Problem using HOST

Question

Hi Folks.
I am running a form module that iterates through a bunch of e-mail addresses. For each address it creates a list of associated invoices. It then zips the invoices and emails them out to the current e-mail address.
Currently this process if for about 150 e-mail addresses. Each of them is supposed to have their own invoices only.
The problem I have is that the .zip file is not being overwritten by the process so I decided to put in the following call using HOST...
PROCEDURE kill_old_zip_pu_p IS
v_host_command           VARCHAR2(100);
BEGIN
v_host_command := 'del \\ALDER\d$\FCSS\DB_SCRIPTS\invoices.zip';
HOST (v_host_command, NO_SCREEN);
IF NOT Form_Success THEN
     Message('Zip not deleted');
END IF;
END;
The program unit is called before the new zip file is created. The theory being that, having deleted the file, there will be no doubt that the newly created file will contain only the invoices I have selected for it.
The problem I have is that the above code does not actually delete the requested file.
I have supplied, in this example, the full network path name. If I enter this command on the client or the server in the MS_DOS prompt window it executes perfectly.
I can't help feeling there is some little thing I am missing.
Can anyone help?
Many thanks
Simon Gadd

Answer 1

Perhaps a problem with blanks in your filename?
We are using
HOST('CMD /C "DEL /F '||l_file_name||'"', NO_SCREEN);,
which works perfect on Win2000.