Launch External Application

Operation Name

Function Overview

Call an external application.

Properties

For details on use of variables, refer to “Variables”.

Basic settings

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Name	Required	Not available	Enter the name to show on the script canvas.

Required settings

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Launch command	Required	Available	Enter the command (program) to launch. You can click [Browse] button to launch file chooser and find the file. Example: To launch Internet Explorer C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe	Launch command will be executed in the machine where DataSpiderServer is installed. Specify that as absolute path of the server OS local file system. You can specify command which the user who is running DataSpiderServer can execute.
Launch parameters	Optional	-	Specify parameters to pass to the command. Operate with the following buttons. [Add]: Add a column. [Up]: Move the selected column upwards by one row. [Down]: Move the selected column downwards by one row. [Delete]: Delete the column.
Launch parameters/Parameter	Optional	Available	Specify a parameter to pass to the command. In command description, specify file paths in “absolute path ("C:\Progra~1\Data~") ” or “relative path ("..\home\root\~")” from DataSpiderServer /bin. Example: To delete C:\test.csv [Launch command]: cmd.exe [Parameter]: /C [Parameter]: del [Parameter]: C:\test.csv

Execution settings

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Working directory	Optional	Available	Enter the command working directory. You can click [Browse] button to launch the directory chooser and find the directory. Relative paths in command will be the relative paths from the working directory.	Specify that as absolute path of the server OS local file system. If omitted, “$DATASPIDER_HOME/server” is set.
Wait until external application ends	Optional	Not available	Select whether or not to wait until the specified command ends. [Checked]: (default) Wait until the specified command ends. [Not checked]: Do not wait until the specified command ends.
Error when return value is not 0	Optional	Not available	Select whether or not to make it error when the return value of the specified command is not 0. [Checked]: (default) When the return value of the specified command is not 0, it will be an error. [Not checked]: Even when the return value of the specified command is not 0, it will not be an error.	Enabled when [Wait until external application ends] is checked.
Get standard output / standard error output	Optional	Not available	Select whether or not to store standard output / standard error output which are output by the specified command in component variables so that you can get them. [Checked]: Standard output / standard error output which are output by the specified command will be stored in component variables. [Not checked]: (default) Standard output / standard error output which are output by the specified command is not stored in component variables.	Enabled when [Wait until external application ends] is checked.
Timeout	Optional	Available	Enter the time to wait until the specified command is completed, in millisecond.	Enabled when [Wait until external application ends] is checked. If omitted, 0 is set. If 0 is set, timeout does not occur. The launched process will be aborted when the specified command is not completed in the specified milliseconds.

Comment

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Comment	Optional	Not available	You can write a short description of this adapter. The description will be reflected in the specifications.

PSP Usage

PSP is not supported.

Available Component Variables

Component variable name	Description	Remarks
exitValue	The return value of command is stored.	Default value is null. When [Wait until external application ends] is not checked, -1 is always stored. When failed to launch command, -1 is stored.
stdout	The standard output value of command is stored.	Default value is null. When [Wait until external application ends] or [Get standard output / standard error output] is not checked, empty string is always stored. When failed to launch command, empty string is stored.
stderr	The standard error output of command is stored.	Default value is null. When [Wait until external application ends] or [Get standard output / standard error output] is not checked, empty string is always stored. When failed to launch command, empty string is stored.
message_category	When an error occurs, the corresponding message code's category is stored.	Default value is null.
message_code	When an error occurs, the corresponding message code is stored.	Default value is null.
message_level	When an error occurs, the corresponding message code's severity is stored.	Default value is null.
error_type	When an error occurs, the error type is stored.	Default value is null. The error type will be in the following format. Example: “java.io.FileNotFoundException” The contents that will be stored may vary depending on DataSpider Servista versions.
error_message	When an error occurs, the error message is stored.	Default value is null. The contents that will be stored may vary depending on DataSpider Servista versions.
error_trace	When an error occurs, the error's trace information is stored.	Default value is null. The contents that will be stored may vary depending on DataSpider Servista versions and client applications.

Specification Limits

When running DataSpiderServer as Windows service and an account is specified in the service properties, GUI will not be launched even when you launch GUI application because communication with desktop is not allowed.

This operation cannot input data to standard input. Be careful when you launch a command to wait standard input.
[Wait until external application ends] is enabled: The script stops at Launch External Application operation. By terminating the script forcibly, it ends (abnormally) and the launched command ends as well.
[Wait until external application ends] is disabled: Though Launch External Application operation ends normally, the launched command does not end because it is processed in background. The process on OS remains. To end the launched command, forcibly terminate the process on OS.

Major Exceptions

Exception name	Cause	Solution
InvalidPropertyConfigurationException	[Launch command] is not specified.	Specify [Launch command].
LaunchException	The return value of the command is not 0.	Check the contents of the launched command.
LaunchTimeoutException	Command execution was not completed within [Timeout].	Check [Timeout].
java.io.IOException	Failed to launch the command.	Check [Launch command].

Notes

To launch built-in command of command prompt and shell, specify command prompt or shell for command, and launch the command from the command prompt or shell.
Example: To launch copy command
[Launched command]: cmd.exe
[Argument]: /C
[Argument]: copy
[Argument]: <argument of copy command>

The behavior when executing Windows standard ftp command (%windir%\System32\ftp.exe) specifying a launch option “-v” differs from the one when executing directly from Windows (e.g. using Run menu).
Specify -v option to display a response of remote server and do not specify -v option not to display it.

Do not set a file path including “=” (equal) to [Launch command].

When there is no permission to execute the external application, or when the primary group of the user running DataSpiderServer differs from that of the user created the external application, it cannot be executed.
In that case, grant an execute permission, or configure the users to belong to the same primary group.