x1 wrote:
> I find it strange that the win32ole package cant handle out params.

That's the thing, though, it _does_ explicitly handle out params. The only 
way I know of using them, though, is via "_invoke", and you need a dispid 
(method handle) to call that.

> Hunting in ObjectSpace with a semi-production script doesn't give me
> the "warm and fuzzies".

Fair enough, if you're then doing something destructive with the PID.

> Creating a basic .vbs file and calling it as such:
>     pid = `cscript.exe exec.vbs`.split("\n")[3]
> ..works, but it's still a hack IMO.

You haven't tried win32-utils? I imagine if you're doing this kind of thing 
you'll find it very useful.

http://rubyforge.org/projects/win32utils

> Thanks again for the kind suggestions but since I'm still learning
> ruby, knowing the precise problem or solution with this scenario would
> be optimal.

You're welcome. I actually emailed the start of this thread directly to the 
Win32OLE maintainer in hope he can enlighten us - he has sometimes taken a 
bit of time to get around to responding, so let's be patient on that front.

Cheers,
Dave