Shell ||-- Need Help!!! --||

[mastermind94]

Hi! I used these codes http://www.vb-world.net/tips/tip5.html to know when an application with the shell command is finish but, how do I hide the window? I know with the shell command, you add ", VbHide" but I do not see any shell command. Do you guys have an idea?

[Draez68]

Hide what window? The call itself doesnt generate a window.
If you are talking about the form you used it with then just do a form1.visible = false.

hope this helps

[mastermind94]

I tried out this code and it produce a window! I try to execute a DOS program!

[Jop]

Private Const STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW = &H1
Public Enum enSW
SW_HIDE = 0
SW_NORMAL = 1
SW_MAXIMIZE = 3
SW_MINIMIZE = 6
End Enum


Private Type STARTUPINFO
    cb As Long
    lpReserved As String
    lpDesktop As String
    lpTitle As String
    dwX As Long
    dwY As Long
    dwXSize As Long
    dwYSize As Long
    dwXCountChars As Long
    dwYCountChars As Long
    dwFillAttribute As Long
    dwFlags As Long
    wShowWindow As Integer
    cbReserved2 As Integer
    lpReserved2 As Long
    hStdInput As Long
    hStdOutput As Long
    hStdError As Long
End Type

Private Type PROCESS_INFORMATION
    hProcess As Long
    hThread As Long
    dwProcessID As Long
    dwThreadID As Long
End Type

Private Declare Function WaitForSingleObject Lib _
"kernel32" (ByVal hHandle As Long, ByVal dwMilliseconds _
As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function CreateProcessA Lib "kernel32" _
(ByVal lpApplicationName As Long, ByVal lpCommandLine As _
String, ByVal lpProcessAttributes As Long, ByVal _
lpThreadAttributes As Long, ByVal bInheritHandles As Long, _
ByVal dwCreationFlags As Long, ByVal lpEnvironment As Long, _
ByVal lpCurrentDirectory As Long, lpStartupInfo As _
STARTUPINFO, lpProcessInformation As PROCESS_INFORMATION) _
As Long

Private Declare Function CloseHandle Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hObject _
As Long) As Long

Private Const NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS = &H20&
Private Const INFINITE = -1&



Public Sub ExecCmd(cmdline$)
Dim proc As PROCESS_INFORMATION
Dim start As STARTUPINFO

'Initialize the STARTUPINFO structure:
start.cb = Len(start)
start.dwFlags = STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW
start.wShowWindow = SW_HIDE

'Start the shelled application:
ret& = CreateProcessA(0&, cmdline$, 0&, 0&, 1&, _
NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, 0&, 0&, start, proc)

'Wait for the shelled application to finish:
ret& = WaitForSingleObject(proc.hProcess, INFINITE)
ret& = CloseHandle(proc.hProcess)
End Sub



Private Sub Form_Load()
ExecCmd "Notepad.exe"
End Sub

But I don't recommend shelling it Hidden, because you can only end it with CTRL+ALT+DELETE, and your prog won't continue until it's closed!

[Draez68]

that's not true. If he uses the 'command.com /c' before it (or 'cmd.exe /c' in NT) then it will close the dos box when it's finished.

e.g.:
c:\command.com /c c:\windows\pbrush.exe



that line will load paintbrush and close the dos textbox right after it does so.

hope this helps

[jgomes]

I might sound like a newbie but isn't there a flag, such as,
Shell "C:\Windows\Explorer.exe" , 1
or some number like that?
I would check for u but I'm in highschool <

-Justin

[Draez68]

justin,
it's not the shell command he(or she) is trying to use but a function that does the same thing except it can detect when the program it calls ends. Otherwise, yes the Shell command does have a flag for that.