I use the code down below to start a cmd window and then change it's title. This works, but the new title is changed back to the default title, as soon as you use a copy/paste function in this window.
So I'm looking for some code which changes the title after completing MyBase.load and which continues running in the background, as long as the cmd process exists. However, I do not know how to do this.
Can somebody help me out here with some kind of example? Thanks for any help in advance!
Kind regards, Eric
Imports System.Threading
Public Class Form1
Private Declare Function SetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowTextA" (ByVal hwnd As Integer, ByVal lpString As String) As Integer
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
Dim h_wnd As Integer
Dim proc As New Process
proc = Process.Start("cmd.exe")
Thread.Sleep(10000)
h_wnd = proc.MainWindowHandle
SetWindowText(h_wnd, "My new Window")
End Sub
End Class
Related
I have wrote this code to change the desktop background using the function SystemParametersInfo in the Windows API user32.dll :
Imports System.IO
Public Class Form1
Private Declare Auto Function SystemParametersInfo Lib "user32.dll" (ByVal X As Integer, ByVal Y As Integer, ByVal Z As String, ByVal W As Integer) As Integer
Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Try
SystemParametersInfo(20, 0, Application.StartupPath & "\Frames\animation" & FrameX & ".png", 1 Or 2)
Catch ex As Exception : End Try
End Sub
End Class
What I need to know if I can change the picture position of that desktop background - the same property when changing the background from the Control Panel - as shown below :
UPDATE :
I found the right solution here.
I'm calling a vb.net exe from a program in java, and i want it to stay behind all of the already opened programs.
I read that you can kinda bring to front with TopMost set to true , but i find no way to put it in the back.
There's some workarounds, like setvisible=false the previous form and setting to true after that, but that isn't quite good with my application. Thank you!
Calling the form's SendToBack (Inherited from Control) method from the Shown event handler is the key.
Calling it from load for example, won't do anything since the window isn't "ready" yet anyway.
Private Sub Form1_Shown(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Shown
SendToBack()
End Sub
Alternatively, use the SetWindowPos native function as defined in User32.dll.
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
...
'Signature source: http://pinvoke.net/default.aspx/user32/SetWindowPos.html
<DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError:=True)>
Private Shared Function SetWindowPos(ByVal hWnd As IntPtr, ByVal hWndInsertAfter As IntPtr, ByVal X As Integer, ByVal Y As Integer, ByVal cx As Integer, ByVal cy As Integer, ByVal uFlags As Integer) As Boolean
End Function
...
Private Sub Form1_Shown(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Shown
SetWindowPos(Handle, New IntPtr(1), Location.X, Location.Y, Width, Height, 0)
End Sub
The only thing I changed from the signature provided by PInvoke.net was that I changed the "uFlags" parameter type from "SetWindowPosFlags" (Also defined on the PInvoke.net) to an Integer.
I have a program I would like to monitor if someone has it open or not. It turns out the program runs in the background like "wowexec.exe". So the processes are indented in under "explorer.exe". I've tried two things to try and identify if this program is open or not.
My first is
Dim p() As Process = Process.GetProcessesByName("Process")
Dim retValue As Boolean = p.Length > 0
MsgBox(retValue & vbCrLf & "Process")
This works perfect for finding process on the computer, it will identify "explorer.exe" and anything else running, but cannot not identify something running in the backgorund like "wowexec.exe".
My second attempt at this (Which may not be written correctly) is
Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Private Sub Button2_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click
Dim lngFindIt As Long
lngFindIt = FindWindow(vbNullString, "WindowName")
If lngFindIt = 0 Then
MsgBox("Does not Exist")
Else
MsgBox("Exists!")
End If
End Sub
For some reason this always returns "Exists!" regardless what I put in for the Window name. I can type a bunch of letter or leave it blank and it returns "Exists!".
Any help is a big thanks.
I am trying to automate data population on some excel sheets that have some macros. Now the excel is protected and I cannot get the secret key. Now I am able to run the macros but when I try to pass arguments I get arguments mismatch.
If I just run the macro with the name, I get an inputbox which takes an extra argument as input and auto generates some of the values for the columns. I have to manually enter this value into the inputbox as of now. Is there any way that I could automate that process, i.e capture the inputbox thrown by the macro in the vb.net script and enter the values from there? i.e., I would like to run the macro and after I get the popup asking me to enter some value, use the vb.net code to enter the value to that popup.
Here is what I have till now
Public Class Form1
Dim excelApp As New Excel.Application
Dim excelWorkbook As Excel.Workbook
Dim excelWorkSheet As Excel.Worksheet
Private Sub Button4_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button4.Click
excelWorkbook = excelApp.Workbooks.Open("D:/excelSheets/plan_management_data_templates_network.xls")
excelApp.Visible = True
excelWorkSheet = excelWorkbook.Sheets("Networks")
With excelWorkSheet
.Range("B7").Value = "AR"
End With
excelApp.Run("createNetworks")
// now here I would like to enter the value into the createNetworks Popup box
excelApp.Quit()
releaseObject(excelApp)
releaseObject(excelWorkbook)
End Sub
Macro definition
createNetworks()
//does so basic comparisons on existing populated fields
//if true prompts an inputbox and waits for user input.
This stall my vb.net script too from moving to the next line.
Like you and me, we both have names, similarly windows have handles(hWnd), Class etc. Once you know what that hWnd is, it is easier to interact with that window.
This is the screenshot of the InputBox
Logic:
Find the Handle of the InputBox using FindWindow and the caption of the Input Box which is Create Network IDs
Once that is found, find the handle of the Edit Box in that window using FindWindowEx
Once the handle of the Edit Box is found, simply use SendMessage to write to it.
In the below example we would be writing It is possible to Interact with InputBox from VB.Net to the Excel Inputbox.
Code:
Create a Form and add a button to it.
Paste this code
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
Imports System.Text
Public Class Form1
Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" _
(ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Integer
Private Declare Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _
(ByVal hWnd1 As Integer, ByVal hWnd2 As Integer, ByVal lpsz1 As String, _
ByVal lpsz2 As String) As Integer
Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _
(ByVal hwnd As Integer, ByVal wMsg As Integer, ByVal wParam As Integer, _
ByVal lParam As String) As Integer
Const WM_SETTEXT = &HC
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Dim Ret As Integer, ChildRet As Integer
'~~> String we want to write to Input Box
Dim sMsg As String = "It is possible to Interact with InputBox from VB.Net"
'~~> Get the handle of the "Input Box" Window
Ret = FindWindow(vbNullString, "Create Network IDs")
If Ret <> 0 Then
'MessageBox.Show("Input Box Window Found")
'~~> Get the handle of the Text Area "Window"
ChildRet = FindWindowEx(Ret, 0, "EDTBX", vbNullString)
'~~> Check if we found it or not
If ChildRet <> 0 Then
'MessageBox.Show("Text Area Window Found")
SendMess(sMsg, ChildRet)
End If
End If
End Sub
Sub SendMess(ByVal Message As String, ByVal hwnd As Long)
Call SendMessage(hwnd, WM_SETTEXT, False, Message)
End Sub
End Class
ScreenShot
When you run the code this is what you get
EDIT (Based on further request of automating the OK/Cancel in Chat)
AUTOMATING THE OK/CANCEL BUTTONS OF INPUTBOX
Ok here is an interesting fact.
You can call the InputBox function two ways in Excel
Sub Sample1()
Dim Ret
Ret = Application.InputBox("Called Via Application.InputBox", "Sample Title")
End Sub
and
Sub Sample2()
Dim Ret
Ret = InputBox("Called Via InputBox", "Sample Title")
End Sub
In your case the first way is used and unfortunately, The OK and CANCEL buttons do not have a handle so unfortunately, you will have to use SendKeys (Ouch!!!) to interact with it. Had you Inbutbox been generated via the second method then we could have automated the OK and CANCEL buttons easily :)
Additional Info:
Tested on Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate (64 bit) / Excel 2010 (32 bit)
Inspired by your question, I actually wrote a blog Article on how to interact with the OK button on InputBox.
Currently, I employ a method where I run a thread before the macro is called by the script. The thread checks if the inputbox has been called. If it is, it picks up the value from the location and using sendkeys, submits the box.
This is a rudimentary solution but I was hoping for a more elegant solution to this problem.
My solution Code:
Public Class Form1
Dim excelApp As New Excel.Application
Dim excelWorkbook As Excel.Workbook
Dim excelWorkSheet As Excel.Worksheet
Private Sub Button4_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button4.Click
excelWorkbook = excelApp.Workbooks.Open("D:/excelSheets/some_excel.xls")
excelApp.Visible = True
excelWorkSheet = excelWorkbook.Sheets("SheetName")
With excelWorkSheet
.Range("B7").Value = "Value"
End With
Dim trd = New Thread(Sub() Me.SendInputs("ValueForInputBox"))
trd.IsBackground = True
trd.Start()
excelApp.Run("macroName")
trd.Join()
releaseObject(trd)
excelApp.Quit()
releaseObject(excelApp)
releaseObject(excelWorkbook)
End Sub
Private Sub releaseObject(ByVal obj As Object)
Try
System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(obj)
obj = Nothing
Catch ex As Exception
obj = Nothing
Finally
GC.Collect()
End Try
End Sub
Private Sub SendInputs(ByVal noOfIds As String)
Thread.Sleep(100)
SendKeys.SendWait(noOfIds)
SendKeys.SendWait("{ENTER}")
SendKeys.SendWait("{ENTER}")
End Sub
I want to run an app inside a panel or something within my applicaiton. It's an emulator front end. You browse through games, then when you select one it launches the emulator. I found the following code and adapted it to my project
Public Class Form1
Declare Auto Function SetParent Lib "user32.dll" (ByVal hWndChild As IntPtr, ByVal hWndNewParent As IntPtr) As Integer
Declare Auto Function SendMessage Lib "user32.dll" (ByVal hWnd As IntPtr, ByVal Msg As Integer, ByVal wParam As Integer, ByVal lParam As Integer) As Integer
Private Const WM_SYSCOMMAND As Integer = 274
Private Const SC_MAXIMIZE As Integer = 61488
Dim proc As Process
Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
proc = Process.Start("C:\WINDOWS\notepad.exe")
proc.WaitForInputIdle()
SetParent(proc.MainWindowHandle, Panel1.Handle)
SendMessage(proc.MainWindowHandle, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_MAXIMIZE, 0)
End Sub
End Class
If I try it with notepad, or even zsnesw.exe it works okay, but if I try to pass some parameters to zsnesw it kind of freaks out and I have to reboot my computer (I can't switch applications or even open the task manager).
Also, even when it does work, the start menu pops up like I have switched to another app. This is kind of what I was trying to avoid in the first place as my app is full screen.
I got it working!
Dim proc As Process
proc = Process.Start(emuPath + "zsnesw", "-m """ + selGame.romPath + """")
proc.WaitForInputIdle()
SetParent(proc.MainWindowHandle, Me.Panel1.Handle)
SendMessage(proc.MainWindowHandle, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_MAXIMIZE, 0)
Me.BringToFront()
Problem 1: I was passing the arguments incorrectly. I was trying to use Process.StartInfo.Arguments. Didn't work for some reason. Using a comma in Process.Start works fine.
Problem 2: I added Me.BringToFront() to hide the start menu again.
Use Thread.Sleep
;)
'Run Calc application inside Panel2 control
Dim proc As Process
proc = Process.Start("Calc.exe")
proc.WaitForInputIdle()
Thread.Sleep(1000)
SetParent(proc.MainWindowHandle, Me.Panel2.Handle)
Thread.Sleep(1000)
SendMessage(proc.MainWindowHandle, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_MAXIMIZE, 0)