Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!ORVILLE.ARPA!rowley
From: rowley@ORVILLE.ARPA (Karl Rowley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Pexec()ing from a desk accessory
Message-ID: <8708251756.AA26836@orville.arpa>
Date: Tue, 25-Aug-87 13:56:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: orville.8708251756.AA26836
Posted: Tue Aug 25 13:56:58 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Aug-87 07:21:24 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 20

I wrote a desk accessory that brings up a file selector box, and then Pexec's
the selected file.  I set the screen to a new area in memory before doing the
Pexec, and return to the old screen when done.  This seems to work fine for
programs that don't use GEM.  When a GEM application is run from the desk 
acessory things get really strange.  The menu bar for the GEM application
gets installed, but the GEM desktop responds to the menu items that are 
selected.  Rebooting is sometimes the only way to straighten things out when 
a GEM application is run from the desk accessory.

Anyway, desk accessories seem to be able to call Pexec just fine, but GEM
gets messed up badly if a desk accessory Pexec's a GEM application.

I have also tried out the shel_write function.  It appears to be not much more
than a bells-and-whistles function that calls Pexec.  The MWC documentation for
shel_write is not very complete.  Can anyone shed any light on what this
function does besides clearing the screen, and setting the mouse and text
cursor?

Karl Rowley
rowley@orville.nas.nasa.gov