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From: Samuel Tardieu <sam@inf.enst.fr>
Subject: Re: Ada Equivalent of "system()" in C?
Date: 1996/04/16
Message-ID: <qw6ohosd110.fsf@gargantua.enst.fr>#1/1
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sender: tardieu@gargantua.enst.fr
references: <obwcxYD2i4CA089yn@pobox.com>
to: dsparks@pobox.com (Dave Sparks)
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organization: TELECOM Paris
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newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1996-04-16T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

>>>>> "Dave" == Dave Sparks <dsparks@pobox.com> writes:

Dave> I'm new to Ada programming, having come from a C background.  Is
Dave> there an equivalent in Ada of the "system()" function in C that
Dave> allows you execute an external program?

Every C library functions may be accessed from an Ada program. All you
have to do is put a wrapper on it. Try something like that (untested):

+++ GNATCHOP FROM HERE +++
package System_Interface is
   function System (Command : String) return Integer;
end System_Interface;

with Interfaces.C.Strings; use Interfaces.C; use Interfaces.C.Strings;
package body System_Interface is
   
   function System (Command : String) return Integer is
      function C_System (Command : chars_ptr) return int;
      pragma import (C, C_System, "system");
      C_Command   : chars_ptr := New_String (Command);
      Return_Code : constant int := C_System (C_Command);
   begin
      Free (C_Command);
      return Integer (Return_Code);
   end System;

end System_Interface;
+++ GNATCHOP TO HERE +++

Then you may call:

   R_Code := System_Interface.System (My_Command);

Hope this helps.

 Sam
-- 
"La cervelle des petits enfants, ca doit avoir comme un petit gout de noisette"
                                                       Charles Baudelaire