TextSrch = Mid(stLine, ichar)

Exit For
End If
Exit Do
Next 'For ichar = 1 To lenline - lensrchstr + 1
Loop 'Do While Not EOF(1)

End Function

[kedaman]

I don't have ActiveBar2LibraryCtl or cal\Caervw.exe so i can't test it out but it's possible that you can't execute a file and return the output in a file, i haven't done that so i can't tell you

[clonead]

Just 'shelling' out won't allow you to redirect output to a file, this is your problem.

In a DOS window this would work:
dir *.* >dir.txt

You would end up with a dir.txt containing a text listing of the directory.

Doing the same in VB using 'shell' will NOT work

You need to add 'command.com'

You have to change it to:

Shell ("c:\command.com /c dir c:\*.* >c:\dir.txt")

This would now work from within VB