Name: launch

Type: command

Syntax: launch [<documentPath> with] <applicationPath> 

Summary: Starts up an application, optionally opening a document in the application.

Introduced: 1.0

OS: mac,windows,linux

Platforms: desktop,server,web

Security: process

Example:
launch "SimpleText"

Example:
launch "/Documents/Projects/test.txt" with myApp

Example:
launch it with (field "Application")

Parameters:
documentPath: The location and name of a file to open with the specified application. If no path is specified, the launch command assumes that the file is in the defaultFolder.
applicationPath: The location and name of the application to start up. If no path is specified, the launch command assumes that the application is in the defaultFolder.

The result: >*Note:*  On Mac OS systems, if the application is already running, the <launch> command does nothing, and "Process is already open." is placed in the result function. On Windows and Linux, an additional instance of the application will start.

Description:
Use the <launch> <command> to start an application for the user to use.

When the <launch> command executes, the application being launched comes to the foreground. When the user quits, LiveCode comes to the foreground.

If no <documentPath> is specified, the following two statements are equivalent:

launch application
open process application for neither

>*Note:*  On OS X systems, you can use the <launch> command to start up an application, but not a Unix process. To work with a Unix process, use the shell function instead.

>*Tip:*  On Windows systems, you can also start up an application by using the shell function with the Windows "start" command:

get shell("start MyProgram.exe")

References: hideConsoleWindows (property), secureMode (property), launch url (command), kill (command), launch document (command), shell (function), command (glossary)
