Here's a question I found on another board that I found interesting - no responses to this guy yet - anyone here want to take a crack at it?

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Here is an other problem I am encountering.

I would like to use TSCOM3 to run Fex files (batch).

Here is my .bat file :

C:\ibi\srv71\wfs\bin\edastart -f myfile.t3i

Here is myfile.t3i :

%connect
%begin
EX MYFEX
%end
%disconnect
%stop_server


My question is : How could my .bat file knows whether an error occured during "myfex" was running?
Because I do not want to continue ".bat" execution if an error occured.

Thank you.

Ocean (how close are you to one?)
there are serveral ways to check for error conditions wihtin your fex, depending on what you would consider an error. Generally, one would test for certain conditions, and branch to the end of the fex depending on the results.
so..its can be fex determined.
Things like: if you create an interim hold file
test to see that there are not 0 lines.
TABLE FILE CAR
PRINT *
END
-RUN
-IF &LINES EQ 0 GOTO EOJ ;
where EOJ is a statement label at the end of the fex.
then theres SET ERROROUT = ON/OFF
which will bail if anything happens that focus would consider an error , even tho you the developer might not.

Interesting that you start your server for each exeuction, and don't just have it running all th time; I wonder how wide-spread that is? Anyone with ears on want to comment?

edastart –f (or –x) is not a server start it is equivalent to a session start.

The major difference between edastart –f (-x) and a connection to an existing agent is that
with an existing agent connected via the web or ReportCaster or Data Migrator
(they all may actually have to start the agent) is all of your processing is done in a sub-directory
under edatemp and when your process finishes WebFocus/iWay cleans up after you.
With edastart –t the process starts in the directory/sub-directory that you start it in or direct it to
and it does not clean up after itself you must do it manually.

edastart –t is the nearest thing that you have to batch processing capabilities in WebFocus
if you do not want to buy ReportCaster or Copy Manager/Data Migrator.
Most of the processing that you can do with those tools can be done via various techniques using edastart –t.

It is not really an on-line tool however it can be of value for long running processes.

As an example, you have a situation where you must retrieve data from several different systems to combine
in a particular month end report.

Each individual extract takes 30 minutes to return the data you need and you have 10 of them.
That makes 5 hours to get your data + 30 seconds to format the output.

If I am using Data Migrator I can have it start 10 tasks in parallel and wait until I have the data from all
of them before I continue to the output stage.
Or when using a WebFocus request I can have it start 10 edastart –f sessions and wait for the data before completing.

It’s a mechanism used by a few but under used by many.

Anyway to give a method for error processing.

When you encounter an error as Susannah says skip to an error handling label

where the code is -QUIT FOCUS [n]

n being a numeric exit code that you assign

The %end , %disconnect and %stop_server prevent any WebFocus generated error from getting back
to the operating system so the only real option that you have if you want the process
to return the error to you is to parse the .t3o output for errors and then set a variable
in the operating system.

The following is a simple example of a .bat file that could drive it.

SET T3IERROR=0
CALL C:\ibi\srv71\wfs\bin\edastart -f myfile.t3i

REM FIND ALL ERRORS

FIND /N "(FOC" myfile.t3o > t3o-1.err

REM Eliminate warnings and all other errors of no interest ie create file
REM You may want to repeat this eliminating specific (FOC errors that you
REM do not want treated as errors

FIND /V "WARNING" t3o-1.err > t3o-2.err

REM COUNT the number of errors

FIND /N /C "(FOC" t3o-2.err > t3o-3.err

REM SET an environment variable to the number of errors

FOR /F "tokens=2 delims=:" %%A IN (t3o-3.err) DO SET T3IERROR=%%A

REM do what ever processing you want to do depending on the error

ECHO ERROR LEVEL IS %T3IERROR%

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <JG>,

JG or anyone...this narritive is very good at understanding EdaStart. I have searched thru all IBI documentation and can understand in my mind...what exactly .3ti and .Bat roles are - in generating a Batch File to kick off a Fex or procedure. I know a .3to file gets created....and even though I can get these things to work...I don't know if I need both.
Can anyone explain exactly what these are doing and give an example?? The more I look the more confused I become....

Thanks.....

Prarie,

End of confusion,

You need a .t3i
You will always get a .t3o
A .bat (windows / script in unix) allows pre and post processing and is optional.

That is, if you are using edastart –f.

edastart –x is a little different it does not require the .t3i, does not generate the .t3o and is much more restrictive in its capabilities.

For an example to be of real value, platform (for you win2k) and need are absolute.
The Focus/WebFocus part you can do very well. It's the op sys part that intimidates.
It always has been on any platform and it’s becoming worse on Microsoft because they insist on trying to hide more and more and try to insist that a command line interface
does not exist.

It does not matter what Bill might insist, the Windows.anything command line system is still DOS.
The vast majority of the old script (.bat file) functionality works the same way or better.
Or in many cases can be replaced by FREE GNU utilities that mean you can effectively develop UNIX on windows. (grep, rm, sed, vi, etc.)

Thanks...I feel better.