update progress bar in real time

Hi,

im using ipcBeginProcess commands to launch two external process, and trying to update a progress bar :

the first process run generate  verilog netlist .

the second one phrase the log file of the generation process and update a progress bar accordingly.

I have two problem 

1. the progress bar got freeze out while the first process is running.

2. the first process exit code become alive only if i use ipcwait(first_process)

this is what i do :

procedure(simTerm(cid1 exit)
printf("Simulator expired with exit status = %L\n" exit)
exitCode=exit
)
procedure(handler(cid1 data)
printf("\n Date:%s\n" data)
)
procedure( simErr(cid1 err)
printf("Error %L Msg: %s\n" cid1 err)
)
procedure(handler2(cid2 data)
myvar=data;
printf("\n%s\n" data)
)

exitCode=nil

myvar=nil

cid1=ipcBeginProcess(strcat( pwd "/libFlow/" libname "/" cellname "/verilog/" "si.csh") "" "handler" "simErr" "simTerm" )
ipcSleep(1)
cid2=ipcBeginProcess(strcat( pwd "/readSiLogFile.pl") "" "handler2")

ipcSleep(1)

;; now launching the progress  bar

hiDisplayProgressBox(
?name 'myBar
?banner "verilog progress"
?text "Run completed.. "
?callback "printf(\"Done\n\")"
?totalSteps 10
?autoClose t
)

;; now running a while loop to check when exit status  cid1 

while(!exitCode

  while( myvar

do something - update progress bar -hihiSetProgressAndText....

        )

)

this make the progress bar freeze, and the while loop is endless( the exitCode variable never get "alive").

i guess this is because SKILL dont see the any exitCode/myvar variable  while its inside the loop, even though the cid1 process was launched

with communication channels. 

but if I do :

while(!exitCode

  ipcWait(cid1)

        )

.

.

.

;;and  only now  update the progress bar with hihiSetProgressAndText(myBar 4 "running") 

this loop run and terminate but :

1. virtuoso is freeze as long the while loop running

2. the progress bar is freeze and blank out

3. it is impossible to update the progress bar in real time , only after the verilog netlist process was terminated.

i couldn't find any real example/explanation on the progress bar. should it be execute with ipcbeginProcess?

thx

meny