How to create shortcut from RAS entry

[Egbert Zijlema]

Okay,
Now we know how to create a RAS entry (see the thread "Creating a DUN file" in this forum).
But how about creating a shortcut as well? In my opinion there is one huge problem: the Dial-Up Networking folder is not a normal Windows directory. So, one cannot retrieve its path programmatically, in order to copy the freshly created RAS entry to the Desktop. Nor can the DUN folder be accessed using the SHGetSpecialFolderLocation API.

I'm thinking of the following trick. In advance, create shortcuts for all the possible RAS entries your software may install on user's computers. Copy these shortcuts to your install disk and let your install software copy the appropriate one to the desktop of the user's PC.

The important question is: will such a copied shortcut work on a computer that not really created it?

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[Semen Matusovski]

Egbert --
Can't test (I have no dial-up now), but I hope that following works without any DUN.

    #Compile Exe
    #Dim All
    #Register None
    #Include "Ras32.inc" ' Don Dickinson

    Function PbMain

    Dim rdParams As RASDIALPARAMS
    rdParams.dwSize = SizeOf(rdParams)
    rdParams.szPhoneNumber = "7423434" ' <--------------
    rdParams.szUserName = "demo" ' <--------
    rdParams.szPassword = "test" ' <------

    Dim hRasConn As Long
    hRasConn = 0

    If RasDial(ByVal 0&, "", rdParams, 0&, 0&, hRasConn) = 0 Then
       MsgBox "ok"
    Else
       MsgBox "Not Ok"
       RasHangUp hRasConn
    End If

    End Function

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[Vladimir Shulakov]

Hi
Semen, maybe:
-------------------------------
rdParams.dwSize = LEN(rdParams)

----------
V.Shulakov

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[Semen Matusovski]

Vladimir --
It's the same at least for INC, which I have.
In general I avoid Len in similar situations.
For example, Dim a As Asciiz * 10: a = "abc"
Len returns 3. SizeOf returns required 10.

About fragment. When I run it on my PC under Win2000 (no DUN at all), it rings, but is used "tone" mode.
It's Ok for West Europe / USA, but incorrect for xUSSR lines.
Don't know about Ukraine, but in Russia goverment lines remain impulse.
Only independent telephone providers use modern digit lines with tone set.

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[Vladimir Shulakov]

Hi Semen.

I use digit lines with tone set.
And you example work very good, but only with
rdParams.dwSize = LEN(rdParams)

If rdParams.dwSize = SizeOf(rdParams) then you example
don't work...

V.Shulakov



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[Semen Matusovski]

I think that we talk about different INC. I am about dd. 13.04.99
But now I see, what could be wrong --
Don included buffer As String * 3 (for alignment ?)
"SizeOf" / "Len" should be without this field.

'
'  RAS Functions
'
'  Partial translation of the C header files for the RAS connection
'
'  by Don Dickinson
'  Hereby Public Domain
'  Use or Misuse of this code implies that you hold the author (Don Dickinson)
'  harmless for any effects or side-effects generated by this code.
'
'  Depends upon your copy of win32api.inc that came with PB/DLL
'
'=================================================================================================
%RASBASE = 600

%ERROR_INVALID_PORT_HANDLE             = %RASBASE + 1
%ERROR_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL                = %RASBASE + 3
%ERROR_BUFFER_INVALID                  = %RASBASE + 10
%ERROR_CANNOT_FIND_PHONEBOOK_ENTRY     = %RASBASE + 23
%ERROR_INVALID_SIZE                    = %RASBASE + 32

%RAS_MAXENTRYNAMEBUFFER = 257
%RAS_MAXDEVICETYPE      = 16
%RAS_MAXENTRYNAME       = 256
%RAS_MAXDEVICENAME      = 128
%RAS_MAXPHONENUMBER     = 128
%RAS_MAXCALLBACKNUMBER  = %RAS_MAXPHONENUMBER
%ULEN                   = 256
%PWLEN                  = 256
%DNLEN                  = 15

'- Connection Status Constants
%RASCS_PAUSED                 = &h1000
%RASCS_DONE                   = &h2000
%RASCS_Connected              = %RASCS_DONE

'- The members are not dword aligned, but the whole
'  structure has to fit into a 4-byte bounded memory space,
'  thus the extra 3-byte buffer at the end of the structure.
'  So far, all of the ras structures I've found work this
'  way. NOTE: This is not the same as using the Dword specifier
'  in the type declaration (that would dword align each
'  member of the structure).
'
Type RASENTRYNAME
   dwSize As Dword
   szEntryName As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXENTRYNAMEBUFFER
   buffer As Asciiz * 3
End Type

Type RASDIALPARAMS
   dwSize As Dword                                             '4
   szEntryName As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXENTRYNAME + 1               '257
   szPhoneNumber As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXPHONENUMBER + 1           '129
   szCallBackNumber As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXCALLBACKNUMBER + 1     '129
   szUserName As Asciiz * %ULEN + 1                            '257
   szPassword As Asciiz * %PWLEN + 1                           '257
   szDomain As Asciiz * %DNLEN + 1                             '16
   buffer As String * 3                                        '3
End Type

Type RASDIALEXTENSIONS
   dwSize As Dword
   dwfOptions As Dword
   hwndParent As Long
   reserved As Long
End Type

Type RASCONN
   dwSize As Dword                                       '4
   hRasConn As Long                                      '4          8
   szEntryName As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXENTRYNAME + 1         '257        265
   szDeviceType As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXDEVICETYPE + 1       '17         282
   szDeviceName As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXDEVICENAME + 1       '129        411
   buffer As String * 1                                  '1          412
End Type

Type RASCONNSTATUS
    dwSize As Dword                                      '4
    rasconnstate As Long                                 '4    8
    dwError As Dword                                     '4    12
    szDeviceType As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXDEVICETYPE + 1      '17   29
    szDeviceName As Asciiz * %RAS_MAXDEVICENAME + 1      '129  158
    buffer As String * 2                                 '1    160
End Type

'- Finally, the functions
Declare Function RasGetConnectStatus Lib "rasapi32.dll" Alias "RasGetConnectStatusA" _
      (  ByVal hRasConn As Long, lpRasConnStatus As RASCONNSTATUS ) As Long

Declare Function RasEnumEntries Lib "rasapi32.dll" Alias "RasEnumEntriesA" _
      (  zReserved As Asciiz, zPhoneBook As Asciiz, lpRasEntry As RASENTRYNAME, _
         lpCb As Long, lpcEntries As Long ) As Long

Declare Function RasGetEntryDialParams Lib "rasapi32.dll" Alias "RasGetEntryDialParamsA" _
      (  zPhoneBook As Asciiz, rDialParams As RASDIALPARAMS, iPassword As Long ) As Long

Declare Function RasDial Lib "rasapi32.dll" Alias "RasDialA" _
      (  lpRasDialExtensions As RASDIALEXTENSIONS, lpszPhoneBook As Asciiz, _
         lpRasDialParams As RASDIALPARAMS, ByVal dwNotiferType As Dword, _
         ByVal lpvNotifier As Long, lphRasConn As Long   ) As Dword

Declare Function RasHangUp Lib "rasapi32.dll" Alias "RasHangUpA" _
      (  ByVal hRasConn As Long ) As Long

Declare Function RasEnumConnections Lib "rasapi32.dll" Alias "RasEnumConnectionsA" _
      (  lpRasConn As RASCONN, lpcb As Long, lpcConnections As Long ) As Dword

[This message has been edited by Semen Matusovski (edited January 18, 2001).]

[Vladimir Shulakov]

Yes, different INC.

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[Egbert Zijlema]

Hi Semen and Vladi,
Hold your horses! This thread is not about RAS.INC We have discussed RAS32.INC thouroughly in "Creating a DUN file" (elsewhere in this forum).
Scott Turchin and I (and maybe others) want to know how to create a shortcut from a RAS entry, programmatically.

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[Semen Matusovski]

Hi, Egbert --
Sorry, but I think that you selected wrong way.
As I understand, format of DUN file is NOT DOCUMENTED and Microsoft is able to change it w/o any declarations.

Probably, I lost something, but you want to bypass ISP setup procedure.
Nothing more, nothing less.
If so, for what purpose to create DUN file, if possible to connect without it ?


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[Egbert Zijlema]

Semen,

I'm making a packet of install software that has to copy several programs to users' computers.
In order to let them connect with the company, the packet includes a RAS entry for Dial-Up Networking.
Okay, the RAS entry can be made now (see thread "Creating a DUN file" in this forum), but I want a
shortcut to that entry on the desktop, as well. Simply because many users do not know how to create that
shortcut by hand (using the right mouse button).

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[Egbert Zijlema]

Problem solved, folks!

Copied shortcuts from Dial-Up Networking do work on alien machines.

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[Scott Turchin]

I noted when I hex edited my shortcut it didn't have any pathing or anything, just the name of the DUN entry...
Very cool, so you just create a LNK file manually and put it in the installation package? That'd swift...

Scott

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Scott
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[Egbert Zijlema]

Yep!

This is exactly what I've done:
1. created all the RAS entries my installation package might use (I, for instance, need 5 different entries, partly because of a different name, partly due to area code and phone number).
2. made shortcuts of all of 'm
3. copied the shortcuts to the install package

Take care that the entries that 'our' installer will create on the customer's PC do have the same entry name as the pre-fabricated, handmade shortcuts.

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