Making Program Invisible

[JBD2]

As I have said earlier, I want to check what keystrokes are pushed in a row and replace them with proper words (msn slang) so, to replace "np" with "no problem". I have found and modified a keylogger from pscode.com, and now I am trying to make it invisible. After that I will start the replacing of text. Anyways, I've tried and tried and I am finding it hard to make this keylogger invisible. So I am wondering, if I posted the project files, would someone help me? Or is that still against the forums?...even though allapi.net (a decent site) has a keylogger example? Please help.

[dglienna]

What do you mean "make it invisible"? Why would you want a program changing what you type if you don't know it's there? How would you end it? I don't think you should be trapping keys, for any reason. If we helped you do this, then every script-kiddie in the world would have the code.

I'll make you a deal. You post the code that changes everything that you are changing without the keylogging code, and then explain my first 3 questions, and if you are on the level, I'll help you later today/tonight.

You don't want to post code that could be harmful if misused Maybe you could have your program running in the taskbar, or minimized? That might be OK.

[JBD2]

What I mean by make it invisible is (show it in the task manager), but invisible to the screen...kind of hard to explain. There is no need for me to post the code because all I have is a form that has 3 buttons, on, off, and exit. They are pretty self explainatory, but on starts watching your keystrokes, off stops, and exit closes the plugin. I want the keystrokes to be on a seperate form, and when you push on, it does, "Load frmKeylogger", and when you push off, it does the opposite. So because you see the on/off/exit form, you do know it's there. You end it with the "off" button or "exit" button. Anyways tell me if you can help...And I could pm you the code for the keylogger, that way we wouldn't have script-kiddies using it.

[dglienna]

I'll help you this time, but I still don't like the idea for your app. You would be responsible for anyone that misuses it, because you wrote it. I think you would only need a single line textbox instead of a form, that you could process every time an ENTER key was pressed. That way you wouldn't be keeping any record of it. I also think that people write brb because that's what they want.

But, in any case. You can make a form .visible = false, or a better idea, a textbox that has visible=false. You could still use it to process info, and clear it when you're done.

[JBD2]

Well, the .visible = false thing doesn't work, I have something that shows the text in a textbox, but the problem is that it doesn't work when the form is invisible, and I don't see how somebody could misuse the program, when the code isn't going to anyone.

[techgnome]

Grrf..... .Visible hides/shows the form, but it will still show in the taskbar... Oddly enough, forms have a property .ShowInTaskbar that is a True/False setting (default=True). Setting it to False will "hide" it from the taskbar (but it will still show in the Processes.)

Tg

[manavo11]

ShowInTaskbar is also a property to be set at design time

Edit: Now that I think of it, I have seen code here to change it at run time so never mind...

[Jacob Roman]

Well, the .visible = false thing doesn't work, I have something that shows the text in a textbox, but the problem is that it doesn't work when the form is invisible, and I don't see how somebody could misuse the program, when the code isn't going to anyone.

Use a string variable instead of a text box. No form needed then. Did you know you can run your app without a form? Just make a new project. Add a module. Delete the form. And in the module, try this:

Private Sub Main()
 
     MsgBox "No form needed"
 
End Sub

I rest my case

Sub Main is automatically called if no form is present.

[JBD2]

My form has a lot of code in it, so I need the form, and I don't know how to save it into a string variable, and I'm not supposed to be posting the code...

[Jacob Roman]

Put the code in a module Or actually whatever doesn't relate to the form and the objects if you are doing it without a form. Might need to convert some of your code.

And your string variable would be something like this:

Dim Str As String
 
Str = "Hello"

[dglienna]

Move the form off-screen?

[JBD2]

That would work, but I have it so that it logs the changes that it makes into a text file in C:\, "C:\MSNChange.txt"...I have it so it makes it in form_unload, is there a way I can make it do that when the stop button is pushed in vb, instead of having the form on screen so you have to click escape? Thanks.

[manavo11]

When the stop button is pressed, no unload events (Unload, QueryUnload) are fired

It can be done (subclassing) but probably not worth the effort...

[dglienna]

Why are you saving changes? And what does escape have to do with the stop button? You can just UNLOAD the form.

[JBD2]

I know how to do this I think, but could I make it so that when the msn chat conversation window is closed (using a timer and findwindow), to unload the form, and when it is open, to load the form?

[manavo11]

Make sure the timer isn't on the form you unload

[JBD2]

Ok I think I've got it now.

[dglienna]

Post the rest of your code, so we don't think you are doing evil things. There's always a next time.

[JBD2]

You mean the keylogger code or what?