How to run cmd line task from within a BASIC program

[Paul Stewart]

Hi,

I have a little WIMP program I have written in BASIC.
As part of the Run file, it runs a *command and out puts results to a
file. This works fine.

However I would like to be able to run the same command within a procedure
in the program to allow the file to be refreshed.

I have tried using SYS "OS_CLI","ifconfig -a > <Wimp$ScrapDir>.ifinfo"
This has the desired effect, being that it sends output of ifconfig -a to
the ifinfo file in the scrap folder. However the program stops at this
point :( Having opened a task window, and entered BASIC. Running the
above SYS command exits BASIC and returns to command prompt. Obviously
the same is occurring when attempting to run as part of the program and
explains why it just stops without any error.

Is SYS "OS_CLI" the correct command I should be using for this? Or is
there another equally simple command to use that allows the program to
continue after it has run?

[Harriet Bazley]

On 1 Jan 2022 as I do recall,

Post by Paul Stewart
I have a little WIMP program I have written in BASIC.
As part of the Run file, it runs a *command and out puts results to a
file. This works fine.
However I would like to be able to run the same command within a procedure
in the program to allow the file to be refreshed.
I have tried using SYS "OS_CLI","ifconfig -a > <Wimp$ScrapDir>.ifinfo"
This has the desired effect, being that it sends output of ifconfig -a to
the ifinfo file in the scrap folder. However the program stops at this
point :( Having opened a task window, and entered BASIC. Running the
above SYS command exits BASIC and returns to command prompt. Obviously
the same is occurring when attempting to run as part of the program and
explains why it just stops without any error.
Is SYS "OS_CLI" the correct command I should be using for this? Or is
there another equally simple command to use that allows the program to
continue after it has run?

I think you probably need to do "SYS Wimp_StartTask" rather than trying
to use OSCLI.

See https://www.riscosopen.org/forum/forums/11/topics/1753 , for
example.

[Paul Stewart]

Post by Harriet Bazley
I think you probably need to do "SYS Wimp_StartTask" rather than trying
to use OSCLI.
See https://www.riscosopen.org/forum/forums/11/topics/1753 , for
example.

Thanks Harriet. Exactly what I was looking for :)

[Matthew Phillips]

Post by Harriet Bazley
On 1 Jan 2022 as I do recall,

Post by Paul Stewart
I have a little WIMP program I have written in BASIC.
As part of the Run file, it runs a *command and out puts results to a
file. This works fine.
However I would like to be able to run the same command within a procedure
in the program to allow the file to be refreshed.
I have tried using SYS "OS_CLI","ifconfig -a > <Wimp$ScrapDir>.ifinfo"
This has the desired effect, being that it sends output of ifconfig -a to
the ifinfo file in the scrap folder. However the program stops at this
point :( Having opened a task window, and entered BASIC. Running the
above SYS command exits BASIC and returns to command prompt. Obviously
the same is occurring when attempting to run as part of the program and
explains why it just stops without any error.
Is SYS "OS_CLI" the correct command I should be using for this? Or is
there another equally simple command to use that allows the program to
continue after it has run?

I think you probably need to do "SYS Wimp_StartTask" rather than trying
to use OSCLI.
See https://www.riscosopen.org/forum/forums/11/topics/1753 , for
example.

This comes from IfConfig being a separate program rather than being part of
an operating system module. You can find it in
$.!Boot.Resources.!Internet.bin

The way the Wimp works any task when it is running is essentially
single-tasking and running another program via the command line interpreter
replaces the current program in memory. That's why you have to ask the Wimp
to do it via Wimp_StartTask.

The WISC OS Wimp is all a big conjuring trick so that you can seemingly
multi-task on an operating system which is little different from the BBC
Micro really. The low-level stuff like the command line interpreter knows
nothing about multi-tasking.

[druck]

Post by Matthew Phillips
The way the Wimp works any task when it is running is essentially
single-tasking and running another program via the command line interpreter
replaces the current program in memory. That's why you have to ask the Wimp
to do it via Wimp_StartTask.
The WISC OS Wimp is all a big conjuring trick so that you can seemingly
multi-task on an operating system which is little different from the BBC
Micro really. The low-level stuff like the command line interpreter knows
nothing about multi-tasking.

You can still do the old BBC Micro trick of copying your self to higher
in memory, and using OSCLI to run the task in the vacated lower memory.
But its easier these days to use Wimp_StartTask as MP says.

---druck

[Gerph]

Post by Paul Stewart
Hi,
I have a little WIMP program I have written in BASIC.
As part of the Run file, it runs a *command and out puts results to a
file. This works fine.
However I would like to be able to run the same command within a procedure
in the program to allow the file to be refreshed.
I have tried using SYS "OS_CLI","ifconfig -a > <Wimp$ScrapDir>.ifinfo"

Which won't work because, as you've seen, it replaces your application. There is no process control on RISC OS, so you suffer here.

However, your specific problem is that you want to read (I assume) information about the interfaces on the system. This is relatively trivial to do. How relative is a subjective matter, but it only needs calls that are defined in BSD sockets interfaces used by most systems. Because of this they're 'easily' translatable to RISC OS Socket calls. Some years ago I created some examples to show how this could be done in BASIC.

The very old examples can be found on my usenet sharing site (https://usenet.gerph.org/Internet/), but a year ago I placed slightly improved versions in the RISC OS examples repository at https://github.com/gerph/riscos-examples/tree/master/networking/sockets

[Paul Stewart]

Post by Gerph

Post by Paul Stewart
Hi,
I have a little WIMP program I have written in BASIC.
As part of the Run file, it runs a *command and out puts results to a
file. This works fine.
However I would like to be able to run the same command within a procedure
in the program to allow the file to be refreshed.
I have tried using SYS "OS_CLI","ifconfig -a > <Wimp$ScrapDir>.ifinfo"

Which won't work because, as you've seen, it replaces your application.
There is no process control on RISC OS, so you suffer here.
However, your specific problem is that you want to read (I assume)
information about the interfaces on the system. This is relatively trivial
to do. How relative is a subjective matter, but it only needs calls that
are defined in BSD sockets interfaces used by most systems. Because of
this they're 'easily' translatable to RISC OS Socket calls. Some years ago
I created some examples to show how this could be done in BASIC.
The very old examples can be found on my usenet sharing site
(https://usenet.gerph.org/Internet/), but a year ago I placed slightly
improved versions in the RISC OS examples repository at
https://github.com/gerph/riscos-examples/tree/master/networking/sockets

Managed to do what I was looking at doing using SYS Wimp_StartTask, which
Harriet pointed me too.

I will however take look at your examples.