batch file of dreport commands and global variables

[Richard Veith]

Thanks to all who responded.   I am going to try Jerry Crespi's suggestion
first as it seemed the most suitable for us (only one person will be
changing the config file).

Thanks again,
Rich

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Kreiss [mailto:rkreiss at verizon.net] 
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2016 10:47 PM
To: 'Kenneth Brody' <kenbrody at spamcop.net>; 'Richard Veith'
<Richard.Veith at SMRresearch.com>
Subject: RE: batch file of dreport commands and global variables



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Filepro-list [mailto:filepro-list-
> bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com] On Behalf Of Kenneth
Brody
> via Filepro-list
> Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2016 12:48 PM
> To: Richard Veith <Richard.Veith at SMRresearch.com>; filepro- 
> list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: Re: batch file of dreport commands and global variables
> 
> On 3/18/2016 5:12 PM, Richard Veith via Filepro-list wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> >     We run batch files consisting of 10 to 20 commands that begin 
> > with "dreport " to execute various FilePro programs (processing 
> > tables).  A number of these programs all need the same variable 
> > whose content changes monthly.  Is it possible to somehow declare a 
> > global variable at the beginning of the batch file and be able to 
> > use it in subsequent executions of the dreport commands?
> >
> >    I tried declaring the variable Global and defining its content in 
> > the first program, and then declaring it Extern in later programs, 
> > but the later programs do not get the variable's value.  It seems to 
> > be lost between dreport executions.  I also tried CALLing a short 
> > program that defined the variable and its content (again with the 
> > Global
> > declaration) from each of the programs that need it (with the Extern 
> > declaration), and that worked in some cases, but for programs that 
> > run against a file of about 20 million records, the processing would
prematurely
> end with an out-of-memory error.
> 
> Variables only hang around as long as filePro is running.  Once 
> filePro
exits, all
> variables are gone.
> 
> Is this variable being set by the first processing that runs?  If 
> that's
the case, I
> would suggest using PUTENV to set an environment variable, SYSTEM to 
> the other programs, and GETENV to read that variable.
> 
> (Just like filePro variables, environment variables "go away" once the
program
> exits, so you can't set it in the first dreport, exit, and expect it 
> to
still be set.)
> 
> --
> Kenneth Brody

One could write out the variable to a small file or to a single filepro
record and have the output processes read either the file or the filepro
record to get the variable.

I have built this type of access into one of my applications with tight
controls on what people on the system can and cannot do.

Richard Kreiss