Developer Documentation Library > UNICOM Intelligence Function Library > Miscellaneous functions > ShellExecute
 
ShellExecute
Performs an operation on a specified file.
Syntax
ShellExecute(<file> [, <handle> [, <verb> [, <parameters> [, <directory> [, <show_command>]]]]])
Parameters
<file>
Type: Text
File or object on which to execute the specified verb.
<handle>
Type: Long
(Optional.) Handle to a parent window. This window receives any message boxes that the invoked application produces, such as error reporting. If omitted, message boxes will not be tied to a window.
<verb>
Type: Text
(Optional.) Action to be performed. If omitted, the default verb for the file type is used if it is valid; otherwise, the “open” verb is used. For Windows 2000 and later systems, if neither verb is available, the first available verb for the file type is used.
<parameters>
Type: Text
(Optional.) If <file> is an executable file, the parameters to be passed to the application. Otherwise, ignored.
<directory>
Type: Text
(Optional.) Default directory for the application. The default value is the current directory.
<show_command>
Type: Long
(Optional.) A value that specifies how the application is to be displayed.
The default value is 1.
Value
Description
0
Hides the window and activates another window.
1
Activates and displays a window. If the window is minimized or maximized, Windows restores it to its original size and position. An application should specify this flag when displaying the window for the first time.
2
Activates the window and displays it as a minimized window.
3
Activates the window and displays it as a maximized window.
4
Displays a window in its most recent size and position. The active window remains active.
5
Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position.
6
Minimizes the specified window and activates the next top-level window in the z-order.
7
Displays the window as a minimized window. The active window remains active.
8
Displays the window in its current state. The active window remains active.
9
Activates and displays the window. If the window is minimized or maximized, Windows restores it to its original size and position. An application should specify this flag when restoring a minimized window.
10
Sets the show state based on the SW_ flag specified in the STARTUPINFO structure passed to the CreateProcess function by the program that started the application. An application should call ShowWindow with this flag to set the initial show state of its main window.
(return)
Type: Long
A value greater than 32.
Notes
If the command cannot be executed, an error occurs.
If you want your script to wait for the program to finish before continuing, use the WshShell object that is part of the Microsoft Windows Script Host object model. For more information, see mrScriptBasic FAQs and troubleshooting.
Examples
The following example opens the Short Drinks example .mdd file in Questionnaire Viewer:
ShellExecute("[INSTALL_FOLDER]\IBM\SPSS\DataCollection\7\DDL\Data\Mdd\short_drinks.mdd")
The following example opens the UNICOM Intelligence Metadata Model Version Utility:
ShellExecute("[INSTALL_FOLDER]\IBM\SPSS\DataCollection\<version>\Accessories\MDMVersionUtility.exe")
The following example opens a specified text file in Wordpad, and maximizes the window:
ShellExecute("C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories\Wordpad.exe", , , "C:\Samples\funlib.txt", , 3)
For an example of using ShellExecute in mrScriptBasic, see Example 2: Getting a list of valid languages.
See also
CreateObject
Miscellaneous functions