File Locking (flocking)?

unfortunatly rebol does not have built-in support for file locking. However, I've found a couple of methods that seem to work: the easiest is to use functions like this try-get-filelock: func [ file ] [ not error? try [ make-dir rejoin [ %file-lock- file "/" ] ] ] free-filelock: func [ file ] [ delete rejoin [ %file-lock- file "/" ] return ] get-filelock: func [ file retries /local retry ] [ retry: 0 while [not try-get-filelock file] [ wait 0.5 if (retry: retry + 1) > retries [ return false ] ] return true ] and obtain the lock with a line something like this: if not get-filelock %msgboard.txt 40 [ print "---error---" quit ] possibly with extra code to email you notification when locking fails (in case an unattended script crashed without unlocking things). another alternative is to set up a server to handle requests for locks, and have the program query the server to lock files. an example of how to do this is provided below if you want to try that approach. REBOL [ Title: "REBOL Locking System" Date: 23-June-1999 File: %locker.r Author: "Cal Dixon" Email: [deadzaphod--hotmail--com] Version: 1.1 Purpose: "To provide functions for voluntary resource locking in rebol" Rights: { Copyright (c) 1999 Caleb Dixon. This version is free for ANY use. Do whatever you want with it as long as you don't claim to have created this. } Note: { Be sure to run the 'lock-server function in a separate rebol process before calling the other functions, they will fail if the server is not available. Once the server is running, you can just "do %locker.r" then use 'get-lock and 'free-lock in any script that needs resource locking. } Comment: "This version does not do enough error checking. This will be fixed later." ] ; change this line if you want to use a port other than 7007 for this service. if not value? 'rebol-lock-port [rebol-lock-port: 7007] lock-server: function [ {Handles requests to lock and unlock named resources.} ] [] [ locks: make block! [] version: 1 listener: open/lines join tcp://: rebol-lock-port while [true] [ while [true] [ conn: first listener wait conn if error? try [ req: load first conn ] [ req: "ERROR" ] if all [ (block? req) (>= (length? req) 2 ) ] [ break ] close conn ] probe req if (= to-lit-word (pick req 1) 'lock) [ if none? find locks (pick req 2) [ append locks reduce [ (pick req 2) true ] ] if (available: do rejoin [ "locks/" (pick req 2) ]) [ do rejoin [ "locks/" (pick req 2) ": false" ] ] insert conn rejoin [ "[" available "]" ] ] if (= to-lit-word (pick req 1) 'free) [ do rejoin [ "locks/" (pick req 2) ": true" ] insert conn "[ true ]" ] if (= to-lit-word (pick req 1) 'version) [ insert conn rejoin [ "[ " (>= version (pick req 2)) " ]" ] ] close conn ] ;end while loop ] ;end lock-server function try-obtain-lock: function [ "Attempt to lock a named resource" whichword [word!] /server "Use specific lockserver instead of localhost:7007" servname [url!] "Address of lockserver" ] [ conn r ] [ either server [ conn: open/lines servname ] [ conn: open/lines join tcp://localhost: rebol-lock-port ] insert conn rejoin [ "[lock " whichword "]" ] r: do load first conn close conn return r ] get-lock: function [ "Attempt to lock a named resource, and retry if it is not available" whichword [word!] retries [integer!] /server "Use specific lockserver instead of localhost:7007" servname [url!] "Address of lockserver" ] [ gotit ] [ either server [ while [ not (gotit: try-obtain-lock/server whichword servname) ] [ if (retries < 1) [ return gotit ] retries: retries - 1 wait 1 ] ] [ while [ not (gotit: try-obtain-lock whichword) ] [ if (retries < 1) [ return gotit ] retries: retries - 1 wait 1 ] ] gotit ] free-lock: function [ "Free a named resource" whichword [word!] /server "Use specific lockserver instead of localhost:7007" servname [url!] "Address of lockserver" ] [ conn r ] [ either server [ conn: open/lines servname ] [ conn: open/lines join tcp://localhost: rebol-lock-port ] insert conn rejoin [ "[free " whichword "]" ] r: do load first conn close conn return r ] check-lock-server: function [ "Check for the presence of a usable lock-server" /server "Use specific lockserver instead of localhost:7007" servname [url!] "Address of lockserver"] [ conn versionok ] [ either server [ if error? try [ conn: open/lines servname ] [ return false ] ] [ if error? try [ conn: open/lines join tcp://localhost: rebol-lock-port ] [ return false ] ] insert conn "[version 1]" if error? try [ versionok: do load first conn ] [ return false ] close conn return versionok ] _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.