Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!apple!oliveb!amiga!cbmvax!jesup
From: jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: problem with Manx's getenv() (and AmigaDOS enviroment variables)
Message-ID: <7189@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 30 Jun 89 20:39:48 GMT
References: <57878@linus.UUCP>
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 32

In article <57878@linus.UUCP> rachamp@mbunix.mitre.org (Champeaux) writes:
>
>   I'm trouble using getenv() from inside a handler.  If I call getenv() 
>before 'set' has been executed, the system hangs.  It doesn't matter what
>variable has been set, just so long as set is executed before the 
>getenv() is called.  I tried calling setenv() to set a dummy variable 
>immediately before calling getenv(), but then it crashes on the setenv().

	This is because the "enviroment.library" that manx uses doesn't
exist (it SHOULDN'T have been a library), and OpenLibrary tries to load
it from disk (doing Dos calls, of course).

>   Also, I had thought about scapping support of Manx enviroment variables,
>and just use the AmigaDOS ones.  But, my God, they sure are hard to get at
>from inside a handler.  You can't use Open(), Read(), or Close() from inside
>a handller, so you have to build the packets and send them yourself.  

	Yup.  Standard trick is to spawn off a subroutine as a process, and
have it read the variable and send your handler the value.

>Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Especially if it's example code on how
>to create a packet and send it to a handler.  I've dealt with packets from
>the handler's side, but there's not much to do there; just play with the
>arguments and call returnpkt() when your done.

	Important thing when writing a handler: dp_Port MUST be set to your
process message port by replypkt() - some programs use this to "ping-pong"
packets.  When queuing packets to a handler, dp_Port must be set to your
reply port (usually your process message port).

-- 
Randell Jesup, Commodore Engineering {uunet|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!jesup