Using the Exec and WinExec Functions

The WinExec and Exec built-in functions provide another way to start another application from PeopleCode. Unlike the OLE functions, however, Exec and WinExec do not enable you to control what actions the application takes after you start it. You can start the application, and if you use the synchronous option you can find out when it closes, but you cannot affect its course or receive any data in return.

WinExec is appropriate in two situations:

• When you want to start an application and continue processing.

• When you have a short, unvarying process that you want to run, such as copying a file.

The Exec function, unlike WinExec and the OLE functions, is not Microsoft Windows-specific. You can run it on an application server to call an executable on the application server platform, which in PeopleTools release 7 and later can be either Windows NT or UNIX.

Important:

If you use the WinExec function with its synchronous option, the PeopleCode program (and the PeopleSoft application) remain paused until the called program is complete. If you start a program that waits for user input, such as Notepad, the application appears to hang until the user closes the called program. The synchronous option also imposes limits on the PeopleCode.