Re: Calling a stack from unix

humphrey (starnet!apple!mprgate.mpr.ca!humphrey)
Thu, 2 Jun 94 10:59:41 PDT

>>
>> Hello,
>>
>>
>> I'm setting up a stack that will run at the same time as a C program.
>> I would like to be able to call stack functions from the C program or
>> at a unix prompt and to be able to call functions in the C program
>> from the stack. I'd be interested in any ways you know of doing
>> this.

>You could also use open process to do this, but you'd have to develop
>a protocol such that if MetaCard could call a function foo by doing
>something like: write "foo" & return to process "your C program"
>
>Your C program would have to read from its stdin and decide which
>function to call based on the string it reads. The MetaCard engine
>would have to do the same when it reads a string from the process.
>The advantage of the process approach is that calls would be faster
>than equivalent external calls, and that your C program doesn't have
>to use the X way of handling events (which may make it easier for you
>to write functions that have long execution times since you don't have
>to return to MetaCard right away as is required for externals). The
>downsides are that it would be harder to implement and that passing
>arguments is more difficult since you have to parse them up yourself.

Could you explain how I would do this in a little more depth?

Thank You

David Humphreys
MPR Teltech Ltd.
Burnaaby, BC

> Thank you,
>
> David Humphreys
> MPR Teltech Ltd.
> Burnaby, BC
>
>

-- 
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* Scott Raney  303-447-3936            Remember: the better you look, *
* raney@metacard.com                   the more you'll see -- Lidia   *
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