Call and vb6.exe and return values ?

sid · Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 2

I need to write a VB6 executable and have it perform some routines,
but when its finished, I want it to return some values as to what it
found and problems that it encountered.

I have tried using the stdin and stdout from VB6 before, but it seems
that it has a problem and has not been resolved.

Any help is appreciated.

Archived from group: microsoft>public>vb>general>discussion

Karl E. Peterson · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 4836

sid wrote:
>I need to write a VB6 executable and have it perform some routines,
> but when its finished, I want it to return some values as to what it
> found and problems that it encountered.
>
> I have tried using the stdin and stdout from VB6 before, but it seems
> that it has a problem and has not been resolved.

If you want to write a console app, please see http://vb.mvps.org/samples/Console

If by "values" you actually mean you want to return multiple values, I'm not sure
where stdin/stdout come into play. Perhaps you could explain further?
--
..NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org

Bob Riemersma · Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 54

"Karl E. Peterson" wrote in message @TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> sid wrote:
>>I need to write a VB6 executable and have it perform some routines,
>> but when its finished, I want it to return some values as to what it
>> found and problems that it encountered.
>>
>> I have tried using the stdin and stdout from VB6 before, but it seems
>> that it has a problem and has not been resolved.
>
> If you want to write a console app, please see
> http://vb.mvps.org/samples/Console
>
> If by "values" you actually mean you want to return multiple values, I'm
> not sure where stdin/stdout come into play. Perhaps you could explain
> further?
> --
> .NET: It's About Trust!
> http://vfred.mvps.org

For simple cases you can use the FSO to get references to the StdIO streams
as TextStream objects. Look at the FSO method GetStandardStream():

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/y6hbz9es(VS.85).aspx

Of course as Karl's article suggests you'll need to produce an EXE properly
linked for the Console Subsystem. You can post-process your VB6 EXE using
either LINK.EXE or EDITBIN.EXE (just a wrapper on LINK.EXE) to set the
subsystem. I usually just keep a small drag/drop VBS on hand for this: drag
the compiled VB6 EXE to the script's icon and drop it. Add-ins of the type
Karl mentions work fine too though.

Kevin Provance · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 800

Geez, I hate to keep disagreeing with you at every post, but the FSO is
*not* recommended for use in VB as described in a recent thread here. It
causes more problems than it solves.

If I read the OP correctly, I think he's asking of there is a way to set the
return value of his .EXE after it has ended, just as a concole app would. I
thought that I read someplace over the years there was a way to do this, but
I don't rightly recall where and if that was the case...it may have very
well been the console app I am remembering.

- Kev

"Bob Riemersma" wrote in message @comcast.com...
| "Karl E. Peterson" wrote in message
| @TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
| > sid wrote:
| >>I need to write a VB6 executable and have it perform some routines,
| >> but when its finished, I want it to return some values as to what it
| >> found and problems that it encountered.
| >>
| >> I have tried using the stdin and stdout from VB6 before, but it seems
| >> that it has a problem and has not been resolved.
| >
| > If you want to write a console app, please see
| > http://vb.mvps.org/samples/Console
| >
| > If by "values" you actually mean you want to return multiple values, I'm
| > not sure where stdin/stdout come into play. Perhaps you could explain
| > further?
| > --
| > .NET: It's About Trust!
| > http://vfred.mvps.org
|
| For simple cases you can use the FSO to get references to the StdIO
streams
| as TextStream objects. Look at the FSO method GetStandardStream():
|
| http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/y6hbz9es(VS.85).aspx
|
| Of course as Karl's article suggests you'll need to produce an EXE
properly
| linked for the Console Subsystem. You can post-process your VB6 EXE using
| either LINK.EXE or EDITBIN.EXE (just a wrapper on LINK.EXE) to set the
| subsystem. I usually just keep a small drag/drop VBS on hand for this:
drag
| the compiled VB6 EXE to the script's icon and drop it. Add-ins of the
type
| Karl mentions work fine too though.
|

Karl E. Peterson · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 4836

Kevin Provance wrote:
> Geez, I hate to keep disagreeing with you at every post, but the FSO is
> *not* recommended for use in VB as described in a recent thread here. It
> causes more problems than it solves.

Agreed.

> If I read the OP correctly, I think he's asking of there is a way to set the
> return value of his .EXE after it has ended, just as a concole app would. I
> thought that I read someplace over the years there was a way to do this, but
> I don't rightly recall where and if that was the case...it may have very
> well been the console app I am remembering.

Pretty simple, really:

' Return appropriate exit code, but *only*
' if running from EXE, else IDE exits too.
' App *must* be compiled to native code to
' avoid a nasty shutdown GPF in runtime!
If Compiled Then
Call ExitProcess(nMsg.wParam)
End If

(from http://vb.mvps.org/samples/Hello - a VB recreation of Petzold's "Hello
Windows!" app.)
--
..NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org

Karl E. Peterson · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 4836

Bob Riemersma wrote:
> For simple cases you can use the FSO to get references to the StdIO streams
> as TextStream objects. Look at the FSO method GetStandardStream():
>
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/y6hbz9es(VS.85).aspx

Wasn't aware that was even available. Prolly not a good idea in all but, as you
suggest, the simplest cases. But interesting to know about!

> Of course as Karl's article suggests you'll need to produce an EXE properly
> linked for the Console Subsystem. You can post-process your VB6 EXE using
> either LINK.EXE or EDITBIN.EXE (just a wrapper on LINK.EXE) to set the
> subsystem. I usually just keep a small drag/drop VBS on hand for this: drag
> the compiled VB6 EXE to the script's icon and drop it.

That actually sounds like a cool little script! Is it shared/shareable?

> Add-ins of the type Karl mentions work fine too though.

My favorite is now available free -- http://www.vbadvance.com
--
..NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org

Bob Butler · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 1081

"Karl E. Peterson" wrote in message @TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Kevin Provance wrote:
>> If I read the OP correctly, I think he's asking of there is a way to set
>> the
>> return value of his .EXE after it has ended, just as a concole app would.

The OP said they wanted to return status valueS so I took it that a single
32-bit integer would nt be enough. If it is then ExitProcess may be enough.

>> I thought that I read someplace over the years there was a way to do
>> this, but
>> I don't rightly recall where and if that was the case...it may have very
>> well been the console app I am remembering.
>
> Pretty simple, really:
>
> ' Return appropriate exit code, but *only*
> ' if running from EXE, else IDE exits too.
> ' App *must* be compiled to native code to
> ' avoid a nasty shutdown GPF in runtime!

I've used it often from PCode and never had a problem so there must be
something else in combination that causes the problem.

> If Compiled Then
> Call ExitProcess(nMsg.wParam)
> End If
>
> (from http://vb.mvps.org/samples/Hello - a VB recreation of Petzold's
> "Hello Windows!" app.)
> --
> .NET: It's About Trust!
> http://vfred.mvps.org
>

Karl E. Peterson · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 4836

Bob Butler wrote:
> "Karl E. Peterson" wrote in message
> @TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Kevin Provance wrote:
>>> If I read the OP correctly, I think he's asking of there is a way to set the
>>> return value of his .EXE after it has ended, just as a concole app would.
>
> The OP said they wanted to return status valueS so I took it that a single
> 32-bit integer would nt be enough. If it is then ExitProcess may be enough.

Yeah, I was hesitant to offer it, because of that wording myself. But the latter
reference to std i/o led me to think he was in fact talking about a console app.
Who knows? I asked for clarification.

>>> I thought that I read someplace over the years there was a way to do
>>> this, but
>>> I don't rightly recall where and if that was the case...it may have very
>>> well been the console app I am remembering.
>>
>> Pretty simple, really:
>>
>> ' Return appropriate exit code, but *only*
>> ' if running from EXE, else IDE exits too.
>> ' App *must* be compiled to native code to
>> ' avoid a nasty shutdown GPF in runtime!
>
> I've used it often from PCode and never had a problem so there must be
> something else in combination that causes the problem.

Could be it was just one (version of one?) of the runtimes that was doing it? I
definitely remember taking it right down to the simplest possible case, back when I
wrote that column.

Public Sub Main
Call ExitProcess(1)
End Sub

Pcode EXEs tossed a GPF in the runtime. No idea what SP we might've been at then?
Would've been Nov/Dec 2000ish.

You're right, though. I just tried it with VB5/SP3, and it's not doing it now.
Hmmmmm...
--
..NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org

Bob Butler · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 1081

"Karl E. Peterson" wrote in message
news:%23IPu7RNeIHA.6136@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> You're right, though. I just tried it with VB5/SP3, and it's not doing it
> now. Hmmmmm...

It's funny the little things that get ingrained but no longer hold... I
still can't bring myself to write something like
Do Until x
because one version along the line changed the implicit meaning from
"xFalse" to "x=True" which caused some loops to behave differently. It
was patched quickly but once burned...

Karl E. Peterson · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 4836

Bob Butler wrote:
> "Karl E. Peterson" wrote ...
>> You're right, though. I just tried it with VB5/SP3, and it's not doing it
>> now. Hmmmmm...
>
> It's funny the little things that get ingrained but no longer hold... I
> still can't bring myself to write something like
> Do Until x
> because one version along the line changed the implicit meaning from
> "xFalse" to "x=True" which caused some loops to behave differently. It
> was patched quickly but once burned...

Ouch! Yeah, same deal here. I still remember the night I got bit by this one, too.
Was up to 3am, on deadline, trying to find what it was. Finally, I stumbled upon
the pcode/native distinction! Well, as you say, "once burned..." Smile

--
..NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org

Kevin Provance · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 800

| That actually sounds like a cool little script! Is it shared/shareable?

Karl -

A quick Google turned this up: http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=5647

If it's not the one previously mentioned, then it's close to it.

- Kev

sid · Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 2

I was able to get what I needed from a shell.

oShell.Exec(....

Thanks

Karl E. Peterson · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 4836

Kevin Provance wrote:
>| That actually sounds like a cool little script! Is it shared/shareable?
>
> Karl -
>
> A quick Google turned this up: http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=5647
>
> If it's not the one previously mentioned, then it's close to it.

Slick! It works, too. Always a bonus. For the archives, unaltered:

Option Explicit
'LinkConsole.vbs
'
'This is a WSH script used to make it easier to edit
'a compiled VB6 EXE using LINK.EXE to create a console
'mode program.
'
'Drag the EXE's icon onto the icon for this file, or
'execute it from a command prompt as in:
'
' LinkConsole.vbs
'
'Be sure to set up strLINK to match your VB installation.

Dim strLINK, strEXE, WSHShell

strLINK = """C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VB98\LINK.EXE"""
strEXE = """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """"
Set WSHShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WSHShell.Run _
strLINK & " /EDIT /SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE " & strEXE

Set WSHShell = Nothing
WScript.Echo "Complete!"

Just needs updating for the hardcoded path to LINK.

Thanks...
--
..NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org

Bob Riemersma · Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 54

Yes, that's my script. Short and sweet.

I usually just leave a copy in the project folder of anything I need it for.

"Karl E. Peterson" wrote in message @TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Kevin Provance wrote:
>>| That actually sounds like a cool little script! Is it shared/shareable?
>>
>> Karl -
>>
>> A quick Google turned this up: http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=5647
>>
>> If it's not the one previously mentioned, then it's close to it.
>
> Slick! It works, too. Always a bonus. For the archives, unaltered:
>
> Option Explicit
> 'LinkConsole.vbs
> '
> 'This is a WSH script used to make it easier to edit
> 'a compiled VB6 EXE using LINK.EXE to create a console
> 'mode program.
> '
> 'Drag the EXE's icon onto the icon for this file, or
> 'execute it from a command prompt as in:
> '
> ' LinkConsole.vbs
> '
> 'Be sure to set up strLINK to match your VB installation.
>
> Dim strLINK, strEXE, WSHShell
>
> strLINK = """C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VB98\LINK.EXE"""
> strEXE = """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """"
> Set WSHShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
>
> WSHShell.Run _
> strLINK & " /EDIT /SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE " & strEXE
>
> Set WSHShell = Nothing
> WScript.Echo "Complete!"
>
> Just needs updating for the hardcoded path to LINK.
>
> Thanks...
> --
> .NET: It's About Trust!
> http://vfred.mvps.org
>

Karl E. Peterson · Joined: 04 Oct 2007 Posts: 4836

Bob Riemersma wrote:
> Yes, that's my script. Short and sweet.
>
> I usually just leave a copy in the project folder of anything I need it for.

Did you author it?

I'd really like to include it, as an option, with the Console code I offer, if I
may?

Couldn't be simpler, if you don't already have an add-in doing it automatically.

Thanks... Karl
--
..NET: It's About Trust!
http://vfred.mvps.org

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