Function Shell&Wait, used to work with access 2007, doesn't with 2013

[ThierryA]

Hello,

I have this big database with my pictures and I use a lot of desktop interaction: running external programs to view, export, batch modify pictures.
I just migrated to Access 2013 (64bit under win 8) and I lost a lot of these capabilities


Most of the commands were launched via a function that has several purposes:

• run the command and wait for it to finish before going on
• send various parameters to the function (command line for the program tu launch + separate string for parameters + 0 or 5 to show or hide the command window)

Now this command does just nothing: no error but the target program does not execute...

I searched the web a lot, tried a solution recommended by MS here : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr.../ff845544.aspx
Didn't work: the app launches OK but the code doesn't even wait for the app to finish...

This is the code I have:

Option Explicit
 
Public Const SEE_MASK_DOENVSUBST As Long = &H200
Public Const SEE_MASK_IDLIST As Long = &H4
Public Const SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS As Long = &H40
Public Const SW_HIDE As Long = 0
Public Const SW_SHOW As Long = 5
Public Const WAIT_TIMEOUT As Long = 258&
Public Type SHELLEXECUTEINFOA
    cbSize As Long
    fMask As Long
    hwnd As Long
    lpVerb As String
    lpFile As String
    lpParameters As String
    lpDirectory As String
    nShow As Long
    hInstApp As Long
    lpIDList As Long
    lpClass As String
    hkeyClass As Long
    dwHotKey As Long
    hIcon As Long
    hProcess As Long
End Type
Public Declare PtrSafe Function CloseHandle Lib "kernel32.dll" (ByVal hObject As Long) As Long
Public Declare PtrSafe Function GetExitCodeProcess Lib "kernel32.dll" (ByVal hProcess As Long, ByRef lpExitCode As Long) As Long
Public Declare PtrSafe Function ShellExecuteEx Lib "shell32.dll" (ByRef lpExecInfo As SHELLEXECUTEINFOA) As Long
Public Declare PtrSafe Function WaitForSingleObject Lib "kernel32.dll" (ByVal hHandle As Long, ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long) As Long
 
Public Function ShellWait(ByRef vsCmdLine As String, Optional ByRef vsParameters As String, Optional ByRef vsCurrentDirectory As String = vbNullString, Optional ByVal vnShowCmd As Long = SW_SHOW, Optional ByVal vnTimeOut As Long = 200) As Long
Dim lpShellExInfo As SHELLEXECUTEINFOA
    With lpShellExInfo
        .cbSize = Len(lpShellExInfo)
        .lpDirectory = vsCurrentDirectory
        .lpVerb = "open"
        .lpFile = vsCmdLine
        .lpParameters = vsParameters
        .nShow = vnShowCmd
        .fMask = SEE_MASK_DOENVSUBST Or SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS Or SEE_MASK_IDLIST
    End With
    If ShellExecuteEx(lpShellExInfo) Then
        Do While WaitForSingleObject(lpShellExInfo.hProcess, vnTimeOut) = WAIT_TIMEOUT
            DoEvents
        Loop
        GetExitCodeProcess lpShellExInfo.hProcess, ShellWait
        CloseHandle lpShellExInfo.hProcess
    Else
        ShellWait = vbError
    End If
End Function

the only modification I made was adding the PtrSafe statement to the declarations.
I tried to pinpoint the problem: It seems that execution doesn't even enter the

If ShellExecuteEx(lpShellExInfo) Then

Please help: I'm getting mad with this !

[ItsMe]

I am going to guess the application(s) you are looking at do not rely on the shell32.dll. Not sure what the solution would be. I have yet to integrate any 64 bit API's.

[ThierryA]

Problem solved: API calls in 64bit are different.
Code below works: appli is launched and the code waits for it to finish before going further.
Best of all: a parameter controls the visibility of the app window: very useful to run a background batch of command line processes without poisoning the display or the focus.

Private Const STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW& = &H1
Private Const NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS = &H20&
Private Const INFINITE = -1&

Private Type STARTUPINFO
    cb As Long
    lpReserved As String
    lpDesktop As String
    lpTitle As String
    dwX As Long
    dwY As Long
    dwXSize As Long
    dwYSize As Long
    dwXCountChars As Long
    dwYCountChars As Long
    dwFillAttribute As Long
    dwFlags As Long
    wShowWindow As Integer
    cbReserved2 As Integer
    lpReserved2 As Long
    hStdInput As Long
    hStdOutput As Long
    hStdError As Long
End Type

Private Type PROCESS_INFORMATION
    hProcess As Long
    hThread As Long
    dwProcessID As Long
    dwThreadID As Long
End Type

Private Declare PtrSafe Function WaitForSingleObject Lib "kernel32" (ByVal _
    hHandle As Long, ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long) As Long

Private Declare PtrSafe Function CreateProcessA Lib "kernel32" (ByVal _
    lpApplicationName As Long, ByVal lpCommandLine As String, ByVal _
    lpProcessAttributes As Long, ByVal lpThreadAttributes As Long, _
    ByVal bInheritHandles As Long, ByVal dwCreationFlags As Long, _
    ByVal lpEnvironment As Long, ByVal lpCurrentDirectory As Long, _
    lpStartupInfo As STARTUPINFO, lpProcessInformation As _
    PROCESS_INFORMATION) As Long

Private Declare PtrSafe Function CloseHandle Lib "kernel32" (ByVal _
    hObject As Long) As Long

Public Sub ShellWait(Pathname As String, Optional WindowStyle As Long)
    Dim proc As PROCESS_INFORMATION
    Dim start As STARTUPINFO
    Dim ret As Long
    ' Initialize the STARTUPINFO structure:
    With start
        .cb = Len(start)
        If Not IsMissing(WindowStyle) Then
            .dwFlags = STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW
            .wShowWindow = WindowStyle
        End If
    End With
    ' Start the shelled application:
    ret& = CreateProcessA(0&, Pathname, 0&, 0&, 1&, _
            NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, 0&, 0&, start, proc)
    ' Wait for the shelled application to finish:
    ret& = WaitForSingleObject(proc.hProcess, INFINITE)
    ret& = CloseHandle(proc.hProcess)
End Sub

[ItsMe]

Thanks for posting. This is good info.