[RESOLVED] How to start a program as a child to my program

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

Hi everyone ...

I'd like to know how to stat a program ( Calc.exe , Paint.exe ,etc) and

retrieve a Handle so I can use SetParent API function to make it a child inside

my program .


I'm using VisualBasic.Net 2008 Pro.
I used to use VisualBasic 6 API , If you have a new way in .Net I'd like to

hear it and learn it .

Many thanks in advance.

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

I really need your help .... And I'm sure it's something easy for .Net professional.

Many thanks in advance .

[formlesstree4]

2 Things:
1. Don't bump your topic within 24 hours. If someone has the answer and is on at the time, it will be answered. Patience is a virtue.

2. This code example shows how you can set a PowerPoint window to your program, I'm sure you can modify it to suit your needs:

Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
Class testme
* * <DllImport("user32.dll")> _
* * Public Shared Function FindWindow(ByVal strClassName As String, ByVal strWindowName As String) As Integer
* * End Function
* * <DllImport("user32.dll")> _
* * Public Shared Function SetParent(ByVal child As Integer, ByVal parent As Integer) As Integer
* * End Function
* * 
* * Private Sub somemethod()
* * * * Dim m_oPPT As PowerPoint.Application = Nothing
* * * * Dim temp As PowerPoint.Application = Nothing
* * * * temp = New PowerPoint.Application()
* * * * m_oPPT = New PowerPoint.Application()
* * * * temp.Quit()
* * * * temp = Nothing
* * * * ' Get window handle, for use with API functions:
* * * * m_oPPT.Caption = "besuretofindthisinstance"
* * * * hWnd = FindWindow("PP10FrameClass", m_oPPT.Caption)
* * * * SetParent(hWndPPT, frmMain.Handle.ToInt32())
* * End Sub
End Class

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

Many thanks formlesstree for your help , but I want to retrieve the handle that come

from running the process not based on the caption of its window , like we used to retrieve

the Handle in VB6 using the Shell function .

Many thanks in advance .

[.paul.]

dim pr as new process
pr.startinfo.filename = "paint.exe"
pr.start

pr.mainwindowhandle is what you're looking for

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

Many thanks Paul for your help , and I got another problem with my code :

Public Class Form1
Public Declare Function SetParent Lib "user32" Alias "SetParent" (ByVal hWndChild As Long, ByVal hWndNewParent As Long) As Long
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Dim pr As New Process
pr.StartInfo.FileName = "calc.exe"
pr.Start()

Dim Re As Long
Re= SetParent(pr.MainWindowHandle, Me.Handle)

Me.Text = (Boo.ToString)

End Sub
End Class


That's my code , but I can't set the Calculator program to be inside my form as child

Although it return the Handle to Calculator wndow , So what's wrong with my code.

Many thanks in advance.

[.paul.]

Public Declare Function SetParent Lib "user32" Alias "SetParent" (ByVal hWndChild As Long, ByVal hWndNewParent As Long) As Long

the long datatype (from vb6 times) which is 32bit
in vb.net became the integer datatype which is 32bit

so that declaration should be either:

Public Declare Function SetParent Lib "user32" Alias "SetParent" (ByVal hWndChild As integer, ByVal hWndNewParent As integer) As integer

or:

Public Declare Function SetParent Lib "user32" Alias "SetParent" (ByVal hWndChild As intptr, ByVal hWndNewParent As intptr) As integer

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

Hi Paul ...

It doesn't work , even after I changed from Long Into Integer , I still can't contain the

Calculator into my form as a child , and it return a 0 as a handle .


I'm using vb 2008 , Operating system XP SP3

[.paul.]

try changing your target cpu to x86

Project-->Properties-->Compile-->Advanced Compile Options-->Target CPU

[.paul.]

with your target cpu set to x86, this should work. i can't test it because the SetParent api function doesn't seem to work in win 7. i know that it'd work pre win 7:

Declare Function SetParent Lib "user32" Alias "SetParent" (ByVal hWndChild As IntPtr, ByVal hWndNewParent As IntPtr) As Integer

Dim pr As New Process
pr.StartInfo.FileName = "calc.exe"
pr.Start()
pr.WaitForInputIdle()
 
SetParent(pr.MainWindowHandle, Me.Handle)

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

Many thanks Paul for your help , the code is working fine , and I think

adding "WaitForInputIdle" is the reason , even when I changed the CPU setting back to

"Any CPU" it's still working.

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

And by the way ....

If I wanna terminate the processes I ran as a child into my form -Calculator- when I close

My program - Form1 - What code do I have to write ???

I tried Pr.Kill() , but it only terminates the last opened process , And I want it to terminate the whole

Child processes I opened.
Many thanks in advance.

[.paul.]

declare your processes at form level instead of locally within a procedure. then they will be available throughout the form + you can close them in your formclosing event.

are you using a 32 bit version of windows? most api functions only work in a 32 bit environment

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

Hi Paul ... I declared the process at form level as you recommened , but I dont know
what else I should do , Do I make an array at form level to contain the process and
then at exit use a looping to close them one by one ???

If it is , can you guide me through the code because I'm rookie at .Net.

This the code so far

Public Class Form1
Declare Function SetParent Lib "user32" Alias "SetParent" (ByVal hWndChild As IntPtr, ByVal hWndNewParent As IntPtr) As Integer
Dim pr As New Process

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

pr.StartInfo.FileName = "calc.exe"
pr.Start()
pr.WaitForInputIdle()
SetParent(pr.MainWindowHandle, Me.Handle)

End Sub

Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click
Try
pr.Kill()
Catch ex As Exception

End Try


'Me.Close()
End Sub
End Class
I'm using 32 bit windows version (X86).

Many thanks in advance.

[.paul.]

at form level:

Dim processes As New List(Of Process)

heres a simple example that uses a loop to open 10 calculator's using the form level list(of process) above:

For x As Integer = 1 To 10
    processes.Add(New Process)
    processes(processes.Count - 1).StartInfo.FileName = "calc.exe"
    processes(processes.Count - 1).Start()
    Threading.Thread.Sleep(500)
Next
 
'enable the timer.
'after 15 seconds the timer will close the calculator's 1 by 1
Timer1.Enabled = True

here's the timer_tick event:

Private Sub Timer1_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick
    For x As Integer = 1 To 10
        processes(0).Kill()
        processes.RemoveAt(0)
        Threading.Thread.Sleep(500)
    Next
    Timer1.Enabled = False
End Sub

[.paul.]

I'm using 32 bit windows version (X86).

thats why the API runs. "user32" functions are 32 bit

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

It's almost done , but can you give the way of (For Each) instead of (For next)

as it may happen to close some processes manually and there will be an Index error.

and I tried too hard , but I got confused because of some new features of .Net like

Dim processes As New List(Of Process)

and I can't make the the (For Each) right.

Many thanks for all your help , It's really appreciated.

[.paul.]

a reverse loop will avoid the index error:

Private Sub Form1_FormClosing(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.FormClosingEventArgs) Handles Me.FormClosing
    For x As Integer = processes.Count - 1 To 0 Step -1
        If Not processes(x).HasExited Then
            processes(x).Kill()
        End If
        processes.RemoveAt(x)
    Next
End Sub

[Ashraf Alshahawy]

Hi Paul , Your code is realy working fine , And I can terminate the process
And I got two other questions :

How can I add a running process - That has a window - as a child (MediaPlayer - NotePad -etc ) ???
I loaded the whole system processes with there IDs into Listview but I can't

retrieve the Handle .



How can I make my form show the H/V ScrollBars to fit the childs I added ???

The project in the attachment.

[.paul.]

1/ search the forum for findwindow/findwindowex api to get the window handle

2/ set your forms autoscroll property to true