[AccessD] A2K: Shell 'discoveries'

...why not do the ftp from within Access using the APIs ...if you'd like I
can send you a sample mdb that's worked round the clock for years now.

William Hindman
"Always code as if the person who is maintaining or testing your code is
a violent psychopath who knows where you live." William Silverstein


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven W. Erbach" <serbach at new.rr.com>
To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving"
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 11:06 AM
Subject: [AccessD] A2K: Shell 'discoveries'


> Dear Group,
>
> In debugging the custom EDI application I'm writing for a client of mine,
I "discovered" a thing or two about using the Shell command to run a DOS
batch file.
>
> The purpose of using the DOS batch file is to start an FTP session and
upload a bunch of files to the EDI mailbox. Then, when the batch file is
finished, move the files that were uploaded into an archive folder on the
server.
>
> I had tested the batch file from a command prompt and it works just dandy.
The EDI documents show up as having been uploaded successfully. However when
I used the Shell command in my application I wouldn't see any document names
uploaded. Then I'd get the annoying e-mail the next day from the EDI service
provider saying that the expected documents weren't received.
>
> I finally figured out the problem: Access doesn't wait for the batch file
to finish. The Shell command just launches the external program, whatever it
is, and goes on to the next task. In my case it was moving the EDI documents
into an archive folder. Well, Access whisked those files out of the FTP
folder so fast that by the time the FTP login was complete (user name,
password, and account name) the files were no longer available for
uploading. The FTP session didn't fail, as such, there just wasn't anything
to send.
>
> So, I added a MsgBox asking the user to verify that the DOS session had
ended before going on to archive the EDI files. Problem solved.
>
> Sorry if this is tediously obvious, but I haven't ever run a batch file
from Access and I have nobody to bounce this stuff off of (nobody off of
whom to bounce this stuff?).
>
> Regards,
>
> Steve Erbach
> Scientific Marketing
> Neenah, WI
> 920-969-0504
>
> "Congress is as trustworthy with money as a crack addict who is
experimenting with heroin." - Dave Barry
>
> "Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car
keys to teenage boys." - P. J. O'Rourke
>
> "Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for." -
Will Rogers
>
> "It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no
distinctly American criminal class except Congress." - Mark Twain
>
> -- 
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