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1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data:
"Your a7.c program should use printf to print a nice message. (You can decide what to say.) Then the process should use the fork system call to create a child process. Then, your code should do different things depending on whether the process is the parent or the child:

The parent should print one more message (using printf) saying that it is the parent, what its PID is, and what its child's PID is. It should then contain the command sleep(4).

The child process should use the excel system call to load and run your a7.sh script.

The a7.sh script is the first half of the homework that I have already completed and it simply is a script that contains a function that uses three different parameters that are integers, such as 17 5 and 23. There are multiple conditions that I had to be met and if the parameters met any of these conditions, it would return a certain exit status that I set myself, such as return 0, return 1, return 2, etc..

I bolded the last past because that is where I'm stuck on. I cannot figure out how to use the execl system call to load and run my a7.sh script.


2. Relevant commands, code, scripts, algorithms:
Everything is being in a bash shell.

This is a7.sh:

Code:

sameNos() {
     if [ $# -eq 3 ];
          if [[ $1 == $2 && $1 == $3 && $2 == $3 ]];
               return 0;
          elif [[ ( $1 == $2 ) || ( $1 == $3 || ( $2 == $3 ) ]];
               return 1;
          else
               return 2;
          fi
     else
               return 3;
     fi
}

a=17
b=5
c=23
sameNose $a $b $c
estat=$?
echo $estat
if [ $estat -eq 3 ]; then
     echo "There are not three parameters"
elif [ $estat -eq 0 ]; then
     echo "All three parameters have equal values"
elif [ $estat -eq 1 ]; then
     echo "At least two of three parameters have equal values"
else
     echo "Conditions are not met"
fi

3. The attempts at a solution (include all code and scripts):

Now here's the code I have for a7.c, the second half of the assignment.

Code:

#include <stdio.h> //print()
#include <unistd.h> //fork()
#include <stdlib.h>

int main(void){
     printf("It is a nice day today. ");
     pid_t p;

     p = fork();
     if (p > 0){  //this is PARENT
          printf("This is the PARENT, the PID is %d , the CHILD PID is %d\n", getpid(), p);
          sleep(4);
     }

     else if (p == 0) //this is CHILD
          execl("/home/dl121/cs371/assn7", "a7.sh", NULL); //First part is the directory a7.sh is in, the second part is the actual script to be run
     }

I bolded the part that is not giving me any results. I compiled a7.c in the file directory using (cc -o a7.out a7.c) and ran a7.out. It gives me output for the PARENT process, and it gives me the correct output for it. However, after it sleeps, nothing happens in the CHILD process. It just ends. It does not run my a7.sh script at all. I made sure that it was even making it that far through the program by printing a statement below the execl system call, and it does make it that far. I am not getting any errors or anything, but it's obviously not running my a7.sh script. I just can't understand how execl works and what exactly needs to be put in the ( ) to run whatever I want to run. The only example done in class by the professor was calling the ps command which is a command and not a script.

4. Complete Name of School (University), City (State), Country, Name of Professor, and Course Number (Link to Course):
Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL, USA, MCQUILLAN, CS371


Any help would be great. This is my final assignment of the semester and I've done great up until this part. I think my problem should be pretty simple to solve. I've spent a lot of time on this assignment and this is the last problem that needs to be fixed. Thanks in advance!