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Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

Title:	DECWINDOWS 26-JAN-89 to 29-NOV-90
Notice:	See 1639.0 for VMS V5.3 kit; 2043.0 for 5.4 IFT kit
Moderator:	STAR::VATNE

Created:	Mon Oct 30 1989
Last Modified:	Mon Dec 31 1990
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3726
Total number of notes:	19516

2202.0. "DECwindows applications can't see logical name definitions?" by CANOE::SHARP (Yow! I am having fun!) Mon Feb 05 1990 12:46

I have an old habit of defining logical device names as shorthand for 
subdirectories.  E.g. w: is defined as USER01:[SHARP.WORK].  This saves
typing.  When I'm in DECterm MAIL for instance, I can say extract/nohead
w:test.txt to put the current message in USER01:[SHARP.WORK]TEST.TXT

However, for some reason this doesn't work with DECwindows applications.
When I try it in the extract window of DECwindows MAIL I get the message 

Error opening w:test.txt
no such device or address

This happens with all the DECwindows applications I've tried it with (MAIL,
NOTES, FileView etc.)

I'm currently running VMS V5.3, but the same problem happened with V5.2

Any ideas what the problem might be?

Thanks,
Don

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
2202.1		DECWIN::FISHER	Burns Fisher 381-1466, ZKO3-4/W23	`Mon Feb 05 1990 13:07`	3
	Try making your definitions in DECW$LOGIN.COM. Burns
2202.2		SMAUG::MENDEL	I don't want to burn in Paradise!	`Tue Feb 06 1990 12:47`	2
	Are these things being started with the Apllication pull-down on the Session Manager?
2202.3		CANOE::SHARP	Yow! I am having fun!	`Wed Feb 07 1990 09:50`	10
	These applications are in the AutoStart list. The logicals are defined in a command procedure which is called from DECW$LOGIN.COM - does it make a difference whether they're defined at top level or in a subprocedure? (It never has made a difference in the DCL environment.) thanks for the help don
2202.4		CANOE::SHARP	Yow! I am having fun!	`Wed Feb 07 1990 09:52`	4
	oh, I've tried starting the applications from the Application pull-down menu also, with no different results. don
2202.5	seems to work for me	CB750C::BOLGATZ		`Mon Feb 12 1990 09:10`	7
	interesting... on VMS fileselection simply calls lib$find_file... for me, mail correctly picks up my private directory logicals (i.e. "work" = "gmf$:[bolgatz.work]") defined in my login.com. Jay
2202.6		SMAUG::MENDEL	I don't want to burn in Paradise!	`Mon Feb 12 1990 12:43`	11
	My guess is that something is happenning in your LOGIN.COM. Login.COM gets executed in the process created by SM, but the terminal is a mailbox for receiving commands. You need to be sure that the LOGIN.COM isn't crapping out on you. Try (first) putting some sort of signal in your logical definition procedure so that you can tell if/when it runs. Like maybe REPLY/USER=SHARP "Hello!" at the beginning. Kevin
2202.7		CANOE::SHARP	Yow! I am having fun!	`Fri Feb 16 1990 11:58`	14
	I put "set verify" in my login.com procedure, and when I check the sys$login:decw$sm.log file all the actions I expect have taken place. In fact, there are some logical name definitions in the early part of the login.com procedure that are used by later parts, and execute correctly. Yet still the logicals defined aren't accessible to applications. Another point, the last thing my login procedure does is set the default directory to a subdirectory, [SHARP.WORK]. This doesn't come up as the default file filter when I use commands from the "File" pulldown menu. Is it worth the experiment to "flatten out" my login.com procedure so that everything is called from top level rather than in subprocedures? Don
2202.8	too simple?	NECSC::LEVY	Everybody's doin' that rag	`Mon Feb 26 1990 12:35`	6
	This may be too simple, but how are you making the definitions? I'd bet that a simple DEFINE in your login might not be available to applications, but a DEFINE/JOB could do the trick. - Dave
2202.9		SMAUG::MENDEL	I don't want to burn in Paradise!	`Mon Feb 26 1990 13:38`	6
	When you start an application, it creates yet another process. This process is the one in which the application executes. It executes LOGIN.COM also, so that is where it gets the logical definitions. However, since this time SYS$OUTPUT is a mailbox, many LOGIN.COM procedures crap out at this time. Kevin