How can I detect if a program is running ?

Hello,

How can I detect if a program is running ?
Which API used ?

Thanks,
Thierry

[email protected]

Use FindWindow.

Code:

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Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long

Private Sub Command1_Click()

    Dim hApp As Long
    'Replace Calculator with the title of the App you want to check
    hApp = FindWindow(vbNullString, "Calculator")
    If hApp <> 0 Then
        'App is running
        Print "App is running"
    Else
        'App is not running
        Print "App is not running"
    End If
   
End Sub

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you could use FindWindowEx with a string parameter of the window title, to see if it exists (you must get the string right though) if you aren't sure you can find it with another API Function (Someone help me out here...) whereby you can search for a window string that is "LIKE" the string you pass.

Public Declare Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" (ByVal hWnd1 As Long, ByVal hWnd2 As Long, ByVal lpsz1 As String, ByVal lpsz2 As String) As Long

'example of finding the Microsoft Agent window Handle
glngWndAgent = FindWindowEx(0, 0, "AgentAnim", vbNullString)

If the function succeeds the return is the window handle of the app
If the function fails then the return is NULL

HTH

If you want to use wildcards, you can use the EnumWindows function.

Code for a Module

Code:

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Declare Function GetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, ByVal cch As Long) As Long
Declare Function GetWindowTextLength Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextLengthA" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Declare Function EnumWindows Lib "user32.dll" (ByVal lpEnumFunc As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long

Public Function EnumWindowsProc(ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
    Dim Length As Long
    Dim Buffer As String
    Dim Temp As String
    Static iCount As Integer
   
    iCount = iCount + 1
    Length = GetWindowTextLength(hwnd) + 1
   
    If Length > 1 Then
        Buffer = Space(Length)
        GetWindowText hwnd, Buffer, Length
        Temp = Left(Buffer, Length - 1)
       
        'Replace MyTitle with the title of the window you want to find
        If Temp Like "*MyTitle*" Then MsgBox ("Window Found")
    End If
   
    EnumWindowsProc = 1
End Function

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Code for a Form with a CommandButton

Code:

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Private Sub Command1_Click()
    EnumWindows AddressOf EnumWindowsProc, 0
End Sub

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You can also use the find a window by it's class using the FindWindow api.

Code:

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Private Sub Command1_Click()
    'Find the Calculator by it's class
    h = FindWindow("SciCalc", vbNullString)
    If h <> 0 Then
        Msgbox "App is running."
        Else
        Msgbox "App not found."
    End If
End Sub

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Likewise you can use WildCards to get a ClassName with EnumWindows.

Code for a Module

Code:

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Declare Function GetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, ByVal cch As Long) As Long
Declare Function GetWindowTextLength Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextLengthA" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Declare Function EnumWindows Lib "user32.dll" (ByVal lpEnumFunc As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
Declare Function GetClassName Lib "user32" Alias "GetClassNameA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal nMaxCount As Long) As Long

Public Function EnumWindowsProc(ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
    Dim Length As Long
    Dim Buffer As String
    Dim Temp As String
    Dim sClass As String
    Static iCount As Integer
   
    sClass = Space(255)
    Length = GetClassName(hwnd, sClass, 255)
    'Look for anything that matches ?ciCa*
    If Left(sClass, Length) Like "?ciCa*" Then MsgBox ("Calculator is open")
    EnumWindowsProc = 1
End Function

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Code for a Form with a CommandButton

Code:

---

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    EnumWindows AddressOf EnumWindowsProc, 0
End Sub

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You can also check to see if an app is running by knowing it's exe.

Code:

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Private Declare Function GetWindowsDirectory Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetWindowsDirectoryA" (ByVal lpBuffer As String, ByVal nSize As Long) As Long


Public Declare Function Process32First Lib "kernel32" ( _
        ByVal hSnapshot As Long, lppe As PROCESSENTRY32) As Long

Public Declare Function Process32Next Lib "kernel32" ( _
  ByVal hSnapshot As Long, lppe As PROCESSENTRY32) As Long

Public Declare Function CloseHandle Lib "Kernel32.dll" _
  (ByVal Handle As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function OpenProcess Lib "Kernel32.dll" _
  (ByVal dwDesiredAccessas As Long, ByVal bInheritHandle As Long, _
      ByVal dwProcId As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function EnumProcesses Lib "psapi.dll" _
  (ByRef lpidProcess As Long, ByVal cb As Long, _
      ByRef cbNeeded As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function GetModuleFileNameExA Lib "psapi.dll" _
  (ByVal hProcess As Long, ByVal hModule As Long, _
      ByVal strModuleName As String, ByVal nSize As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function EnumProcessModules Lib "psapi.dll" _
  (ByVal hProcess As Long, ByRef lphModule As Long, _
      ByVal cb As Long, ByRef cbNeeded As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function CreateToolhelp32Snapshot Lib "kernel32" ( _
  ByVal dwFlags As Long, ByVal th32ProcessID As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function GetVersionExA Lib "kernel32" _
  (lpVersionInformation As OSVERSIONINFO) As Integer

Public Type PROCESSENTRY32
  dwSize As Long
  cntUsage As Long
  th32ProcessID As Long          ' This process
  th32DefaultHeapID As Long
  th32ModuleID As Long            ' Associated exe
  cntThreads As Long
  th32ParentProcessID As Long    ' This process's parent process
  pcPriClassBase As Long          ' Base priority of process threads
  dwFlags As Long
  szExeFile As String * 260      ' MAX_PATH
End Type

Public Type OSVERSIONINFO
  dwOSVersionInfoSize As Long
  dwMajorVersion As Long
  dwMinorVersion As Long
  dwBuildNumber As Long
  dwPlatformId As Long          '1 = Windows 95.
                                  '2 = Windows NT

  szCSDVersion As String * 128
End Type

Public Const PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION = 1024
Public Const PROCESS_VM_READ = 16
Public Const MAX_PATH = 260
Public Const STANDARD_RIGHTS_REQUIRED = &HF0000
Public Const SYNCHRONIZE = &H100000
'STANDARD_RIGHTS_REQUIRED Or SYNCHRONIZE Or &HFFF
Public Const PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS = &H1F0FFF
Public Const TH32CS_SNAPPROCESS = &H2&
Public Const hNull = 0

Public Enum ePlatform
    eWin95_98 = 1
    eWinNT = 2
End Enum

Public gDBType As String

Public Function IsApplicationRunning(pEXEName As String) As Boolean

    On Error Resume Next
   
    Select Case getVersion()
        Case eWin95_98
            Dim lProc As Long, strName As String
            Dim hSnap As Long, proc As PROCESSENTRY32
           
            hSnap = CreateToolhelp32Snapshot(TH32CS_SNAPPROCESS, 0)
            If hSnap = hNull Then Exit Function
            proc.dwSize = Len(proc)
            ' Iterate through the processes
            lProc = Process32First(hSnap, proc)
            Do While lProc
                strName = StrZToStr(proc.szExeFile)
                If InStr(UCase(strName), UCase(pEXEName)) Then
                    IsApplicationRunning = True
                    Exit Function
                End If
                lProc = Process32Next(hSnap, proc)
            Loop
    Case eWinNT
        Dim cb As Long
        Dim cbNeeded As Long
        Dim NumElements As Long
        Dim lProcessIDs() As Long
        Dim cbNeeded2 As Long
        Dim lNumElements2 As Long
        Dim lModules(1 To 200) As Long
        Dim lRet As Long
        Dim strModuleName As String
        Dim nSize As Long
        Dim hProcess As Long
        Dim i As Long
       
        'Get the array containing the process id's for each process object
        cb = 8
        cbNeeded = 96
        Do While cb <= cbNeeded
            cb = cb * 2
            ReDim lProcessIDs(cb / 4) As Long
            lRet = EnumProcesses(lProcessIDs(1), cb, cbNeeded)
        Loop
        NumElements = cbNeeded / 4
        For i = 1 To NumElements
            'Get a handle to the Process
            hProcess = OpenProcess(PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION _
            Or PROCESS_VM_READ, 0, lProcessIDs(i))
            'Got a Process handle
            If hProcess <> 0 Then
                'Get an array of the module handles for the specified
                'process
                lRet = EnumProcessModules(hProcess, lModules(1), 200, _
                        cbNeeded2)
                'If the Module Array is retrieved, Get the ModuleFileName
                If lRet <> 0 Then
                    strModuleName = Space(MAX_PATH)
                    nSize = 500
                    lRet = GetModuleFileNameExA(hProcess, lModules(1), _
                    strModuleName, nSize)
                    strModuleName = Left(strModuleName, lRet)
                    'Check for the client application running
                    If InStr(UCase(strModuleName), UCase(pEXEName)) Then
                        IsApplicationRunning = True
                        Exit Function
                    End If
                    'List1.AddItem Left(strModuleName, lRet)
                End If
            End If
            'Close the handle to the process
            lRet = CloseHandle(hProcess)
        Next
    End Select
End Function

Function StrZToStr(pString As String) As String
  StrZToStr = Left$(pString, Len(pString) - 1)
End Function

Public Function getVersion() As ePlatform
  Dim osinfo As OSVERSIONINFO
  Dim lRetVal As Integer
 
  osinfo.dwOSVersionInfoSize = 148
  osinfo.szCSDVersion = Space$(128)
  lRetVal = GetVersionExA(osinfo)
  getVersion = osinfo.dwPlatformId
End Function

Usage:

apprunning = IsApplicationRunning("C:\Program.exe")
If apprunning = True Then
MsgBox "Program is running"
Else
MsgBox "Program is not running"
End If

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