How to make Taskbar Flash on Lost Focus - c#

I stumbled on this code below and tried to implement it in my WinForm App to help my users as many are very NOT tech-savy.
Unfortunately, it does nothing. It does not generate any errors or anything. It just doesn't make it Flash.
Can anyone offer any insight? I have tried it on Win 7(x64) & Win XP (x86) with the same results on both.
I am calling it like so --> TaskbarFlasher.FlashWindow(this); From my Main Form.
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private extern static bool FlashWindow(IntPtr hwnd, bool bInvert);
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private extern static IntPtr GetForegroundWindow();
/// <summary>
/// Notifies the user that the application requests attention
/// by flashing the taskbar if the form is not the current window.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="myForm">The form in question.</param>
public static void FlashWindow(Form myForm)
{
// if the current foreground window isn't this window,
// flash this window in task bar once every 1 second
if (GetForegroundWindow() != myForm.Handle)
{
FlashWindow(myForm.Handle, true);
}
}

Nevermind, I figured it out with the Following Links Help --> http://pietschsoft.com/post/2009/01/26/CSharp-Flash-Window-in-Taskbar-via-Win32-FlashWindowEx.aspx
Thanks Chris Pietschmann from a fellow SO Wisconsinite!!
public static class FlashWindow
{
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
private static extern bool FlashWindowEx(ref FLASHWINFO pwfi);
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
private struct FLASHWINFO
{
/// <summary>
/// The size of the structure in bytes.
/// </summary>
public uint cbSize;
/// <summary>
/// A Handle to the Window to be Flashed. The window can be either opened or minimized.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hwnd;
/// <summary>
/// The Flash Status.
/// </summary>
public uint dwFlags;
/// <summary>
/// The number of times to Flash the window.
/// </summary>
public uint uCount;
/// <summary>
/// The rate at which the Window is to be flashed, in milliseconds. If Zero, the function uses the default cursor blink rate.
/// </summary>
public uint dwTimeout;
}
/// <summary>
/// Stop flashing. The system restores the window to its original stae.
/// </summary>
public const uint FLASHW_STOP = 0;
/// <summary>
/// Flash the window caption.
/// </summary>
public const uint FLASHW_CAPTION = 1;
/// <summary>
/// Flash the taskbar button.
/// </summary>
public const uint FLASHW_TRAY = 2;
/// <summary>
/// Flash both the window caption and taskbar button.
/// This is equivalent to setting the FLASHW_CAPTION | FLASHW_TRAY flags.
/// </summary>
public const uint FLASHW_ALL = 3;
/// <summary>
/// Flash continuously, until the FLASHW_STOP flag is set.
/// </summary>
public const uint FLASHW_TIMER = 4;
/// <summary>
/// Flash continuously until the window comes to the foreground.
/// </summary>
public const uint FLASHW_TIMERNOFG = 12;
/// <summary>
/// Flash the spacified Window (Form) until it recieves focus.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="form">The Form (Window) to Flash.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool Flash(System.Windows.Forms.Form form)
{
// Make sure we're running under Windows 2000 or later
if (Win2000OrLater)
{
FLASHWINFO fi = Create_FLASHWINFO(form.Handle, FLASHW_ALL | FLASHW_TIMERNOFG, uint.MaxValue, 0);
return FlashWindowEx(ref fi);
}
return false;
}
private static FLASHWINFO Create_FLASHWINFO(IntPtr handle, uint flags, uint count, uint timeout)
{
FLASHWINFO fi = new FLASHWINFO();
fi.cbSize = Convert.ToUInt32(Marshal.SizeOf(fi));
fi.hwnd = handle;
fi.dwFlags = flags;
fi.uCount = count;
fi.dwTimeout = timeout;
return fi;
}
/// <summary>
/// Flash the specified Window (form) for the specified number of times
/// </summary>
/// <param name="form">The Form (Window) to Flash.</param>
/// <param name="count">The number of times to Flash.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool Flash(System.Windows.Forms.Form form, uint count)
{
if (Win2000OrLater)
{
FLASHWINFO fi = Create_FLASHWINFO(form.Handle, FLASHW_ALL, count, 0);
return FlashWindowEx(ref fi);
}
return false;
}
/// <summary>
/// Start Flashing the specified Window (form)
/// </summary>
/// <param name="form">The Form (Window) to Flash.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool Start(System.Windows.Forms.Form form)
{
if (Win2000OrLater)
{
FLASHWINFO fi = Create_FLASHWINFO(form.Handle, FLASHW_ALL, uint.MaxValue, 0);
return FlashWindowEx(ref fi);
}
return false;
}
/// <summary>
/// Stop Flashing the specified Window (form)
/// </summary>
/// <param name="form"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
public static bool Stop(System.Windows.Forms.Form form)
{
if (Win2000OrLater)
{
FLASHWINFO fi = Create_FLASHWINFO(form.Handle, FLASHW_STOP, uint.MaxValue, 0);
return FlashWindowEx(ref fi);
}
return false;
}
/// <summary>
/// A boolean value indicating whether the application is running on Windows 2000 or later.
/// </summary>
private static bool Win2000OrLater
{
get { return System.Environment.OSVersion.Version.Major >= 5; }
}
}

Related

Delete Multiple Files with Single Windows Prompt (FileSystem)

I have a WPF application that displays files in a folder. The user can select multiple files and select to delete them, currently I am using this logic with uses FileSystem from the VisualBasic.FileIO library:
foreach (Item item in items)
{
if (item.IsDirectory)
{
FileSystem.DeleteDirectory(item.FullPath, UIOption.AllDialogs, RecycleOption.SendToRecycleBin);
}
else
{
FileSystem.DeleteFile(item.FullPath, UIOption.AllDialogs, RecycleOption.SendToRecycleBin);
}
}
The problem here is that if users have the Windows option "Display delete confirmation dialog" turned on:
They get a Windows prompt for each file.
I want them to get a single prompt like this:
Is there a way to do this?
Even if it involves a PInvoke of some WinAPI function?
With PInvoke, we can use SHFileOperation with the FO_DELETE function to send file system objects to the recycle bin. According to the documentation, we can send multiple paths at once by joining them with a NULL character:
Although this member is declared as a single null-terminated string, it is actually a buffer that can hold multiple null-delimited file names. Each file name is terminated by a single NULL character. The last file name is terminated with a double NULL character ("\0\0") to indicate the end of the buffer.
Instead of writing everything from scratch, let's use parts of the code in this answer and adjust it to work with multiple paths. We will have something like this:
public class FileOperationAPIWrapper
{
/// <summary>
/// Possible flags for the SHFileOperation method.
/// </summary>
[Flags]
public enum FileOperationFlags : ushort
{
/// <summary>
/// Do not show a dialog during the process
/// </summary>
FOF_SILENT = 0x0004,
/// <summary>
/// Do not ask the user to confirm selection
/// </summary>
FOF_NOCONFIRMATION = 0x0010,
/// <summary>
/// Delete the file to the recycle bin. (Required flag to send a file to the bin
/// </summary>
FOF_ALLOWUNDO = 0x0040,
/// <summary>
/// Do not show the names of the files or folders that are being recycled.
/// </summary>
FOF_SIMPLEPROGRESS = 0x0100,
/// <summary>
/// Surpress errors, if any occur during the process.
/// </summary>
FOF_NOERRORUI = 0x0400,
/// <summary>
/// Warn if files are too big to fit in the recycle bin and will need
/// to be deleted completely.
/// </summary>
FOF_WANTNUKEWARNING = 0x4000,
}
/// <summary>
/// File Operation Function Type for SHFileOperation
/// </summary>
public enum FileOperationType : uint
{
/// <summary>
/// Move the objects
/// </summary>
FO_MOVE = 0x0001,
/// <summary>
/// Copy the objects
/// </summary>
FO_COPY = 0x0002,
/// <summary>
/// Delete (or recycle) the objects
/// </summary>
FO_DELETE = 0x0003,
/// <summary>
/// Rename the object(s)
/// </summary>
FO_RENAME = 0x0004,
}
/// <summary>
/// SHFILEOPSTRUCT for SHFileOperation from COM
/// </summary>
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
private struct SHFILEOPSTRUCT
{
public IntPtr hwnd;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U4)]
public FileOperationType wFunc;
public string pFrom;
public string pTo;
public FileOperationFlags fFlags;
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public bool fAnyOperationsAborted;
public IntPtr hNameMappings;
public string lpszProgressTitle;
}
[DllImport("shell32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
private static extern int SHFileOperation(ref SHFILEOPSTRUCT FileOp);
public static bool SendToRecycleBin(string path, FileOperationFlags flags)
{
return SendToRecycleBin(new[] { path }, flags);
}
public static bool SendToRecycleBin(IList<string> paths, FileOperationFlags flags)
{
try
{
var fs = new SHFILEOPSTRUCT
{
wFunc = FileOperationType.FO_DELETE,
pFrom = string.Join("\0", paths) + '\0' + '\0',
fFlags = FileOperationFlags.FOF_ALLOWUNDO | flags
};
SHFileOperation(ref fs);
return true;
}
catch (Exception)
{
return false;
}
}
}
Usage:
FileOperationAPIWrapper.SendToRecycleBin(items,
FileOperationAPIWrapper.FileOperationFlags.FOF_WANTNUKEWARNING);

How do I write Powershell Wrapper in C#?

I'm trying to write general interactive shell wrapper class from c#/.Net using CreateProcess() for Dos, Powershell, Plink, etc, and I've found the article Why does StandardOutput.Read() block when StartInfo.RedirectStandardInput is set to true? to write wrapper classes which redirect child process's stdin/stdout for getting powershell command execution output. As he directed, I got his source code from http://sixfeetsix.blogspot.com/2012/08/interacting-with-sub-processed-shell-in.html. However, any command line execution such as plink.exe, cmd.exe works great for redirection of stdin/stdout but powershell.exe doesn't get me the input/output correctly. It looks like powershell.exe doesn't inherit from parant process and thread for pipe. Would you give me any feedbacks for getting retValue as of "get-help" powershell command successfully?
When I run "dir" command from DosShell, it returns the output of dos command "dir" successfully. However, Powershell doesn't return "get-help" command from powershell prompt.
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Threading;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
using System.Diagnostics;
namespace PowershellWrapperPOC
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
StringBuilder testOutput = new StringBuilder();
string retValue = null;
DosShell ds = new DosShell();
retValue = ds.Start(#"C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k", #"C:\Windows\System32\");
testOutput.Append(retValue.ToString());
retValue = ds.SendAndReceive("dir");
testOutput.Append(retValue.ToString());
ds.Terminate();
Debug.Print(testOutput.ToString());
testOutput = new StringBuilder();
PowerShell ps = new PowerShell();
retValue = ps.Start(#"C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe", #"C:\Windows\System32\");
testOutput.Append(retValue.ToString());
retValue = ps.SendAndReceive("get-help");
testOutput.Append(retValue.ToString());
ps.Terminate();
Debug.Print(testOutput.ToString());
}
}
public class PowerShell : CommonShell
{
public PowerShell()
{
base.SetPrintSendCommand(false);
base.SetEncoding("utf8");
base.SetExitCommand("exit");
base.SetPrompts("> ; ");
}
}
public class DosShell : CommonShell
{
public DosShell()
{
base.SetPrintSendCommand(false);
base.SetEncoding("utf8");
base.SetExitCommand("exit");
base.SetPrompts(">");
}
}
public class CommonShell : ShellProcess
{
private StringBuilder _strOutput;
private StringBuilder _strLastOutput;
private static string _escapeCharsPattern = "[\\[|\\(][0-9;?]*[^0-9;]";
private int _timeout;
public CommonShell()
{
_strOutput = new StringBuilder();
_strLastOutput = new StringBuilder();
}
public bool RemoveEscChars
{
get;
set;
}
protected override string Prompt
{
get;
set;
}
protected override string ExitCommand
{
get;
set;
}
protected override Encoding Encoding
{
get;
set;
}
public bool PrintSendCommand
{
get;
set;
}
new public string Start(string applicationName, string workDirectory)
{
if (PrintSendCommand == true)
{
_strOutput.Append(applicationName + "\r\n");
_strLastOutput.Append(applicationName + "\r\n");
}
var results = base.Start(applicationName, workDirectory);
// if remove esc chars?
if (RemoveEscChars == true)
{
string str = results.Item3;
str = Regex.Replace(str, _escapeCharsPattern, "");
_strOutput.Append(str);
_strLastOutput.Append(str);
}
else
{
_strOutput.Append(results.Item3);
_strLastOutput.Append(results.Item3);
}
return _strLastOutput.ToString();
}
new public string SendAndReceive(string toSend)
{
_strLastOutput = new StringBuilder();
if (PrintSendCommand == true)
{
_strLastOutput.Append(toSend + "\r\n");
_strOutput.Append(toSend + "\r\n");
}
// Wait forever till getting the expected prompt
var results = base.SendAndReceive(toSend + "\r\n");
// if remove esc chars?
if (RemoveEscChars == true)
{
string str = results.Item3;
str = Regex.Replace(str, _escapeCharsPattern, "");
_strOutput.Append(str);
_strLastOutput.Append(str);
}
else
{
_strOutput.Append(results.Item3);
_strLastOutput.Append(results.Item3);
}
return _strLastOutput.ToString();
}
public void SetPrompts(string prompt)
{
var enc = this.Encoding;
byte[] utfBytes = enc.GetBytes(prompt);
Prompt = enc.GetString(utfBytes);
}
public void SetEncoding(string enc)
{
string l_enc = enc.ToLower();
switch (l_enc)
{
case "utf8":
this.Encoding = Encoding.UTF8;
break;
case "utf7":
this.Encoding = Encoding.UTF7;
break;
case "utf32":
this.Encoding = Encoding.UTF32;
break;
case "ascii":
this.Encoding = Encoding.ASCII;
break;
default:
return;
}
}
public void SetExitCommand(string command)
{
ExitCommand = command;
}
public void SetPrintSendCommand(bool bPrintSendCommand)
{
PrintSendCommand = bPrintSendCommand;
}
public void SetRemoveEscChars(bool bRemove)
{
RemoveEscChars = bRemove;
}
public void SetTimeout(int timeout)
{
this._timeout = timeout;
}
public void Flush()
{
_strOutput = new StringBuilder();
_strLastOutput = new StringBuilder();
}
public string GetLastOutput()
{
return _strLastOutput.ToString();
}
public string GetOutput()
{
return _strLastOutput.ToString();
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Kernel32 Marshaling
/// </summary>
public static class Kernel32
{
/// <summary>
/// HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT
///
/// If this flag is set, a child process created with the bInheritHandles parameter of CreateProcess set to TRUE will inherit the object handle.
///
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms724935(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
public const int HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT = 1;
/// <summary>
/// STARTF_USESTDHANDLES
///
/// The hStdInput, hStdOutput, and hStdError members contain additional information.
/// If this flag is specified when calling one of the process creation functions, the handles must be inheritable and the function's
/// bInheritHandles parameter must be set to TRUE. For more information, see Handle Inheritance.
///
/// If this flag is specified when calling the GetStartupInfo function, these members are either the handle value specified during
/// process creation or INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE.
///
/// Handles must be closed with CloseHandle when they are no longer needed.
/// This flag cannot be used with STARTF_USEHOTKEY.
///
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms686331(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 STARTF_USESTDHANDLES = 0x00000100;
/// <summary>
/// STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW
///
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms686331(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW = 0x00000001;
/// <summary>
/// SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
/// </summary>
public struct SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
{
/// <summary>
/// The size, in bytes, of this structure. Set this value to the size of the SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES structure.
/// </summary>
public int length;
/// <summary>
/// A pointer to a SECURITY_DESCRIPTOR structure that controls access to the object.
/// If the value of this member is NULL, the object is assigned the default security descriptor associated with the access token of the calling process.
/// This is not the same as granting access to everyone by assigning a NULL discretionary access control list (DACL).
/// By default, the default DACL in the access token of a process allows access only to the user represented by the access token.
///
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa379560(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
public IntPtr lpSecurityDescriptor;
/// <summary>
/// A Boolean value that specifies whether the returned handle is inherited when a new process is created.
/// If this member is TRUE, the new process inherits the handle.
/// </summary>
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public bool bInheritHandle;
}
/// <summary>
/// STARTUPINFO
/// </summary>
public struct STARTUPINFO
{
/// <summary>
/// The size of the structure, in bytes.
/// </summary>
public uint cb;
/// <summary>
/// Reserved; must be NULL.
/// </summary>
public string lpReserved;
/// <summary>
/// The name of the desktop, or the name of both the desktop and window station for this process.
/// A backslash in the string indicates that the string includes both the desktop and window station names.
/// </summary>
public string lpDesktop;
/// <summary>
/// For console processes, this is the title displayed in the title bar if a new console window is created.
/// If NULL, the name of the executable file is used as the window title instead.
/// This parameter must be NULL for GUI or console processes that do not create a new console window.
/// </summary>
public string lpTitle;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USEPOSITION, this member is the x offset of the upper left corner of a window if a new window is created, in pixels.
/// Otherwise, this member is ignored.
///
/// The offset is from the upper left corner of the screen. For GUI processes, the specified position is used the first time the new process calls
/// CreateWindow to create an overlapped window if the x parameter of CreateWindow is CW_USEDEFAULT.
/// </summary>
public uint dwX;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USEPOSITION, this member is the y offset of the upper left corner of a window if a new window is created, in pixels.
/// Otherwise, this member is ignored.
///
/// The offset is from the upper left corner of the screen. For GUI processes, the specified position is used the first time the new process calls
/// CreateWindow to create an overlapped window if the y parameter of CreateWindow is CW_USEDEFAULT.
/// </summary>
public uint dwY;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USESIZE, this member is the width of the window if a new window is created, in pixels.
/// Otherwise, this member is ignored.
///
/// For GUI processes, this is used only the first time the new process calls CreateWindow to create an overlapped window
/// if the nWidth parameter of CreateWindow is CW_USEDEFAULT.
/// </summary>
public uint dwXSize;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USESIZE, this member is the height of the window if a new window is created, in pixels.
/// Otherwise, this member is ignored.
///
/// For GUI processes, this is used only the first time the new process calls CreateWindow to create an overlapped window
/// if the nHeight parameter of CreateWindow is CW_USEDEFAULT.
/// </summary>
public uint dwYSize;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USECOUNTCHARS, if a new console window is created in a console process,
/// this member specifies the screen buffer width, in character columns. Otherwise, this member is ignored.
/// </summary>
public uint dwXCountChars;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USECOUNTCHARS, if a new console window is created in a console process,
/// this member specifies the screen buffer height, in character rows. Otherwise, this member is ignored.
/// </summary>
public uint dwYCountChars;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USEFILLATTRIBUTE, this member is the initial text and background colors
/// if a new console window is created in a console application. Otherwise, this member is ignored.
///
/// This value can be any combination of the following values:
/// FOREGROUND_BLUE, FOREGROUND_GREEN, FOREGROUND_RED, FOREGROUND_INTENSITY, BACKGROUND_BLUE, BACKGROUND_GREEN,
/// BACKGROUND_RED, and BACKGROUND_INTENSITY. For example, the following combination of values produces red text on a white background:
///
/// FOREGROUND_RED| BACKGROUND_RED| BACKGROUND_GREEN| BACKGROUND_BLUE
/// </summary>
public uint dwFillAttribute;
/// <summary>
/// A bitfield that determines whether certain STARTUPINFO members are used when the process creates a window.
/// This member can be one or more of the following values.
///
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms686331(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
public uint dwFlags;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW, this member can be any of the values that can be specified in the nCmdShow parameter for the
/// ShowWindow function, except for SW_SHOWDEFAULT. Otherwise, this member is ignored.
///
/// For GUI processes, the first time ShowWindow is called, its nCmdShow parameter is ignored wShowWindow specifies the default value.
/// In subsequent calls to ShowWindow, the wShowWindow member is used if the nCmdShow parameter of ShowWindow is set to SW_SHOWDEFAULT.
/// </summary>
public short wShowWindow;
/// <summary>
/// Reserved for use by the C Run-time; must be zero.
/// </summary>
public short cbReserved2;
/// <summary>
/// Reserved for use by the C Run-time; must be NULL.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr lpReserved2;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USESTDHANDLES, this member is the standard input handle for the process.
/// If STARTF_USESTDHANDLES is not specified, the default for standard input is the keyboard buffer.
///
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USEHOTKEY, this member specifies a hotkey value that is sent as the wParam parameter of a
/// WM_SETHOTKEY message to the first eligible top-level window created by the application that owns the process.
/// If the window is created with the WS_POPUP window style, it is not eligible unless the WS_EX_APPWINDOW extended window style is also set.
///
/// For more information, see CreateWindowEx.
///
/// Otherwise, this member is ignored.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hStdInput;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USESTDHANDLES, this member is the standard output handle for the process.
/// Otherwise, this member is ignored and the default for standard output is the console window's buffer.
///
/// If a process is launched from the taskbar or jump list, the system sets hStdOutput to a handle to the monitor
/// that contains the taskbar or jump list used to launch the process. For more information, see Remarks.
///
/// Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003:
/// This behavior was introduced in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hStdOutput;
/// <summary>
/// If dwFlags specifies STARTF_USESTDHANDLES, this member is the standard error handle for the process.
/// Otherwise, this member is ignored and the default for standard error is the console window's buffer.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hStdError;
}
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms684873(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
public struct PROCESS_INFORMATION
{
/// <summary>
/// A handle to the newly created process. The handle is used to specify the process in all functions that perform operations on the process object.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hProcess;
/// <summary>
/// A handle to the primary thread of the newly created process. The handle is used to specify the thread in all functions that perform operations on the thread object.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hThread;
/// <summary>
/// A value that can be used to identify a process. The value is valid from the time the process is created until all handles to the process are closed and the process object is freed; at this point, the identifier may be reused.
/// </summary>
public uint dwProcessId;
/// <summary>
/// A value that can be used to identify a thread. The value is valid from the time the thread is created until all handles to the thread are closed and the thread object is freed; at this point, the identifier may be reused.
/// </summary>
public uint dwThreadId;
}
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms682425(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpApplicationName"></param>
/// <param name="lpCommandLine"></param>
/// <param name="lpProcessAttributes"></param>
/// <param name="lpThreadAttributes"></param>
/// <param name="bInheritHandles"></param>
/// <param name="dwCreationFlags"></param>
/// <param name="lpEnvironment"></param>
/// <param name="lpCurrentDirectory"></param>
/// <param name="lpStartupInfo"></param>
/// <param name="lpProcessInformation"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern bool CreateProcess(string lpApplicationName,
string lpCommandLine,
IntPtr lpProcessAttributes,
IntPtr lpThreadAttributes,
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)] bool bInheritHandles,
uint dwCreationFlags,
IntPtr lpEnvironment,
string lpCurrentDirectory,
ref STARTUPINFO lpStartupInfo,
out PROCESS_INFORMATION lpProcessInformation);
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms724211(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hObject"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern bool CloseHandle(IntPtr hObject);
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365152(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hReadPipe"></param>
/// <param name="hWritePipe"></param>
/// <param name="lpPipeAttributes"></param>
/// <param name="nSize"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern bool CreatePipe(out IntPtr hReadPipe,
out IntPtr hWritePipe,
ref SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES lpPipeAttributes,
uint nSize);
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365779(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hNamedPipe"></param>
/// <param name="pBuffer"></param>
/// <param name="nBufferSize"></param>
/// <param name="lpBytesRead"></param>
/// <param name="lpTotalBytesAvail"></param>
/// <param name="lpBytesLeftThisMessage"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern unsafe bool PeekNamedPipe(IntPtr hNamedPipe,
IntPtr pBuffer,
int nBufferSize,
IntPtr lpBytesRead,
int* lpTotalBytesAvail,
IntPtr lpBytesLeftThisMessage);
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365467(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hFile"></param>
/// <param name="pBuffer"></param>
/// <param name="nNumberOfBytesToRead"></param>
/// <param name="lpNumberOfBytesRead"></param>
/// <param name="lpOverlapped"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern unsafe bool ReadFile(IntPtr hFile,
void* pBuffer,
int nNumberOfBytesToRead,
int* lpNumberOfBytesRead,
IntPtr lpOverlapped);
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365747(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hFile"></param>
/// <param name="pBuffer"></param>
/// <param name="nNumberOfBytesToWrite"></param>
/// <param name="lpNumberOfBytesWritten"></param>
/// <param name="lpOverlapped"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern unsafe bool WriteFile(IntPtr hFile,
void* pBuffer,
int nNumberOfBytesToWrite,
int* lpNumberOfBytesWritten,
IntPtr lpOverlapped);
/// <summary>
/// http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms724935(v=vs.85).aspx
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hObject"></param>
/// <param name="dwMask"></param>
/// <param name="dwFlags"></param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern bool SetHandleInformation(IntPtr hObject, int dwMask, uint dwFlags);
}
public abstract class ShellProcess
{
IntPtr _hChildStdoutR, _hChildStdoutW, _hChildStderrR, _hChildStderrW, _hChildStdinR, _hChildStdinW;
Kernel32.SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES _sa, _sa_process, _sa_thread;
Kernel32.STARTUPINFO _si;
Kernel32.PROCESS_INFORMATION _pi;
string _applicationName;
protected abstract string Prompt { get; set; }
protected abstract string ExitCommand { get; set; }
protected abstract Encoding Encoding { get; set; }
static unsafe int Write(IntPtr h, byte[] buffer, int index, int count)
{
int n = 0;
fixed (byte* p = buffer)
{
if (!Kernel32.WriteFile(h, p + index, count, &n, IntPtr.Zero))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
}
return n;
}
static unsafe int Peek(IntPtr h)
{
int n = 0;
if (!Kernel32.PeekNamedPipe(h, IntPtr.Zero, 0, IntPtr.Zero, &n, IntPtr.Zero))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
return n;
}
static unsafe int Read(IntPtr h, byte[] buffer, int index, int count)
{
int n = 0;
fixed (byte* p = buffer)
{
if (!Kernel32.ReadFile(h, p + index, count, &n, IntPtr.Zero))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
}
return n;
}
public virtual void SendCommand(string s)
{
byte[] bytesToWrite = Encoding.GetBytes(s);
Write(_hChildStdinW, bytesToWrite, 0, bytesToWrite.Length);
}
Tuple<string, string, string> ReadToPrompt()
{
StringBuilder strOutput = new StringBuilder();
const int bufferLength = 128;
byte[] buffer = new byte[bufferLength];
int bytesReadCount;
var stdOut = new StringBuilder(4096);
var stdErr = new StringBuilder();
string[] prompts = Prompt.Split(';');
bool foundPrompt = false;
while (!foundPrompt)
{
while (Peek(_hChildStdoutR) > 0)
{
bytesReadCount = Read(_hChildStdoutR, buffer, 0, bufferLength);
stdOut.Append(Encoding.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesReadCount));
strOutput.Append(Encoding.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesReadCount));
}
foreach (string prompt in prompts)
{
if (stdOut.ToString().Contains(prompt))
{
foundPrompt = true;
break;
}
}
//strOutput.Append(stdOut);
while (Peek(_hChildStderrR) > 0)
{
bytesReadCount = Read(_hChildStderrR, buffer, 0, bufferLength);
stdErr.Append(Encoding.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesReadCount));
strOutput.Append(Encoding.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesReadCount));
}
foreach (string prompt in prompts)
{
if (stdErr.ToString().Contains(prompt))
{
foundPrompt = true;
break;
}
}
//strOutput.Append(stdErr);
Thread.Sleep(20);
}
while (Peek(_hChildStderrR) > 0)
{
bytesReadCount = Read(_hChildStderrR, buffer, 0, bufferLength);
stdErr.Append(Encoding.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesReadCount));
strOutput.Append(Encoding.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesReadCount));
}
return new Tuple<string, string, string>(stdOut.ToString(), stdErr.ToString(), strOutput.ToString());
}
public virtual Tuple<string, string, string> SendAndReceive(string toSend)
{
SendCommand(toSend);
return ReadToPrompt();
}
public virtual Tuple<string, string, string> Start(string applicationName, string workDirectory)
{
_sa = new Kernel32.SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
{
bInheritHandle = true,
lpSecurityDescriptor = IntPtr.Zero,
length = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(Kernel32.SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES))
};
_sa.lpSecurityDescriptor = IntPtr.Zero;
_sa_process = new Kernel32.SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
{
bInheritHandle = true,
lpSecurityDescriptor = IntPtr.Zero,
length = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(Kernel32.SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES))
};
_sa_process.lpSecurityDescriptor = IntPtr.Zero;
_sa_thread = new Kernel32.SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES
{
bInheritHandle = true,
lpSecurityDescriptor = IntPtr.Zero,
length = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(Kernel32.SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES))
};
_sa_thread.lpSecurityDescriptor = IntPtr.Zero;
if (!Kernel32.CreatePipe(out _hChildStdoutR, out _hChildStdoutW, ref _sa, 0))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.CreatePipe(out _hChildStderrR, out _hChildStderrW, ref _sa, 0))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.CreatePipe(out _hChildStdinR, out _hChildStdinW, ref _sa, 0))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.SetHandleInformation(_hChildStdoutR, Kernel32.HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT, 0))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.SetHandleInformation(_hChildStderrR, Kernel32.HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT, 0))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.SetHandleInformation(_hChildStdinW, Kernel32.HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT, 0))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
_si = new Kernel32.STARTUPINFO
{
wShowWindow = 0,
dwFlags = Kernel32.STARTF_USESTDHANDLES | Kernel32.STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW,
hStdOutput = _hChildStdoutW,
hStdError = _hChildStderrW,
hStdInput = _hChildStdinR
};
_si.cb = (uint)Marshal.SizeOf(_si);
_pi = new Kernel32.PROCESS_INFORMATION();
if (!Kernel32.CreateProcess(null, applicationName, IntPtr.Zero, IntPtr.Zero, true, 0, IntPtr.Zero, workDirectory, ref _si, out _pi))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
_applicationName = applicationName;
return ReadToPrompt();
}
public void Terminate()
{
SendCommand(ExitCommand);
if (!Kernel32.CloseHandle(_hChildStderrW))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.CloseHandle(_hChildStdoutW))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.CloseHandle(_hChildStdinW))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.CloseHandle(_pi.hProcess))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
if (!Kernel32.CloseHandle(_pi.hThread))
throw new Win32Exception(Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
}
}
}
powershell is different. I think you can not simple redirect its input and output. that's why we need to use runspace to get the output object. search "powershell c# example", lots code. here is a simple one:
Calling PowerShell From C#
depends on the powershell you use (exchange powers shell, sharepoint power shell..), you will need to add the correct snapin.
It sounds like you don't want to just call powershell commands from C#, but to act as a powershell host. Being a powershell host allows you to receive the output from commands like Write-Host and Out-String and just have a stream of strings as input and output. Examples of hosts are powershell.exe and powershell_ise.exe, but it can be a lot of work and won't make processing the results of powershell commands easier, only harder. The power of powershell is that the input and output of commands are real objects, not just strings. You can read more about it here.
If you just want to execute some powershell commands and receive their output you would be better of with this here and work with the objects the powershell commands are returning instead of wanting them to be strings. This means you have to stop using commands like Write-Host, Out-String, Format-Table, etc. Those are for formatting, not for processing results.

Making GetRawInputDeviceInfo and RIDI_DEVICEINFO work with C#

I have the problem that I can't seem to make GetRawInputDeviceInfo in combination with RIDI_DEVICEINFO (to try to retrieve a RID_DEVICE_INFO) is not working at all.
I get the error -1 back from the function, what should mean that there is not enough space to store the RID_DEVICE_INFO, buy I tried already to increase it to the more then needed but the effect the same.
I used the following DLLImports :
[DllImport("User32.dll")]
extern static uint GetRawInputDeviceInfo(IntPtr hDevice, uint uiCommand, IntPtr pData, ref uint pcbSize);
[DllImport("User32.dll")]
unsafe extern static uint GetRawInputDeviceInfo(IntPtr hDevice, uint uiCommand, IntPtr pData, IntPtr pcbSize);
Both with no result, but when I try these with RIDI_DEVICENAME they both work just fine.
In this case I call the function like this :
first to get the size: GetRawInputDeviceInfo(rid.hDevice, RIDI_DEVICENAME, IntPtr.Zero, pSize);
and then : GetRawInputDeviceInfo(rid.hDevice, RIDI_DEVICENAME, pData, pSize);
to get the name. Both work fine, but when I call the function like this :
int intReturn = (int)GetRawInputDeviceInfo(rid.hDevice, RIDI_DEVICEINFO, IntPtr.Zero, pInfoSize);
intReturn = (int)GetRawInputDeviceInfo(rid.hDevice, RIDI_DEVICEINFO, pInfoData, pInfoSize);
Then at first I get 0 into intReturn and also can get the correct size,
but then I get -1 into return, and whan I do a PtrToStructure it just returns wrong and seemingly random values.
Also when I after that do a GetLastWin32Error(), it return sometime 1008 or 87 , what also seems not to make any logic to me, because I don't see where I could have made the wrong parameters.
I defined RIDI_DEVICENAME and RIDI_DEVICEINFO as :
internal const uint RIDI_DEVICENAME = 0x20000007;
internal const uint RIDI_DEVICEINFO = 0x2000000b;
Can anyone help with this problem or show me a working C# example for GetRawInputDeviceInfo ?
Thanks,
Peter
I have it working in Windows 8.1 x64 (let me know if I have missed an enum or struct somewhere):
/// <summary>
/// Retrieves information about the raw input device.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hDevice">A handle to the raw input device. This comes from the lParam of the WM_INPUT message, from the hDevice member of RAWINPUTHEADER, or from GetRawInputDeviceList. It can also be NULL if an application inserts input data, for example, by using SendInput.</param>
/// <param name="uiCommand">Specifies what data will be returned in pData.</param>
/// <param name="pData">A pointer to a buffer that contains the information specified by uiCommand. If uiCommand is RIDI_DEVICEINFO, set the cbSize member of RID_DEVICE_INFO to sizeof(RID_DEVICE_INFO) before calling GetRawInputDeviceInfo. </param>
/// <param name="pcbSize">The size, in bytes, of the data in pData. </param>
/// <returns>If successful, this function returns a non-negative number indicating the number of bytes copied to pData. If pData is not large enough for the data, the function returns -1. If pData is NULL, the function returns a value of zero. In both of these cases, pcbSize is set to the minimum size required for the pData buffer. Call GetLastError to identify any other errors.</returns>
/// <remarks>http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms645597%28v=vs.85%29.aspx</remarks>
[DllImport("User32.dll", SetLastError = true, CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
public static extern uint GetRawInputDeviceInfo(
[In] IntPtr hDevice,
[In] RawInputDeviceInformationCommand uiCommand,
[In, Out] IntPtr pData,
[In, Out] ref uint pcbSize);
public enum RawInputDeviceInformationCommand : int
{
/// <summary>
/// pData points to a string that contains the device name. For this uiCommand only, the value in pcbSize is the character count (not the byte count).
/// </summary>
RIDI_DEVICENAME = 0x20000007,
/// <summary>
/// pData points to an RID_DEVICE_INFO structure.
/// </summary>
RIDI_DEVICEINFO = 0x2000000b,
/// <summary>
/// pData points to the previously parsed data.
/// </summary>
RIDI_PREPARSEDDATA = 0x20000005
}
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit)]
public struct RID_DEVICE_INFO
{
/// <summary>
/// The size, in bytes, of the RID_DEVICE_INFO structure.
/// </summary>
[FieldOffset(0)]
public int cbSize;
/// <summary>
/// The type of raw input data.
/// </summary>
[FieldOffset(4)]
public RawInputDeviceType dwType;
/// <summary>
/// If dwType is RIM_TYPEMOUSE, this is the RID_DEVICE_INFO_MOUSE structure that defines the mouse.
/// </summary>
[FieldOffset(8)]
public RID_DEVICE_INFO_MOUSE mouse;
/// <summary>
/// If dwType is RIM_TYPEKEYBOARD, this is the RID_DEVICE_INFO_KEYBOARD structure that defines the keyboard.
/// </summary>
[FieldOffset(8)]
public RID_DEVICE_INFO_KEYBOARD keyboard;
/// <summary>
/// If dwType is RIM_TYPEHID, this is the RID_DEVICE_INFO_HID structure that defines the HID device.
/// </summary>
[FieldOffset(8)]
public RID_DEVICE_INFO_HID hid;
}
/// <summary>
/// Defines the raw input data coming from the specified mouse.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms645589%28v=vs.85%29.aspx</remarks>
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct RID_DEVICE_INFO_MOUSE
{
/// <summary>
/// The identifier of the mouse device.
/// </summary>
public int dwId;
/// <summary>
/// The number of buttons for the mouse.
/// </summary>
public int dwNumberOfButtons;
/// <summary>
/// The number of data points per second. This information may not be applicable for every mouse device.
/// </summary>
public int dwSampleRate;
/// <summary>
/// TRUE if the mouse has a wheel for horizontal scrolling; otherwise, FALSE.
/// Windows XP: This member is only supported starting with Windows Vista.
/// </summary>
public bool fHasHorizontalWheel;
}
/// <summary>
/// Defines the raw input data coming from the specified keyboard.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms645587%28v=vs.85%29.aspx</remarks>
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct RID_DEVICE_INFO_KEYBOARD
{
/// <summary>
/// The type of the keyboard.
/// </summary>
public int dwType;
/// <summary>
/// The subtype of the keyboard.
/// </summary>
public int dwSubType;
/// <summary>
/// The scan code mode.
/// </summary>
public int dwKeyboardMode;
/// <summary>
/// The number of function keys on the keyboard.
/// </summary>
public int dwNumberOfFunctionKeys;
/// <summary>
/// The number of LED indicators on the keyboard.
/// </summary>
public int dwNumberOfIndicators;
/// <summary>
/// The total number of keys on the keyboard.
/// </summary>
public int dwNumberOfKeysTotal;
}
/// <summary>
/// Defines the raw input data coming from the specified Human Interface Device (HID).
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms645584%28v=vs.85%29.aspx</remarks>
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct RID_DEVICE_INFO_HID
{
/// <summary>
/// The vendor identifier for the HID.
/// </summary>
public int dwVendorId;
/// <summary>
/// The product identifier for the HID.
/// </summary>
public int dwProductId;
/// <summary>
/// The version number for the HID.
/// </summary>
public int dwVersionNumber;
/// <summary>
/// The top-level collection Usage Page for the device.
/// </summary>
public ushort usUsagePage;
/// <summary>
/// The top-level collection Usage for the device.
/// </summary>
public ushort usUsage;
}
/// <summary>
/// The type of raw input data.
/// </summary>
public enum RawInputDeviceType : int
{
/// <summary>
/// Data comes from a mouse.
/// </summary>
RIM_TYPEMOUSE = 0,
/// <summary>
/// Data comes from a keyboard.
/// </summary>
RIM_TYPEKEYBOARD = 1,
/// <summary>
/// Data comes from an HID that is not a keyboard or a mouse.
/// </summary>
RIM_TYPEHID = 2,
}
//somewhere in your code:
IntPtr pData = IntPtr.Zero;
uint strsize = 0;
IntPtr deviceHandle = <your device handle here>;
result = GetRawInputDeviceInfo(deviceHandle, RawInputDeviceInformationCommand.RIDI_DEVICENAME, pData, ref strsize);
pData = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(((int)strsize)*2);
result = GetRawInputDeviceInfo(deviceHandle, RawInputDeviceInformationCommand.RIDI_DEVICENAME, pData, ref strsize);
Console.WriteLine("Result = " + result + " ErrorCode = " + Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
string name = Marshal.PtrToStringAuto(pData);
Console.WriteLine("Name = " + name);
uint structsize = (uint)Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(RID_DEVICE_INFO));
RID_DEVICE_INFO di = new RID_DEVICE_INFO();
di.cbSize = (int)structsize;
pData = Marshal.AllocHGlobal((int)structsize);
result = GetRawInputDeviceInfo(deviceHandle, RawInputDeviceInformationCommand.RIDI_DEVICEINFO, pData, ref structsize);
di = (RID_DEVICE_INFO)Marshal.PtrToStructure(pData, typeof(RID_DEVICE_INFO));
Console.WriteLine("di.dwType = " + Enum.GetName(typeof(RawInputDeviceType), di.dwType));
switch (di.dwType)
{
case RawInputDeviceType.RIM_TYPEHID:
Console.WriteLine("di.hid.dwVendorId = " + di.hid.dwVendorId);
Console.WriteLine("di.hid.dwProductId = " + di.hid.dwProductId);
Console.WriteLine("di.hid.dwVersionNumber = " + di.hid.dwVersionNumber);
Console.WriteLine("di.hid.usUsagePage = " + di.hid.usUsagePage);
Console.WriteLine("di.hid.usUsage = " + di.hid.usUsage);
break;
case RawInputDeviceType.RIM_TYPEKEYBOARD:
Console.WriteLine("di.keyboard.dwType = " + di.keyboard.dwType);
Console.WriteLine("di.keyboard.dwSubType = " + di.keyboard.dwSubType);
Console.WriteLine("di.keyboard.dwNumberOfFunctionKeys = " + di.keyboard.dwNumberOfFunctionKeys);
Console.WriteLine("di.keyboard.dwNumberOfIndicators = " + di.keyboard.dwNumberOfIndicators);
Console.WriteLine("di.keyboard.dwNumberOfKeysTotal = " + di.keyboard.dwNumberOfKeysTotal);
break;
case RawInputDeviceType.RIM_TYPEMOUSE:
Console.WriteLine("di.mouse.dwId = " + di.mouse.dwId);
Console.WriteLine("di.mouse.dwNumberOfButtons = " + di.mouse.dwNumberOfButtons);
Console.WriteLine("di.mouse.dwSampleRate = " + di.mouse.dwSampleRate);
Console.WriteLine("di.mouse.fHasHorizontalWheel = " + di.mouse.fHasHorizontalWheel);
break;
default:
break;
}

Get user attention without stealing focus

I have a program that lets the user open several forms. Once a given event occurs (ex : 30 seconds have passed) I need to get user attention on the Form that triggered the event, without stealing the focus.
I already get the form on top with:
f.TopMost = true;
but I'd like to implement some alternative to that. Since changing the border color of the frame seems a nearly impossible task ( this solution would have been the best one), does anyone has an idea on how to get attention without stealing focus?
Option A: You need to use FlashWindowEx from the windows API. This isn't available in .NET, so you need to use PInvoke.
Option B: Use a balloon tip from the system tray. This is built into .NET, but requires that your application use a notification icon, which you might not want. More details here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.notifyicon.showballoontip.aspx
Here is the example for how to use Option A:
pInvoke.net has the best example: http://pinvoke.net/default.aspx/user32.FlashWindowEx
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
static extern bool FlashWindowEx(ref FLASHWINFO pwfi);
User-Defined Types:
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct FLASHWINFO
{
public UInt32 cbSize;
public IntPtr hwnd;
public UInt32 dwFlags;
public UInt32 uCount;
public UInt32 dwTimeout;
}
Notes:
//Stop flashing. The system restores the window to its original state.
public const UInt32 FLASHW_STOP = 0;
//Flash the window caption.
public const UInt32 FLASHW_CAPTION = 1;
//Flash the taskbar button.
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TRAY = 2;
//Flash both the window caption and taskbar button.
//This is equivalent to setting the FLASHW_CAPTION | FLASHW_TRAY flags.
public const UInt32 FLASHW_ALL = 3;
//Flash continuously, until the FLASHW_STOP flag is set.
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TIMER = 4;
//Flash continuously until the window comes to the foreground.
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TIMERNOFG = 12;
Tips & Tricks:
Please add some!
Sample Code:
/// <summary>
/// Flashes a window
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hWnd">The handle to the window to flash</param>
/// <returns>whether or not the window needed flashing</returns>
public static bool FlashWindowEx(IntPtr hWnd)
{
FLASHWINFO fInfo = new FLASHWINFO();
fInfo.cbSize = Convert.ToUInt32(Marshal.SizeOf(fInfo));
fInfo.hwnd = hWnd;
fInfo.dwFlags = FLASHW_ALL;
fInfo.uCount = UInt32.MaxValue;
fInfo.dwTimeout = 0;
return FlashWindowEx(ref fInfo);
}
...
/// Minor adjust to the code above
/// <summary>
/// Flashes a window until the window comes to the foreground
/// Receives the form that will flash
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hWnd">The handle to the window to flash</param>
/// <returns>whether or not the window needed flashing</returns>
public static bool FlashWindowEx(Form frm)
{
IntPtr hWnd = frm.Handle;
FLASHWINFO fInfo = new FLASHWINFO();
fInfo.cbSize = Convert.ToUInt32(Marshal.SizeOf(fInfo));
fInfo.hwnd = hWnd;
fInfo.dwFlags = FLASHW_ALL | FLASHW_TIMERNOFG;
fInfo.uCount = UInt32.MaxValue;
fInfo.dwTimeout = 0;
return FlashWindowEx(ref fInfo);
}
Here is the official Microsoft example: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms679347(v=vs.85).aspx
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
public static extern bool FlashWindowEx(ref FLASHWINFO pwfi);
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct FLASHWINFO
{
/// <summary>
/// The size of the structure in bytes.
/// </summary>
public uint cbSize;
/// <summary>
/// A Handle to the Window to be Flashed. The window can be either opened or minimized.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hwnd;
/// <summary>
/// The Flash Status.
/// </summary>
public FlashWindowFlags dwFlags; //uint
/// <summary>
/// The number of times to Flash the window.
/// </summary>
public uint uCount;
/// <summary>
/// The rate at which the Window is to be flashed, in milliseconds. If Zero, the function uses the default cursor blink rate.
/// </summary>
public uint dwTimeout;
}
public enum FlashWindowFlags : uint
{
/// <summary>
/// Stop flashing. The system restores the window to its original state.
/// </summary>
FLASHW_STOP = 0,
/// <summary>
/// Flash the window caption.
/// </summary>
FLASHW_CAPTION = 1,
/// <summary>
/// Flash the taskbar button.
/// </summary>
FLASHW_TRAY = 2,
/// <summary>
/// Flash both the window caption and taskbar button.
/// This is equivalent to setting the FLASHW_CAPTION | FLASHW_TRAY flags.
/// </summary>
FLASHW_ALL = 3,
/// <summary>
/// Flash continuously, until the FLASHW_STOP flag is set.
/// </summary>
FLASHW_TIMER = 4,
/// <summary>
/// Flash continuously until the window comes to the foreground.
/// </summary>
FLASHW_TIMERNOFG = 12
}
public static bool FlashWindow(IntPtr hWnd,
FlashWindowFlags fOptions,
uint FlashCount,
uint FlashRate)
{
if(IntPtr.Zero != hWnd)
{
FLASHWINFO fi = new FLASHWINFO();
fi.cbSize = (uint)Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(FLASHWINFO));
fi.dwFlags = fOptions;
fi.uCount = FlashCount;
fi.dwTimeout = FlashRate;
fi.hwnd = hWnd;
return FlashWindowEx(ref fi);
}
return false;
}
public static bool StopFlashingWindow(IntPtr hWnd)
{
if(IntPtr.Zero != hWnd)
{
FLASHWINFO fi = new FLASHWINFO();
fi.cbSize = (uint)Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(FLASHWINFO));
fi.dwFlags = (uint)FlashWindowFlags.FLASHW_STOP;
fi.hwnd = hWnd;
return FlashWindowEx(ref fi);
}
return false;
}
In Windows 7, a progress bar on a form is represented in its taskbar button; you might leverage that. There's also got to be a way to simply highlight the taskbar button, like IM programs do when you get a new message.

Is there a way to make a console window flash in the task bar programmatically

Basically I made console app that performs some task that takes a few minutes. I'd like to have it flash in the taskbar to let me know when it's done doing its thing.
Using the answer that #Zack posted and another one to find the handle of a console app I came up with this and it works great.
class Program
{
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
static extern bool FlashWindowEx(ref FLASHWINFO pwfi);
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct FLASHWINFO
{
public UInt32 cbSize;
public IntPtr hwnd;
public UInt32 dwFlags;
public UInt32 uCount;
public Int32 dwTimeout;
}
public const UInt32 FLASHW_ALL = 3;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.WriteLine("Flashing NOW");
FlashWindow(Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainWindowHandle);
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to continue");
Console.ReadKey();
}
private static void FlashWindow(IntPtr hWnd)
{
FLASHWINFO fInfo = new FLASHWINFO();
fInfo.cbSize = Convert.ToUInt32(Marshal.SizeOf(fInfo));
fInfo.hwnd = hWnd;
fInfo.dwFlags = FLASHW_ALL;
fInfo.uCount = UInt32.MaxValue;
fInfo.dwTimeout = 0;
FlashWindowEx(ref fInfo);
}
}
Combining the answer in the question linked in #Zack's comment and getting the hwnd of a console window using this I was able to get it working. This is the class I created:
public static class FlashWindow
{
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
static extern bool FlashWindowEx(ref FLASHWINFO pwfi);
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr GetConsoleWindow();
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct FLASHWINFO
{
public UInt32 cbSize;
public IntPtr hwnd;
public UInt32 dwFlags;
public UInt32 uCount;
public UInt32 dwTimeout;
}
public const UInt32 FLASHW_ALL = 3;
public static void Flash()
{
FLASHWINFO fInfo = new FLASHWINFO();
fInfo.cbSize = Convert.ToUInt32(Marshal.SizeOf(fInfo));
fInfo.hwnd = GetConsoleWindow();
fInfo.dwFlags = FLASHW_ALL;
fInfo.uCount = UInt32.MaxValue;
fInfo.dwTimeout = 0;
FlashWindowEx(ref fInfo);
}
}
It doesn't ever stop flashing until it's closed but that wasn't important for my purposes.
I read that it wasn't possible to get the window handle of a console window through any direct means, but it seems to be pretty simple in .NET actually. So, it's pretty much the same as this question:
class Program
{
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
static extern bool FlashWindowEx(ref FLASHWINFO pwfi);
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct FLASHWINFO
{
public UInt32 cbSize;
public IntPtr hwnd;
public UInt32 dwFlags;
public UInt32 uCount;
public UInt32 dwTimeout;
}
public const UInt32 FLASHW_STOP = 0;
public const UInt32 FLASHW_CAPTION = 1;
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TRAY = 2;
public const UInt32 FLASHW_ALL = 3;
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TIMER = 4;
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TIMERNOFG = 12;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
// Give you a few seconds to alt-tab away :)
Thread.Sleep(2000);
// Flash on the task bar, until the window becomes the foreground window.
// Constants for other behaviors are defined above.
FLASHWINFO fInfo = new FLASHWINFO();
fInfo.cbSize = Convert.ToUInt32(Marshal.SizeOf(fInfo));
fInfo.hwnd = Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainWindowHandle;
fInfo.dwFlags = FLASHW_TRAY | FLASHW_TIMERNOFG;
fInfo.uCount = UInt32.MaxValue;
fInfo.dwTimeout = 0;
FlashWindowEx(ref fInfo);
// Wait for input so the app doesn't finish right away.
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
I looked into the issue #Davy8 had in which the flashing doesn't stop. The solution was pretty simple, just pass the FLASHW_STOP constant. To show this, I further augmented #Davy8's static class to include a StopFlashing static function. I also decided to add comments based on the Microsoft Documentation such that it is easy to see why these are applied in C#.
/// <summary>
/// Class for flashing a console window
/// <see cref="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/winuser/ns-winuser-flashwinfo"/>
/// </summary>
public static class FlashWindow
{
/// <summary>
/// Flashes the specified window. It does not change the active state of the window.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="pwfi">FLASHWINFO</param>
/// <see cref="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/winuser/nf-winuser-flashwindowex"/>
/// <returns>If the window caption was drawn as active before the call, the return value is nonzero. Otherwise, the return value is zero.</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
[return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
static extern bool FlashWindowEx(ref FLASHWINFO pwfi);
/// <summary>
/// Retrieves the window handle used by the console associated with the calling process.
/// </summary>
/// <see cref="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/getconsolewindow"/>
/// <returns>The return value is a handle to the window used by the console associated with the calling process or NULL if there is no such associated console.</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr GetConsoleWindow();
/// <summary>
/// Contains the flash status for a window and the number of times the system should flash the window.
/// <see cref="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/winuser/ns-winuser-flashwinfo"/>
/// </summary>
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
public struct FLASHWINFO
{
/// <summary>
/// The size of the structure, in bytes
/// </summary>
public UInt32 cbSize;
/// <summary>
/// A handle to the window to be flashed. The window can be either opened or minimized.
/// </summary>
public IntPtr hwnd;
/// <summary>
/// The flash status. This parameter can be one or more of the following values.
/// </summary>
public UInt32 dwFlags;
/// <summary>
/// The number of times to flash the window.
/// </summary>
public UInt32 uCount;
/// <summary>
/// The rate at which the window is to be flashed, in milliseconds. If dwTimeout is zero, the function uses the default cursor blink rate.
/// </summary>
public UInt32 dwTimeout;
}
/// <summary>
/// Flash both the window caption and taskbar button. This is equivalent to setting the FLASHW_CAPTION | FLASHW_TRAY flags.
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 FLASHW_ALL = 0x00000003;
/// <summary>
/// Flash the window caption.
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 FLASHW_CAPTION = 0x00000001;
/// <summary>
/// Stop flashing. The system restores the window to its original state.
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 FLASHW_STOP = 0x00000004;
/// <summary>
/// Flash continuously, until the FLASHW_STOP flag is set.
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TIMER = 4;
/// <summary>
/// Flash continuously until the window comes to the foreground.
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TIMERNOFG = 0x0000000C;
/// <summary>
/// Flash the taskbar button.
/// </summary>
public const UInt32 FLASHW_TRAY = 0x00000002;
/// <summary>
/// Create an instance of the FLASHWINFO structure
/// </summary>
/// <param name="flashwConstant">One of the provided FLASHW contant values</param>
/// <param name="uCount">uCount to initialize the struct</param>
/// <param name="dwTimeout">dwTimeout to initalize the struct</param>
/// <returns>A fully instantiated FLASHWINFO struct</returns>
private static FLASHWINFO GetFLASHWINFO(UInt32 flashwConstant, UInt32 uCount = UInt32.MaxValue, UInt32 dwTimeout = 0)
{
FLASHWINFO fInfo = new FLASHWINFO
{
hwnd = GetConsoleWindow(),
dwFlags = flashwConstant,
uCount = uCount,
dwTimeout = dwTimeout
};
fInfo.cbSize = Convert.ToUInt32(Marshal.SizeOf(fInfo));
return fInfo;
}
/// <summary>
/// Flashes the console window (continues indefinitely)
/// </summary>
public static void Flash()
{
FLASHWINFO fInfo = GetFLASHWINFO(FLASHW_ALL);
FlashWindowEx(ref fInfo);
}
/// <summary>
/// Stops the flashing of the console window
/// </summary>
public static void StopFlash()
{
FLASHWINFO fInfo = GetFLASHWINFO(FLASHW_STOP);
FlashWindowEx(ref fInfo);
}
}

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