test if an application is running and return ERRLEVEL

[Paul Purvis]

this program was written out a need to test if a certain program or batch file or another instance of the same program is running
use the program consname.bas to name your window caption

in using this program for a batch file
you would test for a application's(console running batch file) caption
the if the ERRLEVEL returns a 1 then the application(batch file) is already running(such as a backup routine)then usually abort the program because you do notwant another instance of the program running.

if the ERRLEVEL returns a 0 or otherwise, place the name in the caption using consname then continue with your statments in the batch file.

consname.exe and consname.bas are located in the attached zip file

REM ISITRUNG,BAS
REM compiled with pbcc4.4 powerbasic


#COMPILE EXE
#INCLUDE "WIN32API.INC"

GLOBAL scompare$
GLOBAL foundrunning AS LONG

FUNCTION EnumCallback (BYVAL hWnd AS LONG, lParam AS LONG) AS LONG
DIM szCaption AS ASCIIZ * %MAX_PATH, Result AS LONG
Result = GetWindowText(hWnd, szCaption, SIZEOF(szCaption))
IF TRIM$(szCaption) <> "" THEN
  Result = FindWindow ("", szCaption)

   IF scompare$="" THEN
     REM PRINT "hWnd: " & FORMAT$(Result) TAB(16) szCaption
     PRINT szCaption
     WAITKEY$
     ELSE
        TEMP$=TRIM$(UCASE$(SZCAPTION))
        DO WHILE INSTR(TEMP$,"  ")
        REPLACE "  " WITH " " IN TEMP$
        LOOP
        TEMP$=TRIM$(TEMP$)
        IF TEMP$=UCASE$(scompare$) THEN
           foundrunning=1&
        END IF
   END IF
END IF
FUNCTION = 1
END FUNCTION

FUNCTION PBMAIN AS LONG
LOCAL textsearched AS STRING
scompare$=COMMAND$
scompare$=TRIM$(scompare$)
textsearched=scompare$

DO WHILE INSTR(scompare$,"  ")
REPLACE "  " WITH " " IN scompare$
LOOP
scompare$=TRIM$(scompare$)

IF LEN(scompare$)=0 THEN PRINT:PRINT "list of applications running":PRINT STRING$(78,196)

EnumWindows CODEPTR(EnumCallback), 0&

IF LEN(scompare$)<> 0 AND foundrunning=0& THEN
    scompare$="command prompt - "+scompare$
    EnumWindows CODEPTR(EnumCallback), 0&
    END IF

IF LEN(scompare$)=0 THEN
     PRINT STRING$(78,196)
     PRINT "Check if application running? the name goes on the command tail"
     PRINT "ERRLEVEL 1 is returned if true, otherwise ERRLEVEL 0 is returned"
     ELSE
     IF foundrunning& THEN
        PRINT "*** "+textsearched+" *** application found running"
        PRINT "ERRLEVEL 1 returned"
        ELSE
        PRINT "*** "+textsearched+" *** did not find this application"
        PRINT "ERRLEVEL 0 returned"
     END IF
END IF


FUNCTION=foundrunning&
'WAITKEY$
END FUNCTION

ex of batch file handling

CLS
ECHO OFF
isitrung test me
IF ERRORLEVEL = 1 GOTO ABORT
CONSNAME TEST ME
CLS
ECHO "program was not already running continue statements"
PAUSE
GOTO STOP
:ABORT
ECHO " this batch file was already running"
pause
:STOP
exit

[Paul Purvis]

well it ain't pretty and not much tested but it should fly as well as pigs
after some discussion i created a monster.
this program will try a little better to not let another instance of a batch file run if a person try runs the batch file as second time very near the first time.

i do not use the function createfile very often, but hopefully in using it, this program will find if there is another instance of a batch file running.
the temporary file is just for this program to work its best, not for creating a file to be used as flag for the entire batch processing.
a temporary file should automatically be deleted at the close of this program and this program will also change the name of the application(batch file caption) if there is not a batch file already running with this captions name.

so basically you can test for the existence of a batch job running and name the one this program is located in, within one program all together.
this should reduce the probability of the same batch job running multiple instances.


the word isitrnit is a terrible name and not very descriptive and it makes you think you are running linux program, ha ha ha.
the word is suppose to stand for IS IT RUNNING NAME IT.
maybe somebody else can give it a better 8 character name.


because this program creates a file in the current directory, i would assume it would fail it the current directory was not set to allow files with create or write or delete permissions.
i do not know about the rest of the world but all my batch files, or at least most of them start the same


echo off
cls
c:
md c:\temp
cd \temp
cls
.....rest of batch file commands

REM ISITRNIT.BAS
REM compiled with pbcc4.4 powerbasic

#COMPILE EXE
#DIM ALL
#INCLUDE "WIN32API.INC"
GLOBAL scompare AS STRING
GLOBAL foundrunning AS LONG

FUNCTION EnumCallback (BYVAL hWnd AS LONG, lParam AS LONG) AS LONG
DIM szCaption AS ASCIIZ * %MAX_PATH
LOCAL Result AS LONG
LOCAL stemp AS STRING
Result = GetWindowText(hWnd, szCaption, SIZEOF(szCaption))
IF TRIM$(szCaption) <> "" THEN
  Result = FindWindow ("", szCaption)

   IF scompare="" THEN
     PRINT szCaption
     ELSE
        stemp=TRIM$(UCASE$(SZCAPTION))
        DO WHILE INSTR(stemp,"  ")
        REPLACE "  " WITH " " IN stemp
        LOOP
        stemp=TRIM$(stemp)
        IF stemp=UCASE$(scompare) THEN
           foundrunning=1&
        END IF
   END IF
END IF
FUNCTION = 1
END FUNCTION

FUNCTION PBMAIN AS LONG
LOCAL textsearched AS STRING
LOCAL stempfilename AS ASCIIZ * %MAX_PATH
LOCAL hfile AS LONG
scompare=COMMAND$

DO WHILE INSTR(scompare,"  ")
REPLACE "  " WITH " " IN scompare
LOOP
scompare=TRIM$(scompare)
textsearched=scompare


IF LEN(scompare)=0 THEN
    PRINT
    PRINT "list of applications running"
    PRINT STRING$(78,196)
    ELSE
    stempfilename=scompare+".isitrnit.tmp"
    REPLACE " " WITH "_" IN stempfilename
    KILL stempfilename
    hFile = CreateFile(stempfilename,0,0,BYVAL 0&,%CREATE_NEW,%FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE,BYVAL 0&)
    IF hFile = -1 THEN
        PRINT "*** "+textsearched+" *** application appears to be running"
        PRINT "ERRLEVEL 1 returned"
        FUNCTION = 1
        EXIT FUNCTION
    END IF
END IF

EnumWindows CODEPTR(EnumCallback), 0&

IF LEN(scompare)<> 0 AND foundrunning=0& THEN
    scompare="command prompt - "+scompare
    EnumWindows CODEPTR(EnumCallback), 0&
    END IF

IF LEN(scompare)=0 THEN
     PRINT STRING$(78,196)
     PRINT "Checks if an application is running?"
     PRINT "The application name goes on the command tail."
     PRINT "If the application is not found running."
     PRINT "This program will name the caption to the program name searched."
     PRINT "This program was intended for script programming and batch files."
     PRINT "ERRLEVEL 1 is returned if true, otherwise ERRLEVEL 0 is returned."
     ELSE
     IF foundrunning THEN
        PRINT "*** "+textsearched+" *** application found running"
        PRINT "ERRLEVEL 1 returned"
        ELSE
        CONSOLE NAME textsearched
     END IF
END IF


FUNCTION=foundrunning
END FUNCTION

[Paul Purvis]

the program had an error
program test ok as far as i can see
isitrnit program is mostly for scripts such as batch file processing.
tested on win2k pro
issues with existing programs. In particular, %INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE is
&HFFFFFFFF??? rather than -1& now.

hfile returned a -1 when not being able to create a temporary file
not the %INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE value
code now fixed to look for that value of -1&

[Michael Mattias]

hfile returned a -1 when not being able to create a temporary file
not the %INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE value
code now fixed to look for that value of -1&

LOCAL hfile AS [B]LONG[/B]

&hFFFFFFFF??? will equal -1& when cast as a LONG

try

MACRO eq32 (a, b) =   BITS???(A) = BITS???(B) 
..
IF eq32(%INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE, hFile) THEN 
      handle is invalid
...

(Or use PB/DLL 5 or 6, which does unsigned comparisons of LONG/DWORD)

[Paul Purvis]

i made a change to hopefully recover from a very remote situation of a failure of INITRNIT due to a computer failure.
the program now deletes the temporary file being used as flag if it exist before it creates the same file. this change should guarantee INITRNIT runs every time correctly even after a computer failure.

[Graham McPhee]

for processes running

I tend to use this for determining if an app is already running


FUNCTION GetAppName AS STRING
' return the name of the application
LOCAL sName AS STRING, zPath AS ASCIIZ * %MAX_PATH
GetModuleFileName GetModuleHandle(""), zPath , %MAX_PATH
sName = FileNam(zPath)
FUNCTION = sName
END FUNCTION

IF funProcessCount(GetAppName)>1 THEN
' ' more than one version of this running ?
' put code here to handle what you want to do
END IF

[Paul Purvis]

Thanks Graham
that is helpful

the reason for the way i handled it was to compress any double spaces down to only one space.
it removes the opportunity for an error in typing the process name with the command and having too many spaces and if there where ever any double spaces in a process name running.
because of the way i am using the temporary file also in blocking another program from trying to run. i do not believe there will be a chance for another instance to start up before the process gets named. but we have all been surprised as to what can happen.

i am planning on putting a sleep statement in the program and also an option on the command line for adding a sleep period after the program runs.
the reason is for that is where a program may rename the window caption(title) and a second instance starting up.
it would be better for the console program not to place a title in the window caption.
a user may have a lazy finger and hit the icon on the desktop slowly and this program is designed first in mind to keep a user from starting a second instance of a program.
if a batch file is being used now with this program, i strongly suggest you place a the program i wrote called SLEEP.EXE right behind this program with a few moments of sleep.
my sleep program will acknowledge fractions of a seconds, so you could use SLEEP 1 or SLEEP 1.50 or SLEEP 1.75 or SLEEP 2, this might help a users that are older or with disabilities and does not have the full control over their hands or even a child or a teenager who rapes on it like it was a toy.