[Tutor] independent process

[BELSEY, Dylan]

Hi Tutors,
	I need some advice on how to run an independent application from
within Python.
	Here is the scenario.  I am using WinNT, with Python 2.1.1 and
Tkinter (inc. Pmw) for my GUIs.  Currently I have created a GUI that has
three buttons on it.  The first button initiates a system command to create
a text file and a .dat file, from a binary file, by calling a prewritten C++
utility (in executable form).  The second button also runs a system command
to load a database using the .dat file.  The command looks something like: 

	"mysql < SignalRecording1.dat"

	It is the third button that I am having trouble with.  I need this
button, when pressed, to start up a front-end to the database, by calling
the front-end's executable.  Currently I am using MySQL-Front. I have put
the location of the .exe in an environment variable.  So I interrogate the
variable using: 

	self.DB_GUI = os.getenv("DB_GUI") 

and then run either: 

	os.system("%s" %(self.DB_GUI)) 
or 
	CommandEnv = os.popen3("%s" %(self.DB_GUI))

	My problem is that with either of these commands, the GUI containing
the buttons hangs until I close the MySQL-Front application.  Is there away
to spawn this as a totally independent process/application so that the user
can close the initial GUI or keep using it without having to quit the
front-end?  Note: I am using Windows.

	TIA,
		Dylan