I have a COM Server that opens several files, of different applications,
using 'ShellExecute'. I would like to know when one of these called
applications has finished, and perform some operations in the modified
files. What I have in mind is to store the resulting HINSTANCE value of
ShellExecute and, inside the message pump loop of my com object, call some
function that would tell me in some way if the process is still running...
I don't know witch function to use, and would wish to know if someone has a
better idea...

Thanks,

Tiago Gehring

With ShellExecuteEx() you have a HANDLE to the new process on which you can
wait.

Cheers,
Guillaume.

If you use ShellExecuteEx you may be able to get a process handle -
except if the shell invokes an application like Word and you don't get
a separate process invoked!

Dave
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    Unless, of course, one uses AssocQueryString() with the
ASSOCF_OPEN_BYEXENAME flag and then uses CreateProcess() with the resulting
executable name in order to get a handle that can be used to wait upon with
WaitForSingleObject() and then closed.  :)

Regards,

Joe

While that would work, it may not give the result that a user would
hope for. It would depend on what the application does. For example, a
2'nd instance of a program may start up, communicate with the first
instance to have it load the document, then terminate itself.

Dave
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    That's true.  Never looked at it from that perspective; I can certainly
see how it might ruin one's day though.  :)

Regards,

Joe

    Actually, it did make me think of something else.  ;)  If the
application being waited upon was only guaranteed to be run one at a time by
the process launching it and sequentially, then perhaps the individual can
launch the application in the context of another user.  However, this may
also have side effects as well.  I suppose there are thousands of ways of
doing things and not all of them are perfect.  :)

Regards,

Joe