Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!vsi1!octopus!stever
From: stever@Octopus.COM (Steve Resnick )
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Child processes in Mess-Dos
Message-ID: <1990Oct4.174537.3376@Octopus.COM>
Date: 4 Oct 90 17:45:37 GMT
References: <4469@bwdls58.UUCP> <639@demott.COM>
Reply-To: stever@octopus.UUCP (Steve Resnick )
Organization: Octopus Enterprises, Cupertino CA
Lines: 33

In article <639@demott.COM> kdq@demott.COM (Kevin D. Quitt) writes:
>In article <4469@bwdls58.UUCP> mlord@bwdls58.bnr.ca (Mark Lord) writes:
>>
>>Ok.. I believe the difference here is whether or not the complete path is
>>given for the command.  If fully qualified, COMMAND.COM is not needed,
>>otherwise it probably is needed to do the PATH search and actual invocation.
>>
>>Ie.  "C:\BIN\MAPMEM.COM"  -- probably does not need COMMAND.COM
>>     "MAPMEM"             -- probably DOES need COMMAND.COM
>

I just wrote a program, which has the line in it:
	spawnlp(P_WAIT,"MAPMEM","MAPMEM",NULL);

It DOES NOT load a copy of command.com, but keep in mind, spawn is a library
function, and it's behaviour may vary from vendor to vendor. As a side note,
the DOS EXEC Function (4BH) DOES NOT use command.com to load programs.
(Think about it - INT 21H, AH=4BH is also used to load overlays - do you 
want COMMAND between your application and your overlay?) 

BTW - the spawn and exec library function (for Turbo and Microsloth) have
variations which search the path for the program you specify. In either family,
a spawn or exec function with a p in the name specifies to search the path.

Hope this helps (or at least annoys! (-8)

Steve

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