By default, child processes created by one of the exec family of functions inherit the default (working) directory of their parent process. The decc$set_child_default_dir function lets you set the default directory for a child process. After calling decc$set_ child_default_dir, newly spawned child processes have their default directory set to default_dir as they begin execution. The default_dir argument must represent a valid directory specification, or results of the call are unpredictable (subsequent calls to the child process might fail without notification). Both OpenVMS and UNIX style file specifications are supported for this function call. You can reestablish the default behavior by specifying default_ dir as NULL. Subsequently, newly created child processes will inherit their parent's working directory.