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Conference noted::hackers_v1

Title:	-={ H A C K E R S }=-
Notice:	Write locked - see NOTED::HACKERS
Moderator:	DIEHRD::MORRIS

Created:	Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:	Mon Aug 03 1992
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	680
Total number of notes:	5456

671.0. "MAIL from .EXE" by FOO::BHAVNANI (Must be the compiler...) Thu Jan 21 1988 03:06

	You  guys  are  such a helpful lot, I couldn't resist asking another
	question:  is there a  (relatively)  painless  way to send mail from
	within a program without causing the program to end (LIB$DO_COMMAND)
	and  without  using LIB$SPAWN (too slow).  I also need to keep track
	of  the  send attempt status (no such node, no such user, login info
	invalid at remote node, etc).  For now I'm @ing a .COM file in batch
	using  $SNDJBC (tnx, Rick!), but I was hoping to do away with queues
	altogether.

	Tnx for any ideas.
	/ravi

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
671.1		DYO780::DYSERT	Barry Dysert	`Thu Jan 21 1988 12:12`	9
	There is a callable interface to VMSmail, but it is not support in VMS v4.x. It may be supported in v5, but of course I don't know. You might try asking in BULOVA::VMSMAIL. If you can't go the callable route, you may consider doing a LIB$SPAWN at image startup, always keeping the subprocess around. The subprocess would then post a read to a mailbox. Whenever you want to send mail, just write the stuff into the mailbox and have the dedicated, already-existing subprocess do the dirty work for you.
671.2	Since this is the HACKERS conference...	JON::MORONEY	-- swapped out --	`Thu Jan 21 1988 12:52`	4
	(-: Of course, you could always convert the DCL 'anonymous mail' utilities in this conference into your favorite language... :-) -Mike
671.3		PASTIS::MONAHAN	I am not a free number, I am a telephone box	`Thu Jan 21 1988 15:06`	12
	I would strongly suggest that .2 is the way to go. The MAIL-11 protocol is well defined and stable, since it is supported by RSTS, RSX, Ultrix, ... It is also ridiculously simple. The fact that it is easy to implement it in DCL shows this, but high level languages like Macro or Focal can do reads and writes too if you get bored with DCL. Don't try to use MAIL for the mail protocol. It does not give you a detailed error status unless you force it to write its error message to a file and then parse it. By that time you might as well have got the message directly from the remote object.
671.4		WINERY::THOMAS	The Code Warrior	`Thu Jan 21 1988 23:51`	3
	Or pretend you are MAIL and invoke NMAIL to send it. Load NM_MAILSHR via LIB$FIND_IMAGE_SYMBOL and then simulate the MAIL$PROTOCOL interface.
671.5	Possible reference	INFACT::NORTHERN	And who shoved you in the pool?	`Fri Jan 22 1988 02:11`	13
	Don't have a copy of it, but in (it seems like), the last year, they had a basic program that did exactly that in the VAX professional. Of course, they were hacking VMS mail protocols to try and send bogus messages, but there is nothing that says you can't use the same techniques for legitimate purposes. Also, I believe in the fiche relating to VMSmail, there should be something there called PROTOCOL.TXT, which describes mail protocols... - Lou
671.6	Anon Mail Routine	FOO::BHAVNANI	Must be the compiler...	`Fri Jan 22 1988 03:51`	6
	Re .2 and .3, can you give me a pointer to the anon mail rtn? I've only just begun to get into the RTL and sys services, and all this is immensely exciting. Now if I only knew more.... Tnx for all your replies. /ravi
671.7	Night mode = fast cycles	FOO::BHAVNANI	Must be the compiler...	`Sat Jan 23 1988 06:56`	7
	These late night hacks are habit forming. I love night mode! Am putting the finishing touches on my program. Hope to have an alfa test version by the end of the week. Boy, it sure is quiet at DLB.... Tnx for all your help. /ravi
671.8	@ a .COM file from a detached process	FOO::BHAVNANI	Must be the compiler...	`Sat Jan 23 1988 07:56`	12
	Oh well, it was good while it lasted... Is there any work-around for this problem? I need to invoke a .COM file from within my pgm, as in $SPAWN /NOWAIT. I can do this with no problems if I $RUN my pgm interactively or in batch. However, if I $RUN /DETACH it (which is what I'd like to do), LIB$SPAWN dies with an LIB$_NOCLI error. The RTL manual says that an image run as a detached or spawned process doesn't have a CLI. Tnx, /ravi
671.9		PASTIS::MONAHAN	I am not a free number, I am a telephone box	`Sat Jan 23 1988 10:27`	9
	This has been discussed before, but LOGINOUT.EXE is the only thing in the system that knows (or should know) how to start up a CLI for a process, and a CLI is the only thing that knows how to handle things that are options of SPAWN like passing the CLI symbol table. Either your main process has to have a CLI, which means you have to have run LOGINOUT there, or you have to create your subprocess with $creprc, and then run LOGINOUT there so it can load a CLI to handle the .COM file.