From: Michael Kelly <mkelly2002NOSPAM@...>
Date: 2001-12-31T03:00:30+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:29735] Re: Communicating with C/C++ program

On 30 Dec 2001 06:39:57 -0800, hubert@cs.nyu.edu (Hubert Hung-Hsien
Chang) wrote:

>What if I want not only to issue a command from C and ask Ruby to do something
>but also getting the result from Ruby? Is socket the only way to do it?

On Win32 the most common communication techniques between
processes are messaging and memory mapped files.  You can send
another window(belonging to another application) a message
signifying a command and possibly get the data back by
sending a WM_COPYDATA message.  Or you can use
a memory mapped file as a communcation area between
the processes.  The memory mapped files sound harder
to use than they really are.  You can use a file handle
of -1 to create shared memory backed by the system
swap file.  In the shared memory you can create
data structures etc..

Usually you synchronize reads and writes to the
memory mapped file using a mutex.  You can
probably find an IDispatch-based memory
mapped file component freeware.  Then
you just create an instance of it from any
programming language that can use
IDispatch.  I know Ruby can using the
WIN32OLE module.


Mike

--

"I don't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member."
    -- Groucho Marx