Problems with Excel Interop

Hi,

I'm trying to write a vb.net application that automates Excel (11).

This is fine, but I can't get it to close down after I've finished. I'm using the quit method of the Excel.Application object and setting the object to nothing, but the process is left running in the background.

Can anyone advise.

Many thanks

Nick:wave:

Make sure you aren't holding a reference to anything in the excel application. For instance make sure any worksheets or whatever are set to nothing or disposed or at least fall out of scope otherwise the GC will not collect those bits and leave excel open.

I'm not, I've even tried just creating the application and doing nothing with it, I'm using the Quit method and setting it to nothing. Still leaves the process running:confused:

Hmm post your code. I have used Excel Interop without this problem.

I know this is an old post, but I have the same problem.

VB Code:

Dim xlApp As New Excel.Application
        Dim xlBook As Excel.Workbook
 
        Dim strXLFile As String = "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\mcclure\" & Left(ListBox2.SelectedItem.Text, 11)
 
        xlBook = xlApp.Workbooks.Open(strXLFile)
 
        xlBook.Close(savechanges:=False)
        xlBook = Nothing
        xlApp.Quit()
        xlApp = Nothing

Excel is left running in the background.

Thanks

Hi
Try this before you set your xlapp to nothing

VB Code:

System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(xlApp)

Regards
Jorge

I gave it a shot and Excel is still not closing down.

VB Code:

Dim xlApp As New Excel.Application
        Dim xlBook As Excel.Workbook
 
        Dim strXLFile As String = "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\mcclure\" & Left(ListBox2.SelectedItem.Text, 11)
 
        xlBook = xlApp.Workbooks.Open(strXLFile)
 
        xlBook.Close(savechanges:=False)
        xlBook = Nothing
        xlApp.Quit()
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(xlApp)
        xlApp = Nothing

Would it matter that this is in web application?

Quote:

---

Originally posted by indydavid32
I gave it a shot and Excel is still not closing down.

VB Code:

Dim xlApp As New Excel.Application
        Dim xlBook As Excel.Workbook
 
        Dim strXLFile As String = "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\mcclure\" & Left(ListBox2.SelectedItem.Text, 11)
 
        xlBook = xlApp.Workbooks.Open(strXLFile)
 
        xlBook.Close(savechanges:=False)
        xlBook = Nothing
        xlApp.Quit()
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(xlApp)
        xlApp = Nothing

Would it matter that this is in web application?

---

Probably yes try closing the webpage that uses excel, to see if its closed.

Regards
Jorge

Quote:

---

Probably yes try closing the webpage that uses excel, to see if its closed.

---

I tried that as well. I'm actually doing my testing from the VS programming environment. I also tried closing down VS .Net and it's still there.

I've never an asp.net application that uses excel interop before. Just closing the windows application should terminate excel.

Since its not working you will have to use the process class .kill method.

Regards
Jorge

Hmmm, wish there was another way....

By the way, I couldn't get Process.kill to work. I had to do the following for anyone else reading this post.

VB Code:

Dim proc As Process
        For Each proc In Process.GetProcesses
            If UCase(proc.ProcessName) = "EXCEL" Then
                proc.Kill()
            End If
        Next

Hi

Try this instead

[vbocde]
Dim localByName As Process() = Process.GetProcessesByName("excel")

For Each process As Process In localByName
process.Kill()
Next
[/vbocde]

Regards
Jorge

That works.

I still wish there was another way. What if the user had an excel spreadsheet up when they run this program? It will be shut down whether they want it shut down or not.

Oh well, I guess I will just have to warn them before they run it.

Thanks for all your help Jorge

Quote:

---

Originally posted by indydavid32
That works.


Oh well, I guess I will just have to warn them before they run it.

Thanks for all your help Jorge

---

Well there's a API function that returns the PID of your excel app on creation and then use that PID to kill it. I don't the code here at home but tomorrow morning i will post it.

Regards
Jorge

Hi

VB Code:

Private Declare Function GetWindowThreadProcessId Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Integer, ByRef lpdwProcessId As IntPtr) As IntPtr
 
Dim currentProcess As Process = Process.GetCurrentProcess()
Dim processId As IntPtr
 
        ' we ignore the return value, since we don't care
        ' about the thread id...
 
GetWindowThreadProcessId(xlApp.Hwnd, processId)
 
Dim myExcelPID As Process = Process.GetProcessById(processId.ToInt32())
 
'' to kill the process
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(xlApp)
        xlApp = Nothing
 
 
        '' Verifies if excel is still running if so terminate it
 
        Dim aProcesses() As Process = Process.GetProcesses
        Dim aProcess As Process
 
        For y = 0 To aProcesses.GetUpperBound(0)
 
            If aProcesses(y).Id = myExcelPID.Id Then
                aProcess = aProcesses(y)
                Try
                    aProcess.Kill()
                Catch ex As Exception
                    MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
                End Try
                Exit For
            End If
        Next
 
        GC.Collect()

Regards
Jorge