Xojo, Linux, Shell command leaves a zombie process

General Programming
1

I thought it might be occasionally convenient to be able to put the Native Path to a file or directory icon onto the clipboard in one quick step. In a new Xojo project, I put one line of code into OpenDocument and made a short method "CopyPath(path as String):

OpenDocument:
CopyPath(Item.NativePath)

CopyPath(Path as String):
Dim sh as new shell
sh.Execute(“echo -n " + Chr(34) + Path + Chr(34) + " | xclip -selection clipboard”)
sh.close
quit

I put a launcher to the program on the desktop and it works fine. Except, that after it runs, it leasves the app process running (sleeping, 21MB of memory usage) and a Bash process running (zombie and N/A memory used). If I drag more files, one at a time, it still leaves only those two processes, not multiples.

If I comment out the “sh.Execute . . .” line, it does not leave anything running.
Is there something other than sh.close that will stop it? Any other ideas?

Xojo 2016r4 ( have licesnes up to 2019)
Debian 10 Linux and also happens on Mint 20, both with MATE

Thank you for your time,

Don Jungk

2

I’m not sure about the zombie shell processes but there is an API to put stuff on the clipboard:

dim oClip as new Clipboard
oClip.Text = fTarget.NativePath
oClip.Close
3

Hi Tim,
yes, thanks. I forgot to mention why I’m not using that.
On my Linux systems, if I put something on the clipboard that way, the clipboard is cleared when the app closes. This is true of most, but not all of the Linux progams that I have, not just Xojo apps. By using the xclip method, it persists, which is what I am trying to do. I assume that there is a declare to get around that, but I haven’t found it.
Also, typing the shell command into a terminal window does not leave the zombie process.

Don

4

Off the top of my head, have you tried issuing an Exit command in the shell before closing it?

5

I quickly googled the clipboard problem and found this:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ClipboardPersistence

6

Hi Jay and Tim.
The exit command didn’t, but the link to the article seems to have a lot of information. Parcellite will probabally work for me as it will fix a lot of programs. Thank you. I didn’t think to use the word "persistent when I searched. Thank you.

Don

7

Tim’s information gave me a way to do what I was trying to do, but there does still be a problem with the Xojo shell (with the versions that I have, up to 2019). I just checked a few other apps that I wrote and it seems they too leave a zombie bash process. I would guess it is not going to be an issue in most cases, just something curious.

Thanks Jay and Tim,

Don