You can launch selected programs from within Convert XLS such as command.com (which allows you to copy, delete, rename files/folders), allowing you to use command line arguments and run batch files, or any other applications you have on your computer, such as MS Word, Excel, etc.
Once you've selected ‘Special Process “[60] (*.*) Launch (Run) a program” the screen displays the following.
Application Name: Either type in or browse for the path and name of the application to run. This can be any application installed on your computer or the command interpreter. If you click the launch button now (
found at the right side of the Application Name text box), the application will open for your use without displaying a specific file or doing a task.
Choosing the command interpreter (command.com or cmd.exe) lets you utilize command line arguments (DOS commands). There are differences between command.com and cmd.exe on Windows NT systems having to do with environment variables. For example, using command.com limits the user to the eight-dot-three DOS naming convention whereas cmd.exe is not subject to that constraint. Thus a filename like ‘totalOf8.txt’ works for command.com or cmd.exe, but a lengthy name like ‘totalOfTen.txt’ would work only with cmd.exe. Depending on how your system is configured, you may find that command.com works in some but not all situations. If that is the case, try the same command line arguments substituting cmd.exe for the application name.
Command Line Arguments: Traditional DOS commands can be utilized here to do such tasks as copying, deleting, making directories, running batch files, etc. Begin each command with ‘/c’ if a string follows. Note: Per normal DOS naming conventions, file names must not exceed eight characters plus a three character extension (e.g. ‘eightchar.txt’) if you are using the command.com interpreter. If the path to and name of a file is placed here without any other arguments, the application will launch and open the file.
Window State: Choose from Hidden, Normal, Maximized or Minimized. Note that some programs will override this selection and open in their initially preferred state.
Thread Priority: Choose from Idle, Normal, High Priority or Realtime Priority.
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Idle |
Process whose threads run only when the system is idle. The threads of the process are preempted by the threads of any process running in a higher priority class. |
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Normal |
Process with no special scheduling needs. |
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High Priority |
Process that performs time-critical tasks that must be executed immediately. The threads of the process preempt the threads of normal or idle priority class processes. |
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Realtime Priority |
Process that has the highest possible priority. The threads of the process preempt the threads of all other processes, including operating system processes performing important tasks. |
Time to wait for completion before doing next task: The maximum length of time in seconds a process will run before moving on to the next task in the Conversion Task list. Use -1 if you don’t want to impose a time limit.