Finding PID for print process in perl script on Win NT???

[Jimbo2112]

Hi All,

I have a script that works in Win NT and fires up Acrobat to print pdf's from a list and then move them to another place. What I need to do is catch the PID of the print function that Acrobat uses so I can check when the printing has finished before trying to move the file.

I have seen some modules that look like they might deal with this, but my Perl is basic and I need to be guided to the most suitable for this task. Also a lot of the solutions are for Perl under a Unix OS which is no use to me! (Although Unix is far superior, but that's another story!)

Any ideas?

Cheers

Jimbo

 

[PaulTEG]

Jimbo,

can you post the print section of the script

$$ is the PID for the current process, but if we see the print statement we might be able to see what's going on.

If you're shelling a command script to print, add the move command to the shell script as well, you wont need the PID at all

HTH
--Paul

 

[Jimbo2112]

Paul,

The sub for the script in question is below. The part that I am interested in is before and after the unlink statement. I need to capture the PID that the system command creates and check for the existence of that PID. When it no longer exists I want to do the unlink on the file being printed.

Sorry for being simplistic, but I am not an expert in Perl!

Cheers

Jimbo

#Set up variables
$mono = "\\\\srv-xpp\\shared\\ftp_print\\mono" ;
$mono_done = "\\\\srv-xpp\\shared\\ftp_print\\mono\\done" ;
$reader = '"C:\\Program Files\\Adobe\\Acrobat 4.0\\Acrobat\\Acrobat.exe"';
@options = ('/p', '/h' );
$list_mono = `dir $mono`;
@args = ($reader, @options);

#---------------------------------------------------------------------#
sub MONO
{
$list_mono =~ /File\(s\)[ ]+([0-9,]+)/ ;
$size1 = "$1";
print LOG "$size1 \n";

sleep 1;

($list_mono, @full_list) = `dir $mono`;
$list_mono =~ /File\(s\)\s+([0-9,]+)/ ;
$size2 = "$1";

print LOG @full_list;
print LOG "$size2 \n";
if ($size1 eq $size2)
{
foreach (@full_list)
{
if (s/^.*?([\w]+.pdf)$/$1/)
{
system ( @args, $mono."/".$_ );
chomp;
copy ($mono."/".$_ ,"$mono_done");
unlink ($mono."/".$_);
}
}
}
}

 

[PaulTEG]

Why not use rename instead of copy as the directories appear to be on the same path. Moving the files would be a lot quicker, as it wouldn't have to copy the file, just change the table info from one directory to another.

Getting the PID could be achieved by shelling a ps command, but system forks and waits for a response, and it should be inline in that the rename command could only proceed after the system command has completed. At least that what isays in the book - don't have your config so can't test

another poss

RENAME_FILE:
  rename "file1", "done/file1" or goto RENAME_FILE;

Haven't tested this, but it should rename the file to the done directory below it, or else try agin until success


HTH
--Paul