Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Mathias Dahl]

Dieter Wilhelm <dieter@duenenhof-wilhelm.de> writes:

> I'd like to be able to open a windows (on XP) compiled help file
> (.chm).  It works well with `shell-process' in just giving the shell
> the .chm file as argument.  But I can't get it to run with
> start-process.  Probably I need to call a viewer for this file.  I
> googled around and found that the internet explorer is supposed to
> act as "viewer" for these help files.  The next hurdle is where to
> find the executable, I can't find iexplorer.exe or iexplore.exe on
> my disk.

Have you tried using `w32-shell-execute'?

(w32-shell-execute "Open" "blabla.chm")

/Mathias

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Dieter Wilhelm]

Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com> writes:

> Dieter Wilhelm <dieter@duenenhof-wilhelm.de> writes:
>
>> I'd like to be able to open a windows (on XP) compiled help file
>> (.chm).  It works well with `shell-process' in just giving the shell
>> the .chm file as argument.  But I can't get it to run with
>> start-process.  Probably I need to call a viewer for this file.  I
>> googled around and found that the internet explorer is supposed to
>> act as "viewer" for these help files.  The next hurdle is where to
>> find the executable, I can't find iexplorer.exe or iexplore.exe on
>> my disk.
>
> Have you tried using `w32-shell-execute'?
>
> (w32-shell-execute "Open" "blabla.chm")

Exactly what I needed, works perfect, thank you.

Sad that these functions are not mentioned in the Emacs manual for
(emacs)Windows Processes.  I'm coding mostly under Linux and the w32-*
functions are not available when trying `describe-function'.

-- 
    Best wishes

    H. Dieter Wilhelm
    Darmstadt, Germany

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Lennart Borgman]

Dieter Wilhelm wrote:

>> Have you tried using `w32-shell-execute'?
>>
>> (w32-shell-execute "Open" "blabla.chm")
> 
> Exactly what I needed, works perfect, thank you.
> 
> Sad that these functions are not mentioned in the Emacs manual for
> (emacs)Windows Processes.  I'm coding mostly under Linux and the w32-*
> functions are not available when trying `describe-function'.


That is because no one has had the time to rewrite that part.

Reading that part I also found that it is about running DOS processes on 
MS Windows. I suggest that we rename to to reflect this.

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:29:43 +0100
> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>,
> 	Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com>
> 
> That is because no one has had the time to rewrite that part.
> 
> Reading that part I also found that it is about running DOS processes on 
> MS Windows. I suggest that we rename to to reflect this.

What version of which manual are you reading?  In the CVS version (and
the one distributed with the pretest), the MS-Windows part _was_
rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".

cvs best practise [was: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process]

[Dieter Wilhelm]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:29:43 +0100
>> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
>> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>,
>> 	Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com>
>> 
>> That is because no one has had the time to rewrite that part.

I see.

>> 
>> Reading that part I also found that it is about running DOS processes on 
>> MS Windows. I suggest that we rename to to reflect this.
>
> What version of which manual are you reading?  In the CVS version (and
> the one distributed with the pretest), the MS-Windows part _was_
> rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".

That's right, but still nowhere mentioned w32-shell-execute.

I'd like to send a patch for this help file with one sentence or so
added.  Admitted in this case it's more intended as practising stunt
for learning more about texinfo and CVS usage.

What I'd like to know is how you guys are handling a changed version
of the Emacs source tree?  If I changed this particular info file I'd
get in trouble when updating the sources.  Am I supposed to merge my
personally changed files every time I'll do an update or is it better
to have a totally independent second Emacs tree for ones pet changes?

I'm eager to learn this.

-- 
    Best wishes

    H. Dieter Wilhelm
    Darmstadt, Germany

Re: cvs best practise [was: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process]

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> From: Dieter Wilhelm <dieter@duenenhof-wilhelm.de>
> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:52:38 +0100
> >
> > What version of which manual are you reading?  In the CVS version (and
> > the one distributed with the pretest), the MS-Windows part _was_
> > rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".
> 
> That's right, but still nowhere mentioned w32-shell-execute.

I didn't think it was so important at the time I rewrote the Windows
sections of the manual.  I might add it now, but it's still unclear to
me how it would have helped you if it were there.  Did you search the
manual and the doc strings when you were looking for a solution to
your problem, and if you did, what did you search for, i.e. what
search strings and/or regexps did you use for the search?

> I'd like to send a patch for this help file with one sentence or so
> added.

There's no need, I will add the necessary docs if I understand how it
would have helped you.

> What I'd like to know is how you guys are handling a changed version
> of the Emacs source tree?  If I changed this particular info file I'd
> get in trouble when updating the sources.  Am I supposed to merge my
> personally changed files every time I'll do an update or is it better
> to have a totally independent second Emacs tree for ones pet changes?

CVS will merge files for you automagically.

Re: cvs best practise

[Dieter Wilhelm]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
>> From: Dieter Wilhelm <dieter@duenenhof-wilhelm.de>
>> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:52:38 +0100

>> > rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".
>> 
>> That's right, but still nowhere mentioned w32-shell-execute.
>
> I didn't think it was so important at the time I rewrote the Windows
> sections of the manual.  I might add it now, but it's still unclear to
> me how it would have helped you if it were there.  Did you search the
> manual and the doc strings when you were looking for a solution to
> your problem, and if you did, what did you search for, i.e. what
> search strings and/or regexps did you use for the search?

I had a problem with start-process under Windows so I thought the most
pertinent information would be (emacs)Windows Processes.  I think it
would be helpful to mention that there are a hive of w32-.* helper
functions.  (Which, by the way, are not seen with C-h f under Linux).
There's only mentioned that asynchronous processes should work, mine
did not, so I gave up searching for more information in the manual.

>
>> I'd like to send a patch for this help file with one sentence or so
>> added.
>
> There's no need, I will add the necessary docs if I understand how it
> would have helped you.

I know 8-), I just wanted to touch my pristine source tree for the
first time and feel the the consequences.

>
>> What I'd like to know is how you guys are handling a changed version
>> of the Emacs source tree?  If I changed this particular info file I'd
>> get in trouble when updating the sources.  Am I supposed to merge my
>> personally changed files every time I'll do an update or is it better
>> to have a totally independent second Emacs tree for ones pet changes?
>
> CVS will merge files for you automagically.

Sounds so easy! I'll give it a try, thanks

-- 
    Best wishes

    H. Dieter Wilhelm
    Darmstadt, Germany

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:29:43 +0100
> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>,
> 	Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com>
> 
> That is because no one has had the time to rewrite that part.
> 
> Reading that part I also found that it is about running DOS processes on 
> MS Windows. I suggest that we rename to to reflect this.

What version of which manual are you reading?  In the CVS version (and
the one distributed with the pretest), the MS-Windows part _was_
rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Lennart Borgman]

Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:29:43 +0100
>> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
>> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>,
>> 	Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com>
>>
>> That is because no one has had the time to rewrite that part.
>>
>> Reading that part I also found that it is about running DOS processes on 
>> MS Windows. I suggest that we rename to to reflect this.
> 
> What version of which manual are you reading?  In the CVS version (and
> the one distributed with the pretest), the MS-Windows part _was_
> rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".


The CVS version.

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:11:29 +0100
> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
> CC:  dieter@duenenhof-wilhelm.de,  brakjoller@gmail.com, 
>  emacs-devel@gnu.org
> 
> Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> >> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:29:43 +0100
> >> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
> >> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>,
> >> 	Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com>
> >>
> >> That is because no one has had the time to rewrite that part.
> >>
> >> Reading that part I also found that it is about running DOS processes on 
> >> MS Windows. I suggest that we rename to to reflect this.
> > 
> > What version of which manual are you reading?  In the CVS version (and
> > the one distributed with the pretest), the MS-Windows part _was_
> > rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".
> 
> 
> The CVS version.

Then please explain what places did you want to be changed to talk
about Windows as opposed to DOS.  I really think the rewrite you were
asking for was done already, but maybe I missed some places when I did
that.

Re: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Lennart Borgman]

Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:11:29 +0100
>> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
>> CC:  dieter@duenenhof-wilhelm.de,  brakjoller@gmail.com, 
>>  emacs-devel@gnu.org
>>
>> Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>>>> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:29:43 +0100
>>>> From: Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se>
>>>> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, Emacs Devel <emacs-devel@gnu.org>,
>>>> 	Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com>
>>>>
>>>> That is because no one has had the time to rewrite that part.
>>>>
>>>> Reading that part I also found that it is about running DOS processes on 
>>>> MS Windows. I suggest that we rename to to reflect this.
>>> What version of which manual are you reading?  In the CVS version (and
>>> the one distributed with the pretest), the MS-Windows part _was_
>>> rewritten, and the node's name is "Windows processes".
>>
>> The CVS version.
> 
> Then please explain what places did you want to be changed to talk
> about Windows as opposed to DOS.  I really think the rewrite you were
> asking for was done already, but maybe I missed some places when I did
> that.


I think the original poster has explained now what he missed there. I 
would suggest adding that and pushing much of the current node into a 
subnode about DOS subprocesses. This material might still be valuable, 
but it is not that common to use DOS subprocesses any more I guess.

best practise: hiding not defined symbols? [was: problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process]

[Dieter Wilhelm]

Mathias Dahl <brakjoller@gmail.com> writes:

> Dieter Wilhelm <dieter@duenenhof-wilhelm.de> writes:
>
>> I'd like to be able to open a windows (on XP) compiled help file
>> (.chm).  It works well with `shell-process' in just giving the shell
>> the .chm file as argument.  But I can't get it to run with
>> start-process.  Probably I need to call a viewer for this file.  I
>> googled around and found that the internet explorer is supposed to
>> act as "viewer" for these help files.  The next hurdle is where to
>> find the executable, I can't find iexplorer.exe or iexplore.exe on
>> my disk.
>
> Have you tried using `w32-shell-execute'?
>
> (w32-shell-execute "Open" "blabla.chm")
>
> /Mathias

Thanks again, now I've a conditional:

    (cond
     (ansys-is-unix-system
      (start-process "ansys-help" nil ansys-help))
     ((string= system-type "windows-nt")
      (w32-shell-execute "Open" ansys-help)))

This works fine but when trying to byte-compile I get a warning in the
following manner:

w32-shell-execute is not known to be defined under Linux

Can/should I somehow hide the w32-* stuff when compiling under a Unix
system and how?

-- 
    Best wishes

    H. Dieter Wilhelm
    Darmstadt, Germany

problems starting windows compiled help files with start-process

[Dieter Wilhelm]

Hi

I'd like to be able to open a windows (on XP) compiled help file
(.chm).  It works well with `shell-process' in just giving the shell
the .chm file as argument.  But I can't get it to run with
start-process.  Probably I need to call a viewer for this file.  I
googled around and found that the internet explorer is supposed to act
as "viewer" for these help files.  The next hurdle is where to find
the executable, I can't find iexplorer.exe or iexplore.exe on my disk.

Thanks
-- 
    Best wishes

    H. Dieter Wilhelm
    Darmstadt, Germany