[RESOLVED] How do I make a console application continue running

[szlamany]

I was thinking I could make a console application that would have a FileSystemWatcher - watching for a .BAT file being created in a folder - and when it sees that file it does a PROCESS.START on it.

Seems simple.

But I'm seeing that a console app doesn't continue running.

Imports System.IO

Module awcWatcher

    Sub Main()

        Dim fsw As New FileSystemWatcher("D:\ACS Desktop\AWC\reporting\staging")

        fsw.NotifyFilter = NotifyFilters.FileName Or NotifyFilters.LastWrite

        AddHandler fsw.Changed, AddressOf fsw_Changed

        fsw.EnableRaisingEvents = True

    End Sub

    Private Sub fsw_Changed(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As FileSystemEventArgs)
        Debug.WriteLine(e.FullPath)
    End Sub

End Module

How would I go about making this wait and then wait again and again and again?

[.paul.]

Imports System.IO
 
Module awcWatcher
 
    Sub Main()
 
        Dim fsw As New FileSystemWatcher("D:\ACS Desktop\AWC\reporting\staging")
 
        fsw.NotifyFilter = NotifyFilters.FileName Or NotifyFilters.LastWrite
 
        AddHandler fsw.Changed, AddressOf fsw_Changed
 
        fsw.EnableRaisingEvents = True
 
        dim exit as string = console.readline
        while exit.tolower <> "exit"
            exit = console.readline
        end while
 
    End Sub
 
    Private Sub fsw_Changed(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As FileSystemEventArgs)
        Debug.WriteLine(e.FullPath)
    End Sub
 
End Module

[szlamany]

cool - that works...

Which brings me around to another issue - I'm trying to avoid creating a windows service for a down-and-dirty quick fix to a problem I'm having with a asp.net webservice...

So I was going for the console app - how would I go about having this console app "start" when the "server" reboots?

Also - can I avoid the CONSOLE window?

Does that cause your Console.ReadLine fix to fail me?

Do I need to just bite the windows service bullet.

Argh!

[.paul.]

create a new winforms project + delete form1.
add a module + paste in your code:

Imports System.IO
 
Module Module1
 
    Public Sub main(ByVal args() As String)
        Dim fsw As New FileSystemWatcher("D:\ACS Desktop\AWC\reporting\staging")
 
        fsw.NotifyFilter = NotifyFilters.FileName Or NotifyFilters.LastWrite
 
        AddHandler fsw.Changed, AddressOf fsw_Changed
 
        fsw.EnableRaisingEvents = True
 
    End Sub
 
    Private Sub fsw_Changed(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As FileSystemEventArgs)
        Debug.WriteLine(e.FullPath)
    End Sub
 
End Module

go to Project-->Properties-->Application + uncheck Enable application framework + set your Startup Object to Sub Main.

to run at startup + keep running until system shutdown (i've never tried this on a server):

HKLM/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run + add a string value where Name is a description + Data is your exe path

[Joacim Andersson]

Writing a value to the Run key in the register will only run your application if a user is logged on the server. I think you should go with the Windows Service route.

I have a couple of blog posts on this subject and one shows how you can run your windows service as a console application for debugging purposes.
https://msmvps.com/blogs/joacim/arch...e/default.aspx

[.paul.]

i noticed, you need to put this at the end of sub main:

While True
    Application.DoEvents()
End While

[szlamany]

What happens if I put a registry entry in that is bad - will I mess up this "remote" server I'm RDP'ed into and make it unbootable? Should I be afraid of changing my customers REGISTRY on their brand-spanking new Windows SBS 2011 box?

Seems a windows service has the benefit of me specifying a un/pw credential for it - the examples I saw of the service showed how to get through the INSTALL and stuff - seemed nearly impossible to debug that code though - I guess I could test it all in a console-like app and then put that into the service.

This was supposed to be easy to get working on Friday morning - chased process.start credential issues all weekend - and now it's at the end of Sunday and I'm still looking for solutions

Thanks for your help!

[szlamany]

Cross-post.

Writing a value to the Run key in the register will only run your application if a user is logged on the server. I think you should go with the Windows Service route.

I have a couple of blog posts on this subject and one shows how you can run your windows service as a console application for debugging purposes.
https://msmvps.com/blogs/joacim/arch...e/default.aspx

Thanks for bringing me back down to ground!

I'll go the windows service route - the code is way simple that I'm executing anyway - and the service just stays running - right? No doevents or loops or anything else - right?

btw - do I need to setup the eventlog that I've seen in this example?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2J_XZW2S4I

Doesn't seem all that difficult - but wondering how bare-bones I can make this.

[Joacim Andersson]

You don't have to set up the event log unless you want to log something. Now depending on what the BAT file is doing you must setup the right permissions for the service. The LocalSystem account has the highest permissions.

A windows service has a constructor but you should normally put your init code in the OnStart event. When you've written the code right click on the service designer and select Add Installer to add an Installer designer with a ServiceInstaller and ServiceProcessInstaller component. Use the properties of these component to setup the account, how the service should start, information text and things like that. You then have to use the InstallUtil.exe command line utility to actually install the service.

The blog post I linked to actually explains this in detail.

[szlamany]

Thank you very much for the help - this WINDOWS SERVICE is doing exactly what I want.

I tried to make my own log - but it's going into the APPLICATION LOG anyway - no big deal - I will probably kill logging after a week or two of this running nicely...

Public Class svcWinawcWatcher

    Private Const EvtLogSource As String = "awcWatcher"
    Private Const EvtLogName As String = "awcLog"

    Private fsw As System.IO.FileSystemWatcher

    Sub New()

        ' This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.
        InitializeComponent()

        ' Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call.
        If Not System.Diagnostics.EventLog.SourceExists(EvtLogSource) Then
            System.Diagnostics.EventLog.CreateEventSource(EvtLogSource, EvtLogName)
        End If

        EventLog1.Source = EvtLogSource

    End Sub

    Protected Overrides Sub OnStart(ByVal args() As String)
        ' Add code here to start your service. This method should set things
        ' in motion so your service can do its work.
        EventLog1.WriteEntry("In OnStart")

        Dim strWF As String = My.Settings.Item("WatchFolder")

        fsw = New System.IO.FileSystemWatcher(strWF)
        AddHandler fsw.Changed, AddressOf fsw_Changed
        fsw.EnableRaisingEvents = True

        EventLog1.WriteEntry("FileSystemWatcher enabled")
    End Sub

    Private Sub fsw_Changed(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.IO.FileSystemEventArgs)
        If e.Name.ToLower = "busy.txt" Then
            Using fileRdr = New System.IO.StreamReader(e.FullPath)
                Dim rptid As String = fileRdr.ReadLine
                fileRdr.Close()
                Try
                    Dim strFile As String = "Report_" & rptid & ".bat"
                    EventLog1.WriteEntry(strFile)

                    Dim parentFolder As String = System.IO.Directory.GetParent(System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(e.FullPath)).ToString
                    Dim strBatFile As String = System.IO.Path.Combine(parentFolder, strFile)
                    Process.Start(strBatFile)
                Catch ex As Exception
                    EventLog1.WriteEntry(ex.Message)
                End Try
            End Using
        End If
    End Sub


    Protected Overrides Sub OnStop()
        ' Add code here to perform any tear-down necessary to stop your service.
        EventLog1.WriteEntry("In OnStop")
    End Sub

End Class