Run
 
Transfers execution to an external program

Syntax

Declare Function Run ( ByRef program As Const String, ByRef arguments As Const String = "
" ) As Long

Usage

result = Run( program [, arguments ] )

Parameters

program
The file name (including file path) of the program (executable) to transfer control to.
arguments
The command-line arguments to be passed to the program.

Return Value

Returns negative one (-1) if the program could not be executed.

Description

Transfers control over to an external program. When the program exits, execution will return to the system.

Example

'' Attempt to transfer control to "program.exe" in the current directory.
Dim result As Integer = Run("program.exe")

'' at this point, "program.exe" has failed to execute, and
'' result will be set to -1.


Platform Differences

  • Linux requires the program case matches the real name of the file. Windows and DOS are case insensitive. The program being run may be case sensitive for its command line parameters.
  • Path separators in Linux are forward slashes ("/"). Windows uses backward slashes ("\") although some versions of Windows allow forward slashes. DOS uses backward slashes.

Differences from QB

  • Run needs the full executable name, including extension (.exe) on platforms that have one (Win32, DOS).
  • Returning an error code is new to FreeBASIC.

See also

  • Exec transfer temporarily, with arguments
  • Chain transfer temporarily, without arguments
  • Command pick arguments