Short:        Launch Windows Apps From UAE (+Source)
Author:       Mark Harman
Uploader:     Mark Harman (mark harman ntlworld com)
Type:         util/misc
Version:      1.1
Architecture: m68k-amigaos

This is a simple utility for WinUAE ( http://www.winuae.net ) that allows 
you to launch Windows programs from within WinUAE. One possible use of this 
is setting up programs such as email and news clients to launch URLs under 
your Windows browser when you double click on them.

Installation
============
- Copy winlaunch to c: on the Amiga side (or somewhere in your path).
- Copy winlaunch.alib into a drawer named 'winuae_dll' (create it if it does 
  not exist) in your WinUAE folder on the Windows side (eg,
  c:winuaewinuae_dll).

Additional Files In The Archive
===============================

- gotoURL.rx : A replacement ARexx script for programs such as YAM
  (rename to 'GotoURL.yam') and NewsCoaster to make URLs open under Windows
  when you doubleclick on them.
- The source, along with some documentation which hopefully helps to explain
  how to use WinUAE's native interface :)

Usage
=====

Run with:

winlaunch command

To launch 'command' under Windows. For example:

winlaunch notepad
winlaunch http://www.amiga.com

Or more generally:

winlaunch [/FLAG] command [parm1 [parm2 [ ... ] ] ]

I.e., you can list as many parameters as you like to be passed to the Windows
command.

An optional FLAG may be passed as follows:

/SW_HIDE
/SW_MAXIMIZE
/SW_MINIMIZE
/SW_RESTORE
/SW_SHOW
/SW_SHOWDEFAULT
/SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED
/SW_SHOWMINIMIZED
/SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE
/SW_SHOWNA
/SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE
/SW_SHOWNORMAL

This flag will be passed as the "nShowCmd" argument to the "ShellExecute"
function under Windows. See
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb762153(VS.85).aspx for details. The
default is SW_SHOWNORMAL.

For example:

winlaunch /SW_SHOWNA notepad

To launch notepad in the background, without minimizing WinUAE (note that this
doesn't seem to work with all Windows applications - some will always force
their window to the front, and minimize WinUAE).

Limitations
===========

One might think that one use of this would be to launch/view files with
Windows programs (eg, viewing a movie or editing an image). But 
unfortunately there is the problem that the paths used by Windows and
AmigaOS-under-WinUAE are different; you have to give the Windows path for
any filenames given as parameters. And indeed, if you are using a hardfile
rather than a Windows directories under WinUAE, then there's no way that
the file can be accessed at all.

As a result, the usefulness of the utility is limited, but hopefully some
might fine it useful :)

History
=======

Version 1.1 (2009/01/31)

ADDED "FLAG" option.

Version 1.0 (2003/06/24)

First release.

Other Information
=================

This has been tested on WinUAE 0.8.22r7, running with Windows 2000 and XP,and
AmigaOS 3.9. Please send bug reports, suggestions etc to me at mark dot harman
at ntlworld dot com. If it fails to work, please tell me what command(s) you
were trying, what text it outputted, along with details of your system.

WinLaunch was compiled using StormC 3 and Borland C++ 4.

Mark
31 January 2009
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mark.harman/