Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!bcrka451!cadnews
From: vansickl@bnr.ca (Greg VanSickle 1561848)
Subject: Arexx article in AC Tech Amiga - good but ???
Message-ID: <1991Mar27.135717.8682@bnr.ca>
Keywords: ARexx, AC Tech Amiga 
Sender: vansickl@bcrka340
Organization: bnr
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 13:57:17 GMT

I found the Arexx article (An Introduction to Interprocess
Communication with ARexx) in AC'sTech Amiga to be very good.

However, after explaining the virtues of multitasking and
encouraging readers to write rexx routines that open up message
ports, (eventually resulting in the user having a library
of useful routines,) the author does a curious thing.

He gives two examples of rexx routines talking to each
other. In the first, program simple1.rexx runs
simple2.rexx and, after a delay, sends messages to it.

Simple2.rexx opens a port and receives the messages sent 
by simple1. The port name is coded in the programs. 
The second example also codes the port name. 

Can this not lead to problems? Does this prevent a third 
program from  also starting a simple2.rexx and sending it 
messages? It also would appear to result in pairs of rexx 
routines that must be used together, rather than a collection 
of routines that can be intermixed as needed.

IMHO, it would make sense to write simple2.rexx to accept
the portname as an arguement. Any other rexx program that
wanted to use simple2.rexx could create a unique identifier
from, say the date or some process number (any good
suggestions?) and pass it to simple2.rexx at it's invokation.

This way, any program could use as many runs of simple2.rexx
as it needed without concern of what other programs are doing
with it, or, conversely, many programs could talk to the same 
run of simple2. 
                  
Am I missing something ? 

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Geg VanSickle                                Silicon Support
                                                
Bell Northern Research                       phone: 613-763-5160                            
PO Box 3500                                  ESN: 393-5160
Nepean, Ontario, Canada                      
K2H 8V4                                      cocos: Greg Van Sickle
                                             email: vansickl@bnr.ca
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Vancouver van cu' ver  n.   where we should all be, as opposed to
                            where I am  
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