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Hosting EXE Applications in a WinForm Project

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21 Dec 20041 min read 590.2K   27.2K   172   123
A custom control to launch and embed an EXE into a WinForm based application
In this post, you will learn about a custom C# control that allows you to specify the name of an executable you want embedded into your application.

Sample Image

Introduction

Though not a common task, recently I needed to take an existing executable application and embed it into an application I was building. Oddly enough, I did not need any interaction between my application and the existing EXE. As it ends up, this is not a difficult thing to do. To make it even easier, I created a custom C# control that allows you to specify the name of an executable you want embedded into your application. The control takes care of all the rest.

How Does It Work

In design time, the user can specify the name of the executable to embed. When the control is created in runtime, it launches the application as follows:

C#
Process p = null; 
try 
{
  // Start the process 
  p = System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(this.exeName); 

  // Wait for process to be created and enter idle condition 
  p.WaitForInputIdle(); 

  // Get the main handle
  appWin = p.MainWindowHandle; 
} 
catch (Exception ex) 
{ 
  MessageBox.Show(this, ex.Message, "Error"); 
}

After launching, the code must then set the parent of the executable's main window to the control handle. It does this as follows:

C#
// Put it into this form
SetParent(appWin, this.Handle);

// Remove border and whatnot
SetWindowLong(appWin, GWL_STYLE, WS_VISIBLE);

// Move the window to overlay it on this window
MoveWindow(appWin, 0, 0, this.Width, this.Height, true);

Any time the control is resized, it must also resize the executable window. To do so, it does this in the Resize function:

C#
protected override void OnResize(EventArgs e)
{
  if (this.appWin != IntPtr.Zero)
  {
    MoveWindow(appWin, 0, 0, this.Width, this.Height, true);
  }
  base.OnResize (e);
}

Lastly, when the control is destroyed, it should shut down the executable. To do so, it does the following:

C#
protected override void OnHandleDestroyed(EventArgs e)
{
  // Stop the application
  if (appWin != IntPtr.Zero)
  {
    // Post a colse message
    PostMessage(appWin, WM_CLOSE, 0, 0);

    // Delay for it to get the message
    System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000);

    // Clear internal handle
    appWin = IntPtr.Zero;
  }

  base.OnHandleDestroyed (e);
}

History

  • 30th December, 2004: Initial release

License

This article has no explicit license attached to it, but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt, please contact the author via the discussion board below.

A list of licenses authors might use can be found here.


Written By
Architect Omron Adept Technologies, Inc
United States United States
I have been developing software professionaly since 1991 writing software in automation and manufacturing environments. For 14 years I worked for companies that built custom robotic automated equipment for the semiconductor, telecommunications, and other industies. Presently, I work for a company that manufacturers industrial robots where I write high level coordination and control software.

My undergraduate degrees are in Mathematics and Philosopy. My graduate degree is in Management Information Systems. I am MCSD certified in Visual C++ 6.0 and MCSD.NET certified in C#. I am also have the PMI-ACP certification.

I enjoy karate and reading.

Comments and Discussions

 
QuestionGet if is hosted application still running. Pin
koca20004-Mar-15 5:38
koca20004-Mar-15 5:38 
QuestionThe application is not opening in the panel. Pin
Athirams00120-Oct-14 1:48
Athirams00120-Oct-14 1:48 
AnswerRe: The application is not opening in the panel. Pin
RoykinNg23-Nov-14 19:31
RoykinNg23-Nov-14 19:31 
QuestionSending input from the host Pin
bluebristolian22-Jul-14 17:57
bluebristolian22-Jul-14 17:57 
QuestionIexplore launches separately Pin
Ob1kanami18-Jul-14 4:16
Ob1kanami18-Jul-14 4:16 
AnswerRe: Iexplore launches separately Pin
RoykinNg13-Aug-14 21:23
RoykinNg13-Aug-14 21:23 
QuestionI need to be able to exit and restart the embedded app? Any ideas how? Pin
Jybs2811-Jun-14 11:47
Jybs2811-Jun-14 11:47 
AnswerRe: I need to be able to exit and restart the embedded app? Any ideas how? Pin
ElectroMonster4-Nov-15 18:58
ElectroMonster4-Nov-15 18:58 
Questionwhy can't I download it Pin
Member 1078704930-Apr-14 16:35
Member 1078704930-Apr-14 16:35 
QuestionChlid forms in the hosted application don't show up Pin
Member 1077006325-Apr-14 6:58
Member 1077006325-Apr-14 6:58 
QuestionEmbed same application Pin
tieugiang9422-Mar-14 6:26
tieugiang9422-Mar-14 6:26 
Questiondisabling title bar/borders Pin
Catronia17-Mar-14 1:54
Catronia17-Mar-14 1:54 
AnswerRe: disabling title bar/borders Pin
Michael Hall11-Jan-17 13:13
Michael Hall11-Jan-17 13:13 
Questioncant download Pin
Member 1059546813-Feb-14 14:44
Member 1059546813-Feb-14 14:44 
GeneralMy vote of 1 Pin
Member 475388716-Jan-14 3:29
Member 475388716-Jan-14 3:29 
Questionhow can i host a C# application (exe file) in a win form in this project? Pin
mehrdad heidari24-Aug-13 10:06
mehrdad heidari24-Aug-13 10:06 
GeneralFor those who can't get it working for any application other than notepad Pin
Christopher Sippel9-Apr-13 7:33
Christopher Sippel9-Apr-13 7:33 
Questiontoopstrip disabled Pin
Member 902164117-Feb-13 23:27
Member 902164117-Feb-13 23:27 
AnswerRe: toopstrip disabled Pin
gotorg16-Sep-14 7:46
gotorg16-Sep-14 7:46 
Questionwindows 7 problem Pin
Member 930102825-Jul-12 12:26
Member 930102825-Jul-12 12:26 
AnswerRe: windows 7 problem Pin
RaRi200323-Nov-12 2:46
RaRi200323-Nov-12 2:46 
AnswerRe: windows 7 problem Pin
Member 103874327-Nov-13 12:27
Member 103874327-Nov-13 12:27 
QuestionHosting External Exe Application in a WPF Window. Pin
sukesh.gudikandulla27-May-12 6:35
sukesh.gudikandulla27-May-12 6:35 
QuestionIt doesn't work in window 7 Pin
dhojonline3-Apr-12 2:44
dhojonline3-Apr-12 2:44 
AnswerRe: It doesn't work in window 7 Pin
k3v1n5215-May-12 2:19
k3v1n5215-May-12 2:19 

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