You are already running an emacs on this machine...

[rouben at math9.math.umbc.edu]

I need help from emacs users/C programmers/unix experts in the netland. 
I am not an emacs user myself (sorry, vi is good enough for me) but I 
need to solve the following problem to provide an optional emacs editing
interface in a C program that I am writing.

The program issues the call: system("emacs filespec") to temporarily 
transfer control to the shell, to let emacs edit a file, and then return
control to the program.

The problem is that when emacs is called this way, it comes up with
a blank screen and the message:

                YOU ARE ALREADY RUNNING AN EMACS ON THIS MACHINE
                                USE THAT INSTEAD

and it refuses to do anything else!  When I replace 'emacs' with 'vi'
in the system call, things work as they should.

I do not know about emacs to figure out what this message means and 
how to get around the problem.  I would appreciate any hints and
suggestions.

--
Rouben Rostamian                            Telephone: (301) 455-2458
Department of Mathematics and Statistics    e-mail:
University of Maryland Baltimore County     bitnet: rostamian at umbc
Baltimore, MD 21228,  U.S.A.                internet: rostamian at umbc3.umbc.edu