Related:  

In WaitForSingleObject: Determine when a Process has Ended, the shelled process was started not with the Shell() command but rather with the CreateProcess API. Although CreateProcess is extremely functional, developers wanting to use the Shell method and wanting to avoid the need to run a loop (as in GetExitCodeProcess: Determine when a Shelled App has Ended) can use this technique instead. Its disadvantage over the GetExitCodeProcess method is that, during the wait period, the VB application is totally unresponsive.  This includes not processing screen updates (i.e. if a portion of the app is covered/uncovered), nor does it allow any means to move the form or minimize the window.

The return value to a successful Shell() call is an application task ID - a unique number that identifies the running program. This value can be passed to the OpenProcess API to return a handle to the process (hProcess). This value is the same as the hProcess member of the PROCESS_INFORMATION structure used in a call to CreateProcess, and the same value handed to WaitForSingleObject to suspend execution pending completion of the shelled app. This demo then uses Shell, OpenProcess and WaitForSingleObject to start an app and to wait for the Shelled application to close before code execution continues.

Option Explicit

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' Copyright ©1996-2011 VBnet/Randy Birch, All Rights Reserved.
' Some pages may also contain other copyrights by the author.
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'               applications, but you may not reproduce 
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Private Const WAIT_INFINITE = -1&
Private Const SYNCHRONIZE = &H100000

Private Declare Function OpenProcess Lib "kernel32" _
  (ByVal dwDesiredAccess As Long, _
   ByVal bInheritHandle As Long, _
   ByVal dwProcessId As Long) As Long
   
Private Declare Function WaitForSingleObject Lib "kernel32" _
  (ByVal hHandle As Long, _
   ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long) As Long
   
Private Declare Function CloseHandle Lib "kernel32" _
  (ByVal hObject As Long) As Long   


Private Sub Command1_Click()

   Dim hProcess As Long
   Dim taskId As Long
   Dim cmdline As String
   
   cmdline = "notepad.exe"
   taskId = Shell(cmdline, vbNormalFocus)
   
   hProcess = OpenProcess(SYNCHRONIZE, True, taskId)
   Call WaitForSingleObject(hProcess, WAIT_INFINITE)
   CloseHandle hProcess
   
   MsgBox "The shelled app has ended."

End Sub

Copyright ©1996-2011 VBnet and Randy Birch. All Rights Reserved.
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