Appendix B: 4D using command lines

You can use the Mac OS Terminal or the Windows console to drive your 4D applications (4D and 4D Server) using command lines. More particularly, this functionality allows you to open a database remotely, which can be especially useful for administering Web servers.

You can execute commands lines for 4D applications using the Mac OS X Terminal or the Windows console.

• Under OS X, you should use the open command.
• Under Windows, you can just pass the arguments directly.

Note: Under OS X, you can pass the arguments directly by going to the folder where the application is found inside the package (Contents/MacOS path). For example, if the 4D package is located in the MyFolder folder, you must write the command line as follows: /MyFolder/4D.app/Contents/MacOS/4D &. However, we recommend that you use the open command.

Here is a description of command lines and their arguments which are supported by 4D applications. These examples assume that your 4D application is stored on the desktop and that the database to be opened is found in the "Documents" folder.

Note: The current folder of the user is reached using the "~ " command under OS X and the "%HOMEPATH%" command under Windows.

• Launch application
  Syntax: applicationPath
  OS X Example:
  
  open ~/Desktop/4D.app
  
  Windows Example:
  
  %HOMEPATH%\Desktop\4D\4D.exe
  
  The action of this command is identical to double-clicking the 4D application. The application is executed and the select database dialog box appears.

• Launch application with a structure file
  Syntax: applicationPath[--structure] structurePath| packagePath
  OS X Example:
  
  open ~/Desktop/4D.app --args ~/Documents/myDB.4dbase
  
  Windows Example:
  
  %HOMEPATH%\Desktop\4D\4D.exe %HOMEPATH%\Documents\myDB.4dbase\myDB.4db
  
  This command launches the application and opens the designated structure file with the current data file. No dialog box appears.

• Launch application with a structure file and a data file
  Syntax: applicationPath --structure structurePath | packagePath --data dataPath
  OS X Example:
  
  open ~/Desktop/4D.app --args --structure ~/Documents/myBase.4dbase --data ~/Documents/data/myData.4DD
  
  Windows Example:
  
  %HOMEPATH%\Desktop\4D\4D.exe --structure %HOMEPATH%\Documents\myBase.4dbase\myDB.4db --data %HOMEPATH%\Documents\data\myData.4DD
or:
%HOMEPATH%\Desktop\4D\4D.exe /structure %HOMEPATH%\Documents\myBase.4dbase\myDB.4db /data %HOMEPATH%\Documents\data\myData.4DD
  
  This command launches the application and opens the designated structure file with the selected data file. No dialog box appears.

• Quit application (OS X only)
  Syntax: kill -s INT process_ID
  Example:
  
  kill -s INT 323
  
  The action of this command is identical to selecting the Quit command. The processes are shut down one by one; the cache is saved; and the application quits.
  Note: The process number of the 4D application (process_ID) can be obtained using commands such as ps or top.