Claims
- 1. A method for interacting with an external program from within another program executed by a computer, comprising the steps of:
receiving a first command from a user into a first program and initiating execution of a second program in the computer in response to the first command, wherein the first program communicates with the second program in a bi-directional manner; receiving a second command from a user into the first program and storing data in a retrieval buffer within the first program in response to the second command; receiving a third command from a user into the first program, retrieving the data stored in the retrieval buffer, and passing the retrieved data from the first program to the second program in response to the third command, wherein the second program interprets the passed data, performs one or more functions in response to the interpretation of the passed data, and returns output to the first program as a result of the performed functions.
- 2. The method of claim 1 above, wherein the first command identifies a name of the second program.
- 3. The method of claim 1 above, further comprising the steps of transmitting one or more currently selected lines from the first program to the second program, and adding the output received within the first program from the second program immediately following the currently selected lines in an file.
- 4. The method of claim 3, where the currently selected lines are selected lines from a previously identified input file.
- 5. The method of claim 3 above, further comprising the step of transmitting only input lines of the currently selected lines.
- 6. The method of claim 1 above, further comprising the steps of transmitting one or more currently selected lines from the first program to the second program, echoing the currently selected lines to the bottom of an file displayed by the first program, and adding the output received within the first program from the second program interleaved with the echoed lines.
- 7. The method of claim 6 above, further comprising the steps of:
changing the content of the currently selected line before transmitting it; and undoing a last set of changes to the currently selected line after transmitting it.
- 8. The method of claim 5 above, wherein the currently selected lines and the output received from the second program are added to a pre-assigned alternate first program window.
- 9. The method of claim 5 above, wherein the adding step further comprises the step of interleaving the output received within the first program from the second program at the bottom with the echoed lines from the first program at the bottom of the file.
- 10. The method of claim 7 above, further comprising the step of transmitting only input lines of the currently selected lines.
- 11. A computerized apparatus for interacting with an external program from within another program executed by a computer, comprising:
a computer having a memory; means, performed by the computer, for receiving a first command from a user into a first program and initiating execution of a second program in the computer in response to the first command, wherein the first program communicates with the second program in a bi-directional manner; means, performed by the computer, for receiving a second command from a user into the first program and storing data in a retrieval buffer within the first program in response to the second command; means, performed by the computer, for receiving a third command from a user into the first program, retrieving the data stored in the retrieval buffer, and passing the retrieved data from the first program to the second program in response to the third command, wherein the second program interprets the passed data, performs one or more functions in response to the interpretation of the passed data, and returns output to the first program as a result of the performed functions.
- 12. The computerized apparatus of claim 11 above, wherein the first command identifies a name of the second program.
- 13. The computerized apparatus of claim 11 above, further comprising the means for transmitting one or more currently selected lines from the first program to the second program, and adding the output received within the first program from the second program immediately following the currently selected lines in an file.
- 14. The computerized apparatus of claim 13, where the currently selected lines are selected lines from a previously identified input file.
- 15. The computerized apparatus of claim 13 above, further comprising the means for transmitting only input lines of the currently selected lines.
- 16. The computerized apparatus of claim 11 above, further comprising the means for transmitting one or more currently selected lines from the first program to the second program, echoing the currently selected lines to the bottom of an file displayed by the first program, and adding the output received within the first program from the second program interleaved with the echoed lines.
- 17. The computerized apparatus of claim 16 above, further comprising the steps of:
changing the content of the currently selected line before transmitting it; and undoing a last set of changes to the currently selected line after transmitting it.
- 18. The computerized apparatus of claim 15, wherein the currently selected lines and the output received from the second program are added to a pre-assigned alternate first program window.
- 19. The computerized apparatus of claim 15 above, wherein the means for adding further comprises the means for interleaving the output received within the first program from the second program at the bottom with the echoed lines from the first program at the bottom of the file.
- 20. The computerized apparatus of claim 17 above, further comprising the means for transmitting only input lines of the currently selected lines.
- 21. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer having a memory, the medium tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for interacting with an external program from within another program executed by a computer, comprising the steps of:
receiving a first command from a user into a first program and initiating execution of a second program in the computer in response to the first command, wherein the first program communicates with the second program in a bi-directional manner; receiving a second command from a user into the first program and storing data in a retrieval buffer within the first program in response to the second command; receiving a third command from a user into the first program, retrieving the data stored in the retrieval buffer, and passing the retrieved data from the first program to the second program in response to the third command, wherein the second program interprets the passed data, performs one or more functions in response to the interpretation of the passed data, and returns output to the first program as a result of the performed functions.
- 22. The article of manufacture of claim 21 above, wherein the first command identifies a name of the second program.
- 23. The article of manufacture of claim 21 above, further comprising the steps of transmitting one or more currently selected lines from the first program to the second program, and adding the output received within the first program from the second program immediately following the currently selected lines in an file.
- 24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, where the currently selected lines are selected lines from a previously identified input file.
- 25. The article of manufacture of claim 23 above, further comprising the step of transmitting only input lines of the currently selected lines.
- 26. The article of manufacture of claim 21 above, further comprising the steps of transmitting one or more currently selected lines from the first program to the second program, echoing the currently selected lines to the bottom of an file displayed by the first program, and adding the output received within the first program from the second program interleaved with the echoed lines.
- 27. The article of manufacture of claim 26 above, further comprising the steps of:
changing the content of the currently selected line before transmitting it; and undoing a last set of changes to the currently selected line after transmitting it.
- 28. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the currently selected lines and the output received from the second program are added to a pre-assigned alternate first program window.
- 29. The article of manufacture of claim 25 above, wherein the adding step further comprises the step of interleaving the output received within the first program from the second program at the bottom with the echoed lines from the first program at the bottom of the file.
- 30. The article of manufacture of claim 27 above, further comprising the step of transmitting only input lines of the currently selected lines.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to co-pending and commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on same date herewith, by Michael Golding, and entitled “A METHOD FOR RETRIEVING PREVIOUS INPUT COMMANDS TO AN EXTERNAL PROGRAM FROM AN EDITOR ENVIRONMENT”, which application is incorporated by reference herein.