ExecDos creates an empty file in $EXEDIR

I'm trying to make a GUI 🙄 for a console application.
The problem is that ExecDos creates an empty file with a random (?) number name in the $EXEDIR. 🤪
nsExec & ExecCmd haven't function "isDone", which is needed for further use.

Here's just an example script:

OutFile test.exe
!include FileFunc.nsh
!include LogicLib.nsh
!include nsDialogs.nsh
Page custom window
Var hwnd_func_load
Function .onInit
InitPluginsDir
GetTempFileName $R3 $PLUGINSDIR
StrLen $R2 $EXEDIR
IntOp $R2 $R2 + 1
FunctionEnd
Function window
nsDialogs::Create 1018
${NSD_CreateGroupBox} 0 0 100% 100% 'test'
GetFunctionAddress $hwnd_func_load load
nsDialogs::CreateTimer $hwnd_func_load 1
nsDialogs::Show
FunctionEnd
Function load
nsDialogs::KillTimer $hwnd_func_load
FileOpen $R1 $R3 w
${Locate} '$EXEDIR' '/L=F /M=*.txt' writeLine
FileClose $R1
ExecDos::exec '$SYSDIR\\sort.exe "$R3" /o "$R3"'
FunctionEnd
Function writeLine
StrCpy $R8 $R8 '' $R2
${If} $R8 == ''
FileWrite $R1 ' $R7$\r$\n'
${Else}
FileWrite $R1 '\$R8\$R7$\r$\n'
${EndIf}
Push $0
FunctionEnd
Section
SectionEnd 

Any ideas? 😕

What exactly do you need/want to accomplish?

I just want to understand why these empty files are created and how can I fix it 🙂
Other functions and macros that goes after, doesn't matter, because they don't affect the bug.

First idea is to read ExecDos manual 😉 http://nsis.sourceforge.net/ExecDos_plug-in
If you want to have a file with your application output, you must define 3 parameters in plug-in's command line. Now I see one only - this work if utility' output goes not to file, options are [/TOSTACK | /DETAILED | /TOWINDOW | /TOFUNC]. In your code plug-in gets some garbage from stack and creates output file in current folder with this name, but 'sort' utility probably not produces any output - this is why file is empty.
isDone may have sence with /ASYNC option only.
Very good idea is to check plug-in exit code (Pop) - this a) will give you info about operation complition; b) will remove exit code value from installer stack and subsequent stack operations will be more reliable.

I've read, but did not notice that 3 parameters are required 😳

Спасибо 😉

I've got a similar problem.
I want to write the output of the program I'm calling to a text file.
The installer executes and the file will be created, but then the installer remains in a infinite loop.

ExecDos::exec "wmic" "PATH Win32_DiskDrive WHERE InterfaceType!='USB' GET DeviceID /VALUE" "C:\test.txt"



Pop $R0

MessageBox MB_OK "Exit code $R0"

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks 🙂

CJ

Ok, the task manager shows that wmic.exe is still running.
Any ideas why it doesn't end?

Using nsExec plugin wmic ends normally. But I'm not able to get the output of the function call in a file. If I'm using ">FILE" the call fails...

nsExec runs the exe directly, you need to use %comspec% /c if you want redirection

See attached screenshot. You started wmic in a 'dialog' mode, so it waits for termination signal. BTW $\n required in stdin line if you want the string to be sent to application. But simplest way is to do everything in command line

ExecDos::exec "wmic PATH Win32_DiskDrive WHERE InterfaceType!='USB' GET DeviceID /VALUE" "" "$EXEDIR\stdout.txt"

Added: interesting situation, I could make it working with ExecCmd plug-in only (ExecCmd::exec "wmic PATH Win32_DiskDrive WHERE InterfaceType!='USB' GET DeviceID /VALUE >stdout.txt" "" "$EXEDIR\stdout.txt"). May be wmic require terminal emulation.

Added: interesting situation, I could make it working with ExecCmd plug-in only (ExecCmd::exec "wmic PATH Win32_DiskDrive WHERE InterfaceType!='USB' GET DeviceID /VALUE >stdout.txt" "" "$EXEDIR\stdout.txt"). May be wmic require terminal emulation. [/B]

Yeah, it's kind of interesting. ^^'
I've tried your code and I thing it's working but the correct command would be:

ExecCmd::exec "wmic PATH Win32_DiskDrive WHERE InterfaceType!='USB' GET DeviceID /VALUE >stdout.txt"

The last two paramteres are not needed.

It's not the cleanest method - I think - but I'm really happy it's working. 🙂 Thank you. 🙂