Salutations to ArcViewers:
Sorry for the delay in posting the summary.
I received one relevant response for this which I enclose. However, I
carved out a solution
myself that works well for me (also enclosed). It should work for others in
similar boat.

My Original Question:
Hi Arcviewers:
PURPOSE:
I want to start arcview from another application (tcl/tk, a VisualBasic
like tool) - and I want to be able to run an Avenue script while starting
up that opens a theme from a shape file and does a few other things ie., I
want a batch like execution of (arcview + Avenue script).

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE:
I know that Arcview first runs a "startup" script from the system/etc
directory, next loads the "system" default project (default.apr) and then
the "user" default project and that the system and user default projects
accesses the script "appl.initialize" that among other things parses the
commandline arguments.

WHAT I DID:
However, I don't know how to go about this process...I  created a "user"
default.apr file with the script containing:

av.getproject.MakeSysDefault("D:\prasad\default.apr".AsFileName,FALSE)

and then tried to modify the "appl.initialize" script contained in this
default.apr  (see below for the details)
I then started ArcView from MS-DOS prompt with the foll. command:

D:\wineda> D:\ESRIAV\AV_GIS30\ARCVIEW\BIN32\arcview.exe d:
\prasad\default.apr

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED:
ArcView starts up but then I get a system error that says "Tried to
reference an invalid memory location blah blah" and terminates arcview.....

I PLEAD IGNORANCE:
What am I doing wrong? Is  there a way to gracefully implement what I want?
Any help will be gratefully summarised.

MY SYSTEM:
ArcView 3.0a on Windows NT 4.0 (SP 5) with 784 MB of memory.

Thanks much.
Prasad
********************************************|
1 of 2: Alan's Response: (thanks much...I did not try it since mine worked)

Below is a sample of the first part of a manually modified APR file:


/3.2
(ODB.1
           FirstRootClassName:            "Project"
           Roots:         2
           Version:       32
)

(Project.2
           Name:          "Example.apr"
           CreationDate:       "Wednesday, March 24, 1999 07:08:35"
           GUIName:       "Project"
           Win:           3
           CSMgr:         4
           DocExts:       5
           VisGUIWidth:        70
           Doc:           6
           Doc:           40
           Doc:           63
           Buttons:       140
           Buttons:       141
           Buttons:       142
           Scripts:       143
           Prefs:         146
           GUI:           149
           WorkDir:       986
           WinX:          -4
           WinY:          -3
           WinW:          1288
           WinH:          1003
      StartUp:          "Script_Name"
           SerialNumber:       "798481101598"

Note the line inserted using a word processor called

           StartUp:        "Script_Name"

Replace "Script_Name" with the name of the script you want to use.

Also make sure you make a backup of the APR file.

Don't believe this is a documented method but it works.

Have fun

Alan D. Jacobson, PE
GIS Programmer/Engineer
Telecommunications/Land Resources Division
ARCADIS Geraghty and Miller
PO Box 1717, Greenville, SC 29602
420 Park Avenue, Greenville, SC 29601
Tel 864.242.1717   Fax 864.235.9062
Direct 864.241.5244
Email ajacobson@arcadis-us.com
************************************************************
2 of 2: My solution. I modified (compiled,embeded)the system script ->
appl.initialize and saved it
(default.apr) in my $HOME directory (Project->Customize->Make Default)
Here is the new appl.initialize script that default.apr uses...this
modification is
for one user only (to make it a system wide thing, copy $HOME/default.apr
to
$AVHOME/etc/default.apr). The neat thing about this change is that it does
not modify
the original default behaviour in any way.
Hope this is helpful to those who want to glue together disparate
applications using
tcl/tk.
Prasad

argList = self
if (argList.Count = 0) then
 ' No arguments supplied...so, open up arcview with new project
  new = Project.Make
  new.GetWin.Open
  new.SetModified(false)
else
  ' There are arguments...so test it and see
  ' if it is a project file or your own arguments
  tstName = argList.Get(0).AsFileName
  tstNames = argList.Get(0).AsString
  old =Project.Open(tstName)
  if (old = nil) then
    'Since the first argument is not a vaild project,
     ' these must be your own Arguments
    ' So parse these arguments and do what is needed.
    if(tstNames = "xxx") then
       ' parse other arguments you may have supplied....
     else
        'Do some thing else ... still your own arguments...
     end
  else
    'The first argument is a project so open it .. default behaviour
     old.GetWin.Open
     old.SetModified(false)
  end
end
av.Run("Codepage.Install",nil)

*****************************************************************
Mr. Anantha Prasad, Ecologist/GIS Specialist
USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station
359 Main Rd., Delaware OHIO 43015    USA
Ph: 740-368-0103  Email: aprasad@fs.fed.us
Web: http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/index.html
Don't Miss Climate Change Tree Atlas at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/atlas/index.html
******************************************************************