Mike....

  I noticed your msg in the programming echo, however you said
  something about REXX not being able to communicate with another
  process (or I read it wrong..).

  You can use Queues to send messages back and forth between the
  calling program and any thread that you may have started with the
  process by setting the queue in both via the RXQUEUE function
  (sp?). The process does not have to be a thread either as long as
  you sync the queue names on both to be the same. If you want to
  time it out, then if you use a timer on the parent to time the
  process and a loop in the thread to check the queue, then simply
  stuffing a value in there to be read by the Queue function can do
  it, and if the value matches the timeout, exit the thread. I use
  this method in my Keep'n It Simple program which allows it to be
  reconfigured on the fly. The queue tells the thread that the
  configuration program is running, and when it exits it empties the
  queue which the thread reads and reinit's the INI values that were
  changed in it then restarts itself.

  Hope this helps!

 * OLX 2.2 * Responsibility in Life: Vote LIbertarian.
--- KBBS vZ.20p (#ARI-00099)