XOM API for Processing XML with Java

[Steve Loughran <steve.loughran AT gmail.com>]

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 13:52:54 -0700, Mike Fitzgerald <mikefz AT wyeast.net> wrote:
> Here is a Saturday, off-topic question: how do you handle exit values from 
> an external Java program, other than by the exitValue() method of 
> java.lang.Process? Forgive me for asking here. I do so because there are 
> venerable Java programmers on this list. Any hints welcome.

1. better off asking the ant mail lists; they encounter that stuff more often.

2. all you have is the exit value from the exec call

3. The OS intervenes, and you cannot guarantee that what the forked
java app returned is what you see. VMS is a notorious case in point
here, but even unixes like hpux are funny. HPUX returns 255 when you
exit with -1, which shows that the return must be a byte and no more.

If you want to do something more complex between apps, use RMI or just
have it write out a property file, xml file, or the like.