Ruby Equivalent to Python os.startfile ?

[Wesley Rishel]

In Windows cmd.exe, if I enter the name of a file with a Windows
extension, Windows will start the file as if I double clicked on it in
Windows explorer. E.g.

D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My Documents/DailyNotes>070701.doc
[Word starts and opens the file 070701.doc]

In Python I can achieve the same result by using

os.startfile("D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc")

However I have not been able to find the equivalent method in Ruby.

Exec gives Errno::ENOEXEC: Exec format error

Any suggestions?

 

[Bill Kelly]

In Windows cmd.exe, if I enter the name of a file with a Windows
extension, Windows will start the file as if I double clicked on it in
Windows explorer. E.g.

D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My Documents/DailyNotes>070701.doc
[Word starts and opens the file 070701.doc]

Seems to work on XP:

system("start D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc")


Hope this helps,

Bill

 

[Wesley Rishel]

Bill -- thanks very helpful. At least on my XP system it takes two more
tweaks to make it work, or a tweak and a counter-tweak.

Tweak: For some reason, on my system, system() and exec() don't handle
the path with embedded spaces properly. I have to wrap the path in
double-quote marks.

Counter-tweak: The Windows command language, well known as a bastion of
inconsistency , treats the first parameter of a Start command
differently when it is enclosed in quotes. It becomes the title for the
Window.

This adaptation of your suggestion seems to work for me.

system('start "" "D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc"')

In Windows cmd.exe, if I enter the name of a file with a Windows
extension, Windows will start the file as if I double clicked on it in
Windows explorer. E.g.

D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My Documents/DailyNotes>070701.doc
[Word starts and opens the file 070701.doc]

Seems to work on XP:

system("start D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc")


Hope this helps,

Bill

 

[SonOfLilit]

Does

system('start D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My\
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc')

work?

I think I've seen this use, though rethinking it doesn't make much sense now :S


Aur

Bill -- thanks very helpful. At least on my XP system it takes two more
tweaks to make it work, or a tweak and a counter-tweak.

Tweak: For some reason, on my system, system() and exec() don't handle
the path with embedded spaces properly. I have to wrap the path in
double-quote marks.

Counter-tweak: The Windows command language, well known as a bastion of
inconsistency , treats the first parameter of a Start command
differently when it is enclosed in quotes. It becomes the title for the
Window.

This adaptation of your suggestion seems to work for me.

system('start "" "D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc"')

In Windows cmd.exe, if I enter the name of a file with a Windows
extension, Windows will start the file as if I double clicked on it in
Windows explorer. E.g.

D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My Documents/DailyNotes>070701.doc
[Word starts and opens the file 070701.doc]

Seems to work on XP:

system("start D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc")


Hope this helps,

Bill

 

[Rishel,Wes]

Thanks. I found that this approach needs a couple of tweaks:

Tweak: For some reason, on my system, system() and exec() don't handle
the path with embedded spaces properly. I have to wrap the path in
double-quote marks.

Counter-tweak: The Windows command language, well known as a bastion of
consistency , treats the first parameter of a Start command
differently when it is enclosed in quotes. It becomes the title for the
Window.

This adaptation of your suggestion seems to work for me.

system('start "" "D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc"')


-----Original Message-----
From: SonOfLilit [mailto:[email protected]]=20
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 11:33 AM
To: ruby-talk ML
Subject: Re: Ruby Equivalent to Python os.startfile ?

Does

system('start D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My\
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc')

work?

I think I've seen this use, though rethinking it doesn't make much sense
now :S


Aur

Bill -- thanks very helpful. At least on my XP system it takes two more
tweaks to make it work, or a tweak and a counter-tweak.

Tweak: For some reason, on my system, system() and exec() don't handle
the path with embedded spaces properly. I have to wrap the path in
double-quote marks.

Counter-tweak: The Windows command language, well known as a bastion of
inconsistency , treats the first parameter of a Start command
differently when it is enclosed in quotes. It becomes the title for the
Window.

This adaptation of your suggestion seems to work for me.

system('start "" "D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc"')

In Windows cmd.exe, if I enter the name of a file with a Windows
extension, Windows will start the file as if I double clicked on it in
Windows explorer. E.g.

D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My Documents/DailyNotes>070701.doc
[Word starts and opens the file 070701.doc]

Seems to work on XP:

system("start D:/Documents and Settings/WRishel/My
Documents/DailyNotes/070701.doc")


Hope this helps,

Bill

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