Date:         Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:07:21 +0530
Reply-To:     ajay ohri <ohri2007@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         ajay ohri <ohri2007@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: How to execute a DOS command without the command window
Comments: To: "Richard A. DeVenezia" <rdevenezia@wildblue.net>
In-Reply-To:  <1Rwxj.28$lp3.31776@news.sisna.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

how about creating a simple batch file with all the DOS commands  and using
SAS to just  open that file.....you can even call an excel file with a VBA
macro that calls the batch file ?

regards,

ajay

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 4:55 PM, Richard A. DeVenezia <
rdevenezia@wildblue.net> wrote:

> "data _null_," wrote:
> > For "silent" execution of DOS commands turn to SYSTASK.  No need to
> > concern yourself with XWAIT or XSYNC;
> >
> > systask command 'erase path\name.ext';
>
> Actually you should concern yourself with waits.
>
> SYSTASK by default launches with a NOWAIT criteria.
> If the task being launched can impact the next serial action of the SAS
> program (and often they do), the SAS session should wait until the task is
> completed.
>
> Suppose the task launcher was delayed and the SAS program wrote to
> "name.ext", which it would then email somewhere.
> Without waiting, the sequence would be: write, delete, email, error
>
> See the SYSTASK documentation for all the gory details.
> In the docs there is this peculiar statement
> "Unlike the X statement, you cannot use the SYSTASK statement to start a
> new
> interactive session."
>
> I find this disclaimer untrue, as evidenced by submitting
>    SYSTASK COMMAND "sas.exe";
>
> Sometimes the command you want to issue, in the simplest form, is
>    START <something>
> <something> can be a .exe or a typed file with a default Windows Explorer
> open action (such as xyz.html)
>
> When the SYSTASK command being launched is
>  START <something>
> Control will return immediately to the SAS session from the start
> launcher.
>
> The start launcher can be made to wait for the launchee to complete by
> using
> the /WAIT option
>  START /WAIT <os-command>
>
> So, the whole enchilada could be
>    SYSTASK command "START control-file-used-for-sas-inputs.xls /WAIT" WAIT
> taskname=inputsready;
>    WAITFOR inputsready;
>
>
> --
> Richard A. DeVenezia
> http://www.devenezia.com/
>