OS Call using javascript

Yes you can do that.
One way to do it is to make an HTTP request, like this:

function FORM_OnInit()
{
var sURL = window.location.protocol + "//" + window.location.host + "/cgi-lawson/test-cgi";

xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
xmlhttp.open('GET', sURL, false);
xmlhttp.send(null);
alert(xmlhttp.responseText)
}

Here's my 'test-cgi' script in /cgi-lawson:

#!/bin/sh

# disable filename globbing
set -f

echo Content-type: text/plain
echo

echo CGI/1.0 test script report:
echo

echo SERVER_SOFTWARE = $SERVER_SOFTWARE
echo SERVER_NAME = $SERVER_NAME
echo GATEWAY_INTERFACE = $GATEWAY_INTERFACE
echo SERVER_PROTOCOL = $SERVER_PROTOCOL
echo SERVER_PORT = $SERVER_PORT
echo REQUEST_METHOD = $REQUEST_METHOD
echo HTTP_ACCEPT = "$HTTP_ACCEPT"
echo PATH_INFO = "$PATH_INFO"
echo PATH_TRANSLATED = "$PATH_TRANSLATED"
echo SCRIPT_NAME = "$SCRIPT_NAME"
echo QUERY_STRING = "$QUERY_STRING"
echo REMOTE_HOST = $REMOTE_HOST
echo REMOTE_ADDR = $REMOTE_ADDR
echo REMOTE_USER = $REMOTE_USER
echo AUTH_TYPE = $AUTH_TYPE
echo CONTENT_TYPE = $CONTENT_TYPE
echo CONTENT_LENGTH = $CONTENT_LENGTH

Thanks John,

This is good info. How about if we are using Websphere.

I want to get a Perl CGI script I threw together like the one attached working in design studion. I also understand WebSphere Portal uses IBM HTTP Server that has a cgi-bin in its directory. Is this true? I assume that it's possible to run Perl CGI scripts with this server.

Note: I'm new to Lawson, so forgive me if I sound like a newbie. Ninja status is a few years away...

Here is my envoronment info:
Portal: 9.0.0.0.29
IOS: 9.0.0.1.157
SP: 1
Environment: 9.0.0.1.157
Oracle: 10g
AIX: 5.2.ML6
WebSphere: 6.0.2.1
MicroFocus: 4.0 SP2

Thanks for mentioning Websphere. I should mentioned in my previous post that it is specific for 8.0.x environment; LSF9 is indeed different because of the way Lawson maps the cgi-lawson directory to $GENDIR/cgi-bin via Websphere. Which makes things a little different. I don't have the details handy right now, but I'll try and provide them later.

John,

Do you have any additional details on using Perl for Design Studio in LSF9? My developer is also asking if Perl can still be used (documentation says Javascript), and your response to mondrar's question is the closest I've found to an answer.

Thanks! Jenna

moving to LSF9 environment & apps, Websphere, Windows & SQL Server 2005
from 8.0.3 on Unix & Oracle

I have been able to pass OS commands to call shell scripts using a custom COBOL form, not design studio. It would be no problem to execute perl scripts as well, although, I have been unable to figure out how to pass parameters from these forms to shell scripts.

./Richard

Can't you just code the parameters as part of the URL (i.e. ?param1=value1) and then examine them within the script?