PTC has provided a command, windchill, to invoke Windchill actions. For example, the command can be used to stop and start Windchill, check the status of the Windchill server, and create a new shell and set the environment variables. It can also be used as a Java wrapper. In that regard, it can accept a Class file as an argument, just like Java, and execute it without a predefined environment (Windchill classes in CLASSPATH, Java in PATH, and so on).

The windchill command should be used to execute any server-side Windchill Java code. This will ensure that the environment that the command is executed in is properly setup. The environment that actions are executed within, including the windchill shell action, is defined by the wt.env properties in the wt.properties file. For example, the wt.env.CLASSPATH property will set the CLASSPATH environment variable for the action that is being invoked.

The windchill command is a Perl script that has also been compiled into a Windows binary executable. For UNIX systems, Perl 5.0 or greater must be installed. The windchill script assumes that Perl is installed in the standard install location of /usr/bin/perl. If Perl is not installed at this location, you can either create a symbolic link (recommended method) to the Perl install location or edit the windchill script to reference the Perl install location. To modify the windchill script, edit the <Windchill>/bin/windchill file. Locate the #! entry (for example, #!/usr/bin/perl -w) and change the Perl directory to the location where Perl is installed.

The windchill command is located in the <Windchill>/bin directory. If you receive a command not found message when you execute the windchill command, add the <Windchill>/bin directory to your PATH environment variable. The syntax of the windchill command is:

You can display the help for the windchill command by executing windchill with the -h argument or with no argument.

The following tables list some of the arguments and actions applicable to the windchill command. To see a complete list of the arguments, use the report generated from the help (argument).