XForms: launching X applications

Jim Clark (jim@gnosis.chem.queensu.ca)
Thu, 4 Sep 1997 19:42:10 -0400 (EDT)

To subscribers of the xforms list from Jim Clark <jim@gnosis.chem.queensu.ca> :

I just want to include a button on one of my forms that runs an external X
program. I have a callback function attached to this button that just
forks a new process and runs the application in this child process.
Unfortunately, the child process can't open the X display for some reason.
If, I were to try to run xv for instance, I would get an error like "xv
can't open display" or something.

I can, however, fork a child process off right at the beginning of the
program and THEN initialize a form which I can use to send signals to this
forked process. I just can't do it once the form is already running.

I was looking at fl_exe_command but that didn't work either. It seemed to
run but while it was supposedly running, I saw nothing on the screen and
the process table listed it as a zombie already. Weird.

I don't know if anybody uses Forms to launch external X applications, but
if so, could you suggest something to me?

JIM

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