DXL communication with other code

I am looking for a way to get a trigger in Doors to communicate with or run some C# code that I have written (to do some database work, messaging, and other things). It is pretty easy to go the other way (have C# initiate, run, and communicate with some DXL), but I can't seem to find a good way to do it with a trigger/DXL initiating the communication.

Ideal Methods that I can't find a way to do:

1) When trigger occurs, run an executable file directly instead of a dxl file

2) When trigger occurs, run a dxl file which then: Runs an executable file directly

3) When trigger occurs, run a dxl file which then: Sets up a socket or some type of network communication with a C# service and tells service to run

Non-Ideal methods that I can get to work but would prefer one of the above:

1) Have the trigger DXL modify a text file and have a C# service also monitoring that text file (basically text file communication)

2) Have a C# service hooking/monitoring Doors output looking for 'special output messages' that only come from the trigger DXL output.

Anybody have any experience/tips getting one of the above ideal methods working? Or perhaps a different approach to solving the problem?

Any help or tips would be appreciated! Thanks.

Re: DXL communication with other code
Adamarla - Tue Oct 22 02:51:41 EDT 2013

To run an exe, you are looking for:

void system(string commandString)

or to get returned data or/and wait for it to finish:

int win32SystemWait_(string sCommand, string& sResult, int iWaitTime) // Undocumented

-Adam

Re: DXL communication with other code
llandale - Tue Oct 22 12:08:47 EDT 2013

Adam is correctly suggesting your Trigger issue one of those commands.  Looks like this:

• string c_ComSpec    = getenv("COMSPEC") // looks like "c:\Windows\cmd.exe"
• string Command = "c:/Wherever/Whatever.exe /Parameters"
• string SysCommand = c_ComSpec " /c " Command
• system(SysCommand)
• sleep_(2000)    // give it 2 seconds to finish
• proceed...

Oddly, I cannot get the wait version to work on my system.

-Louie

IIRC, the Compec " /c " was for DOS commands (in my case "fc") but not needed when running an EXE.

Re: DXL communication with other code
pommCannelle - Fri Oct 25 08:58:24 EDT 2013

Hi Louie, 

Here after an old function made to wait the end of the action launched by the system function.

The wait_time_in_sec  value is here to put a limit to the waiting phase ...

    string command_system (string cmd, int wait_time_in_sec) {
       int wait_time_in_ms = 1000*wait_time_in_sec
       string errmsg = null
       
       // create the lock file : while it exists the command is still running
       string lockfile = tempFileName          // ( os give us a legal temp file )
       string errmsgfile = tempFileName
       Stream out = write lockfile            // create the temp file ...
       close out
       
       // make the batchfile command
       string batchfile = tempFileName ".bat"
       out = write batchfile
       out << cmd " 2> \"" errmsgfile "\"\n"    // ( error treatment )
       out << "if %errorlevel% EQU 0 del \"" errmsgfile "\"\n"
       out << "del \"" lockfile "\"\n"
       close out
       
       // run the batchfile command
       system batchfile                  // send the batchfile command to system
             
       // Wait for the batchfile command to end
       int delay_in_ms = 0
       while (fileExists_ lockfile) {         // wait the lock file deletion
           if (delay_in_ms > wait_time_in_ms){   // ( timer )
              // abort if delay > tempo s
              errmsg = "Timeout ! (" wait_time_in_sec " sec)"
              break
           }
           delay_in_ms += 100     
           sleep_(100)                      // sleep_ funcion used for 100 ms
       }
       deleteFile batchfile               // ( clean the batch file )
       
       // return error message if any
       if (null errmsg && fileExists_ errmsgfile){
          errmsg = readFile errmsgfile
       }
       deleteFile errmsgfile
       return errmsg
    }

Have fun !

Re: DXL communication with other code
Phippsmx - Fri Oct 25 16:56:39 EDT 2013

Thanks for the help. Exactly what I was looking for.