BUG: Redirection of Input to a Spawned PowerStation App Fails

• Microsoft FORTRAN PowerStation for MS-DOS, version 1.0 and 1.0a

SYMPTOMS

PowerStation applications spawned with either SYSTEMQQ or RUNQQ hang when input is redirected from a file. Also, the input is split and directed at both the application and the console.

CAUSE

The MS-DOS extender that comes with PowerStation does not handle console input the same way as MS-DOS does. The hang occurs because the spawned application is waiting for an end-of-file (EOF).

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in FORTRAN PowerStation version 1.0 and version 1.0a for MS-DOS.

This is not a problem in FORTRAN PowerStation 32.

MORE INFORMATION

Applications that are not MS-DOS extended handle redirection input incorrectly when spawned with RUNQQ or SYSTEMQQ.

To demonstrate the problem, follow these steps:

1. Copy both sample programs into the same directory.

2. Compile both TEST.FOR and B.FOR with FORTRAN PowerStation 1.0 for MS-DOS.

3. Run TEST.EXE.

Sample Code #1 (TEST.FOR)

C No compiler options required

      include 'flib.fi'
      include 'flib.fd'
      if(.not.SystemQQ('b < test.for')) print*, 'systemqq failed'
      end

Sample Code #2 (B.FOR)

C No compiler options required

      character*20 c
      ierr = 0
      do while(ierr.ne.-1)
        read(*,"(a)",iostat=ierr) c
        print*, c
      end do
      end