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From: fnf@mcdsun.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: dropcloth (closing initial CLI window)
Message-ID: <281@mcdsun.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-Apr-87 13:21:03 EST
Article-I.D.: mcdsun.281
Posted: Thu Apr  2 13:21:03 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Apr-87 10:31:34 EST
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer Division, Tempe, Az.
Lines: 60

NOTE:  Rob is having problems posting from his system and has
asked me to post this for him, please respond to hplabs!dana!rap.
------------------------------------------------------------
In article <1449@cadovax.UUCP>, keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle) writes:
> 
> Has anyone figured out how to get the dropcloth to run without having to
> have a CLI window around?  If I do a 'run dropcloth' from startup-sequence,
> I can't 'endcli' apparently because the background task still has the
> console window 'locked'?   I have the same problem from a CLI invoked
> from the workbench, and I haven't been able to get dropcloth to run
> from an icon.
> 
> I'd like to put it in the startup sequence, but as I said, can't get the
> main CLI window to go away.  Kind of diminishes the usefullness of the
> dropcloth program I'd say.
> 
(I haven't tried dropcloth yet, but here's what worked under 1.1 for
 programs such as CLOCK and CALCULATOR from the Wbench distribution disk).

The reason the old cli won't go away from startup-sequence is that you
have spawned a process that needs to point back to that console's
control structures (the Process structure and the CLI structure, as
I recall).  There is a way around it, but only if your program
DOES NOT DO ANYTHING WITH STDIN OR STDOUT.   The correct way to 
specify (at least under 1.1... I'm writing this from memory and
don't have the Amiga here) in the startup sequence is:

        RUN > NIL: < NIL: YOURPROGRAM > NIL: < NIL:
or
        RUN TO NIL: FROM NIL: YOURPROGRAM TO NIL: FROM NIL:

This disconnects a lot of stuff from the originating CLI and lets the
startup CLI window close down, with just your program running on the
workbench.  From a program that DOES require CLI input, another
program can be spawned using the Execute function of AmigaDOS, such
that when the originating program closes down, the window can go
away, even though the program has started.  Use the exact same string
as shown above, but this time in the Execute function.  I forget, but
it may also be necessary to pass in a handle to NIL: (my notes are
at home... this stuff almost made it into the Prog. Guide, but not
quite).
 
        struct FileHandle *fh;
        fh = Open("NIL:",MODE_NEWFILE); /* (check the mode, memory again) */
        success = Execute(" the-above-mentioned-string ", fh, fh);
        Close(fh);
        /* now go away */

If I recall correctly, using Execute("string",0,0) leaves you with the
same problem as initially reported (cannot close down the originating
CLI) because the 0,0 causes stdin and stdout to be passed to the
spawned process, whether it needs it or not.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Rob Peck                hplabs!dana!rap
-- 
= Drug tests; just say *NO*!  (Moto just announced new drug testing program)  =
= Fred Fish  Motorola Computer Division, 3013 S 52nd St, Tempe, Az 85282  USA =
= seismo!noao!mcdsun!fnf    (602) 438-5976                                    =