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Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

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Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

 
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  #1
Sep 16th, 2009
I am having trouble getting Windows to open the file "results1.txt" in the directory "Result Sets".

When I run it I get the error:
"results1.txt" is not a recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

But when I check to see if the file is in the directory it is.
The executable is the a folder one up from the folder "Result Sets".
Here's the code.
C++ Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
  1. 			case 14:
  2. 				fout.clear();
  3. 				file2.clear();
  4. 				out.clear();
  5. 				file2 = "results";
  6. 				filePath2 = "Result Sets\\";
  7. 				counter2++;
  8. 				out << counter2;
  9. 				file2 += out.str();
  10. 				file2 += ext2;
  11. 				filePath2 += file2;
  12. 				fout.open(filePath2.c_str());
  13.  
  14. 				if (fout.fail())
  15. 					cout << endl << "File could not be created..." << endl << endl;
  16. 				else
  17. 				{
  18. 					fout << "Results for " << file << "." << endl << endl;
  19. 					list.getFront(temp);
  20. 					forList.avg(temp, counter);
  21. 					fout << "The mean value is: [ " << forList.getAvg() << " ]." << endl;					
  22. 					list.getFront(temp);
  23. 					forList.med(temp, counter);
  24. 					fout << "The median value is: [ " << forList.getMed() << " ]." << endl;
  25. 					list.getFront(temp);
  26. 					forList.min(temp);
  27. 					fout << "The minimum value is: [ " << forList.getMin() << " ]." << endl;
  28. 					list.getBack(temp);
  29. 					forList.max(temp);
  30. 					fout << "The maximum value is: [ " << forList.getMax() << " ]." << endl;
  31. 					list.getFront(temp);
  32. 					forList.q1(temp, counter);
  33. 					fout << "The first quartile is: [ " << forList.getQ1() << " ]." << endl;
  34. 					list.getFront(temp);
  35. 					forList.q3(temp, counter);
  36. 					fout << "The third quartile value is: [ " << forList.getQ3() << " ]." << endl;
  37. 					list.getFront(temp);
  38. 					list.getBack(temp2);
  39. 					forList.rng(temp, temp2);
  40. 					fout << "The range value is: [ " << forList.getRng() << " ]." << endl;
  41. 					cout << "All computations are complete, and have been written to the file " << file2 << "." << endl;
  42. 					cout << "Close " << file2 << " to continue..." << endl << endl;
  43. 				}
  44. 				fout.close();
  45. 				system("cd Result Sets");
  46. 				system(file2.c_str());
  47. 				break;
Any help would be great! Thanks!
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Re: Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

 
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  #2
Sep 16th, 2009
system expects an executable command. You cannot simply place the name of a text file as the argument. If you want it to launch notepad or something to view your file, you could do that. Here is what I suggest, but have not tested or used this functionality for quite some time:
C++ Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
  1. system ("notepad.exe " + file2.c_str());
If that gives you a compiler error, it will probably be on the string operation, which you can simply concatenate properly (I haven't done this in cpp since string library was introduced--LOL). Hope this helps.
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Re: Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

 
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  #3
Sep 16th, 2009
To display the file contents in your command window, you need the command "type". See the following example use.
C++ Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
  1. #include <iostream>
  2. #include <dos.h>
  3. using namespace std;
  4.  
  5. int main( )
  6. {
  7. 	char str[] = "myfile.txt";  //put your filename here
  8. 	char cmd[50] = "type ";  //note the space at end!
  9. 	strcat( cmd, str );
  10. 	system (  cmd );
  11.  
  12. 	return 0;
  13. }
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Re: Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

 
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  #4
Sep 16th, 2009
The "notepad.exe" suggestion wasn't the problem but it helped me debug a bit.

It turns out that for some reason the
C++ Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
  1. system("cd Result Sets");
isn't changing the directory at all.
I added
C++ Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
  1. system("dir");
After the "cd" command and it turns out it's still in the directory that the executable is in.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks for those who have already replied!
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Re: Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

 
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  #5
Sep 16th, 2009
a) Your "cd" command only lasts as long as the sub-process does (and it only affects the sub-process). If you really want to change the directory in this process, you need to use the chdir() API call.

b) You already have the directory in a string, so why not try to catenate the directory and filename, say the equivalent of:
notepad somedir\somefile.txt
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Re: Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

 
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  #6
Sep 16th, 2009
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Originally Posted by Salem View Post
a) Your "cd" command only lasts as long as the sub-process does (and it only affects the sub-process). If you really want to change the directory in this process, you need to use the chdir() API call.

b) You already have the directory in a string, so why not try to catenate the directory and filename, say the equivalent of:
notepad somedir\somefile.txt
Thanks Salem!

Knowing that the command only affected sub-processes was unbelievably helpful!

Here's the working code for anyone who has this problem in the future:
C++ Syntax (Toggle Plain Text) 
  1. 			case 14:
  2. 				fout.clear();
  3. 				file2.clear();
  4. 				out.clear();
  5. 				file2 = "results";
  6. 				filePath2 = "Result Sets\\";
  7. 				counter2++;
  8. 				out << counter2;
  9. 				file2 += out.str();
  10. 				file2 += ext2;
  11. 				filePath2 += file2;
  12. 				fout.open(filePath2.c_str());
  13.  
  14. 				if (fout.fail())
  15. 					cout << endl << "File could not be created..." << endl << endl;
  16. 				else
  17. 				{
  18. 					fout << "Results for " << file << "." << endl << endl;
  19. 					list.getFront(temp);
  20. 					forList.avg(temp, counter);
  21. 					fout << "The mean value is: [ " << forList.getAvg() << " ]." << endl;					
  22. 					list.getFront(temp);
  23. 					forList.med(temp, counter);
  24. 					fout << "The median value is: [ " << forList.getMed() << " ]." << endl;
  25. 					list.getFront(temp);
  26. 					forList.min(temp);
  27. 					fout << "The minimum value is: [ " << forList.getMin() << " ]." << endl;
  28. 					list.getBack(temp);
  29. 					forList.max(temp);
  30. 					fout << "The maximum value is: [ " << forList.getMax() << " ]." << endl;
  31. 					list.getFront(temp);
  32. 					forList.q1(temp, counter);
  33. 					fout << "The first quartile is: [ " << forList.getQ1() << " ]." << endl;
  34. 					list.getFront(temp);
  35. 					forList.q3(temp, counter);
  36. 					fout << "The third quartile value is: [ " << forList.getQ3() << " ]." << endl;
  37. 					list.getFront(temp);
  38. 					list.getBack(temp2);
  39. 					forList.rng(temp, temp2);
  40. 					fout << "The range value is: [ " << forList.getRng() << " ]." << endl;
  41. 					cout << "All computations are complete, and have been written to the file " << file2 << "." << endl;
  42. 					cout << "Close " << file2 << " to continue..." << endl << endl;
  43. 				}
  44. 				fout.close();
  45. 				filePath2 = "notepad.exe " + filePath2;
  46. 				system(filePath2.c_str());
  47. 				break;

Thanks to everyone else too!
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Re: Problem opening file using system() on Windows.

 
-1
  #7
Sep 16th, 2009
Never use system() on Windows.
Use Shell or Kernel apis.
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