Converting my Forms based application to a service

[christopherpm]

I have an application that I created a while ago. It's a forms based application that runs on one of our servers at work. The app works well, BUT at the moment, requires someone to manually run it, which means having the admin account always logged in, but having the server locked.

Although it's a forms based application, for the majority of the time I don't need to see the forms, so can I safely make this run as a service (by adding the appropriate code), and hiding the forms?

Also, is there some code I can put in to test whether the instance of the program was started as a service or from a user double clicking on the icon? If so, I'd like the user initiated instance to run with the forms visible.

Thanks

[Grimfort]

I use the compile type to decide to show the form (a debug info form only), or to just run the service like so:

<MTAThread()> Sub Main()

#If DEBUG Then
   gfrmDebug = New frmDebug 'I hold a copy as I update it with stats
   Application.Run(gfrmDebug)	

#Else
	'Run as a service, let it deal with everything, I might have more than 1, so use a loop, again you can remove the loop and just run 1 copy
	Dim ServicesToRun() As System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase
	ServicesToRun = New System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase() {New clsServiceMain} 'This clsServiceMain is just a class that Inherits System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase

	For Each Service As System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase In ServicesToRun
		Service.CanPauseAndContinue = True
		Service.CanShutdown = True
		Service.AutoLog = True
	Next
	System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun)
#End If

End Sub

Not exactly what you asked for, but you can use the bones. An alternative is to use command arguments, so when run as a service you can use MyExeName.exe /AsService
There is no method that I know of to tell you dynamically.

[szlamany]

A service is something you have the server "start" when the system boots and it usually waits for some event to happen and then processes said event.

A console app is one that you would run as a scheduled task on some regular basis.

Which one is it?