Opening a .html file from the console

Hey everyone. My game's compiler is written in C++ in the console, and because of that, I can't do any graphics. But in the compiler, I need sort of a "Preview" mode, so I can generate a .html file that shows a preview of the map. Last time I tried this, it worked pretty well, except for one thing.

When I opened the .html file from the console when other internet explorer windows were open, it said the file was not found. When I opened the .html file from the console when no other internet explorer windows were open, it worked just fine. Why is this happening?

I'm using an ofstream in text mode, writing the HTML, and then using the system() function to open it.

Thanks!

show me your system() line of code,
i think i know what your problem is but i dont
want to comment on it till i see the code.

Here's the code I used. I commented out all the outputting, so it's easier to read.

Code:

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        ofstream Out;
        Out.open( "MapDraft.html", ios::out );

        // Writing html code to the file...

        Out.close();

        cout << "Now displaying Draft of Map ID " << MapID << '.' << endl;
        cout << "Note: This might not work if any other Internet Explorer windows are open." << endl;

        system( "MapDraft.html" );
        remove( "MapDraft.html" );

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Code:

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system( "MapDraft.html" );

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Try

Code:

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system("explorer MapDraft.html");

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Thanks! I'll try that when I get back to my compiler...

...but why would it matter? Doesn't it open .html files with explorer by default?

My guess would be that the line remove("MapDraft.html") deletes the file before IE gains access.

If you are on windows, I'd recommend ShellExecute to open a html file

http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/...&id=1043284392

If you have opera or firefox, then the system("explorer MapDraft.html"); wont open it in your default browser, ShellExecute will

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Verdagon

...but why would it matter? Doesn't it open .html files with explorer by default?

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depends on what the default browser is, AFAIK

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Finneous

My guess would be that the line remove("MapDraft.html") deletes the file before IE gains access.

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I don't think system() returns until the process it calls returns...

Quote:

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I don't think system() returns until the process it calls returns...

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I just tried it, and it does. Use system("pause") after lauching the html file and you should do fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Finneous

I just tried it, and it does. Use system("pause") after lauching the html file and you should do fine.

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you seem to be right... but I would suggest not using system("pause"), and instead using cin.get();

I would avoid using any system calls if at all possible. Fordy already gave you an alternative for windows.