Launch (not supported in Axiell Collections)

syntax

result = LAUNCH (file name or URL)

Arguments

file name or URL: text

result: integer (see table)

0

Result when the launch function can be executed successfully

2

Result when the file or the URL cannot be found

Meaning

LAUNCH (starting an application) is used to open files with the application which is associated with the file extension. This function is not supported in Axiell Collections and RunAdapl.

This command has partly replaced the functionality of the already existing SYSTEM function, because there may be some confusion with a number of commands. Sometimes it is not possible to make a distinction between commands and file names. An example of this is: del my.doc, which can be interpreted as a file name with the name ‘del my.doc’ or as a command to delete the file ‘my.doc’. To make this distinction clear, for the first purpose the LAUNCH function is used whereas the SYSTEM command can now only be used to execute commands.

(If you want to check whether a file on your computer or network actually exists without opening it, use SYSTEM with the RENAME parameter instead.)

Example 1

LAUNCH (‘document.doc’)

Result

During execution of this function in the adapl, Adlib will open the file document.doc by launching the program set up in Windows which opens files with the extension .doc (usually MS-Word).

Example 2

LAUNCH('http://www.adlibsoft.com/default.html')

Result

Adlib will start your web browser with this URL (Universal Resource Locator: an Internet address).

See also

OPENURL

SYSTEM

FORMATFIELD