Tcl script killing process

[Joseph Benigno]

First let me apologize for this lengthy post. I wrote a lengthy Tcl script and when I run it in Production, I hang the process. I cannot Stop / Start the process because I wind up with a

Topic

[garry r fisher]

Hi Joe,

At a guess I would say that your call to the remote exe is causing the problem. I’ve had similar problems when calling external programs from within Tcl.

How are you calling the program? I assume your code is set up to wait for it to return – If so this is could be the problem.

I either have to rewrite my code to operate using a & on the exec or even look at alternative ways of doing the same process.

Can you paste in the code aroung your call so that we can see what you are doing?

Regards

Garry

[Joseph Benigno]

Here is the sub-proc that does the call to the external program uudeview.exe:

proc decodePDF {} {

# Use uudeview.exe to decode the string

#     it is located in “E:quovadxqdx5.3integratortcluudeview”

# Temporarily change the working directory to “E:quovadxqdx5.3integrator”

#     so that the uuDecoded PDF is written there

# After the decode reset the working directory back

#

puts stdout “nproc decodePDF running”

   upvar 1 myName myVar      ; # Needed in case we get an error

   set currPath [pwd]        ; # Save the current default path (directory)

   set wrkPath  [file join “E:/” “quovadx” “qdx5.3” “integrator”]

# The exec command runs the DOS program uudeview.exe,

#     the -i option is not interactive

#     the -c option is clean up after (delete encoded file after it is decoded)

# The catch command is used to capture errors if any and

#     allow an orderly shutdown of the script.

# First change the working directory to where we want the PDF

#

   cd $wrkPath

   set status [catch {exec — {E:\quovadx\qdx5.3\integrator\tcl\uudeview\uudeview.exe} {-i} {-c} {E:\quovadx\qdx5.3\integrator\tcl\uudeview\cnvStr.uue}} res2]

# Reset the working directory

   cd $currPath

puts stdout “status:    $status”

puts stdout “result2: $res2”

   if {$status != 1} {

       puts stdout “n$myVar:    Call to uudeview failed! $res2”

       return 1

   } else {

       return 0

   }

} ; # end of decodePDF

Yes I wait for this to complete, before executing the next statement.

[Charlie Bursell]

It looks like you are running Cloverleaf 5.3 which means Tcl 8.4.

If you are on Windows 2003 there are problems with the way Windows buffers it output and Tcl 8.3.  I spoke to Jeff Hobbs of ActiveState about this and his answer was that W20003 was not even on the drawing board when Tcl 8.3 came out.

You have two choices:

1.  Up date Cloverleaf to the latest version to update Tcl to 8.4

2.  The following work-around

Anytime you use exec, redirect the output.  If I do not need the output, I redirect it to null.  If I need it I redirect to a file and then read the file.

# If output not needed

exec something > nul

# If needed

exec something > mytemp

set rslts [read_file -onewline mytemp]

file delete mytemp

It is a pain but you gotta do what you gotta do  😀

[Ron Archambault]

Interesting. I

[Charlie Bursell]

Jeff Hobbs seemed to think it had to do with the way Windows buffers its output.  I don’t think we have had much of a problem since we went to Tcl 8.4.

Perhaps yours is also a viable workaround since the /C creates a subshell in which to run the command.  I haven’t tried it at those places where I have had problems

[Joseph Benigno]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

We are looking into upgrading, but would like to get new hardware along with it, so it won’t happen soon.

We’ll look at some of the other ideas and we are also looking at re-working the process to do some of the work outside of the engine.

Thanks

[Author]

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