hi
i want to invoke a fortran console application from vb and redirect its output to a textbox at real time.

i tried the following code:

Option Explicit
Private Declare Function CreatePipe Lib "kernel32" (phReadPipe As Long, phWritePipe As Long, lpPipeAttributes As SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES, ByVal nSize As Long) As Long
Private Declare Sub GetStartupInfo Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetStartupInfoA" (lpStartupInfo As STARTUPINFO)
Private Declare Function CreateProcess Lib "kernel32" Alias "CreateProcessA" (ByVal lpApplicationName As String, ByVal lpCommandLine As String, lpProcessAttributes As Any, lpThreadAttributes As Any, ByVal bInheritHandles As Long, ByVal dwCreationFlags As Long, lpEnvironment As Any, ByVal lpCurrentDriectory As String, lpStartupInfo As STARTUPINFO, lpProcessInformation As PROCESS_INFORMATION) As Long
Private Declare Function SetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowTextA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String) As Long
Private Declare Function ReadFile Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hFile As Long, lpBuffer As Any, ByVal nNumberOfBytesToRead As Long, lpNumberOfBytesRead As Long, lpOverlapped As Any) As Long
Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long

Private Declare Function CloseHandle Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hObject As Long) As Long

Private Type SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
nLength As Long
lpSecurityDescriptor As Long
bInheritHandle As Long
End Type

Private Type PROCESS_INFORMATION
hProcess As Long
hThread As Long
dwProcessId As Long
dwThreadId As Long
End Type

Private Type STARTUPINFO
cb As Long
lpReserved As Long
lpDesktop As Long
lpTitle As Long
dwX As Long
dwY As Long
dwXSize As Long
dwYSize As Long
dwXCountChars As Long
dwYCountChars As Long
dwFillAttribute As Long
dwFlags As Long
wShowWindow As Integer
cbReserved2 As Integer
lpReserved2 As Byte
hStdInput As Long
hStdOutput As Long
hStdError As Long
End Type

Private Type OVERLAPPED
ternal As Long
ternalHigh As Long
offset As Long
OffsetHigh As Long
hEvent As Long
End Type

Private Const STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW = &H1
Private Const STARTF_USESTDHANDLES = &H100
Private Const SW_HIDE = 0
Private Const EM_SETSEL = &HB1
Private Const EM_REPLACESEL = &HC2

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Command1.Enabled = False
Redirect Text1.Text, Text2

Command1.Enabled = True
End Sub

Private Sub Form_QueryUnload(Cancel As Integer, UnloadMode As Integer)
If Command1.Enabled = False Then Cancel = True
End Sub

Sub Redirect(CmdLine As String, objTarget As Object)
Dim i%, t$
Dim pa As SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
Dim pra As SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
Dim tra As SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
Dim pi As PROCESS_INFORMATION
Dim sui As STARTUPINFO
Dim hRead As Long
Dim hWrite As Long

Dim bRead As Long
Dim lpBuffer(1024) As Byte
pa.nLength = Len(pa)
pa.lpSecurityDescriptor = 0
pa.bInheritHandle = True

pra.nLength = Len(pra)
tra.nLength = Len(tra)

If CreatePipe(hRead, hWrite, pa, 0) <> 0 Then
sui.cb = Len(sui)
GetStartupInfo sui

sui.hStdOutput = hWrite
sui.hStdError = hWrite
sui.dwFlags = STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW Or STARTF_USESTDHANDLES
sui.wShowWindow = SW_HIDE
If CreateProcess(vbNullString, CmdLine, pra, tra, True, 0, 0, vbNullString, sui, pi) <> 0 Then

SetWindowText objTarget.hwnd, ""


Do
Erase lpBuffer()

If ReadFile(hRead, lpBuffer(0), 1023, bRead, ByVal 0&) Then
SendMessage objTarget.hwnd, EM_SETSEL, -1, 0
SendMessage objTarget.hwnd, EM_REPLACESEL, False, lpBuffer(0)
DoEvents
Else
CloseHandle pi.hThread
CloseHandle pi.hProcess
Exit Do
End If
CloseHandle hWrite
Loop
CloseHandle hRead
End If
End If

End Sub

it works fine with ping command...but gives the following error with the fortran application:

forrtl: The handle is invalid.forrtl: severe (39): error during read, unit 5, file CONIN$

i tried it with batch files by redirecting output to a file..this works...but iam able to display d output in d textbox only after the fortran application completes as i am unable to access the output file while it is being written...

can sum1 plz offer a solution by either of d ways???its urgent n me all bugged up trying this ...thanx a lot....