Creating a complex string construct with enclosed quotation marks in VB.NET

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Hello,
I have a problem that I can't get any further. Even after researching numerous similar cases, I have not been able to find a solution to my problem, hence the question.
It's about the topic 'String within String' or quotation marks within strings in VB.NET.
I want to start a *.vbs with relatively extensive command line parameters in a VB.NET code.
Since the group policy on the target computer always resets the standard program for *.vbs files to Notepad, I additionally have to programmatically 'force' the execution of the file with WScript.exe.

The entire string - which works fine when run via the Windows 'Run' command line utility! - looks like this:

"C:\Windows\SysWOW64\wscript.exe" "C:\Temp\AnyProcess.vbs" "Cmd1Par1=AnyVal1 Cmd1Par2=AnyVal2 Cmd1Par3=AnyVal3 Cmd1Par4=AnyVal4" "Cmd2Par1 Cmd2Par2" "Cmd3Par1" "Cmd4Par1"

Now I try in vain to map this 'construct' in VB.NET and then to execute via

Dim myproc As New Process
start.FileName = .....
start.Arguments = .....
myproc.Start()

I am failing at creating the string constructs and assigning them to .Filename and .Arguments.

(PS: using the 'Process' class (rather than simple SHELL Run) is important because I want to control the process inside the VB.NET application (.WaitForExit))

thanks for help.
greets catrice

What I have tried:

Dim xylauncher = Application.StartupPath & "\" & filename_vbs & " "
Dim Cmd1 = "Cmd1Par1 Cmd1Par2 Cmd3Par3 Cmd1Par4"
Dim Cmd2 = "AnyString2"
Dim Cmd3 = "AnyString3"
Dim Cmd4 = "AnyString4"
xycmdline = """" & Cmd1 & """" & " " & """" & Cmd2 & """" & " " & """" & Cmd2 & """" & " " & """" & Cmd4 & """"

Dim myproc As New Process
start.FileName = xylauncher
start.Arguments = xycmdline
myproc.Start()

Posted 9-Apr-23 22:44pm

Michael.Scheytt

Updated 10-Apr-23 0:03am

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OriginalGriff · Answer 1 · 2023-04-09T23:03:00

To duplicate your original command is simple:

VB

Dim cmdApp As String = """C:\Windows\SysWOW64\wscript.exe"""
Dim cmdPar As String = """C:\Temp\AnyProcess.vbs"" ""Cmd1Par1=AnyVal1 Cmd1Par2=AnyVal2 Cmd1Par3=AnyVal3 Cmd1Par4=AnyVal4"" ""Cmd2Par1 Cmd2Par2"" ""Cmd3Par1"" ""Cmd4Par1"""
Dim myproc As New Process
start.FileName = cmdApp
start.Arguments = cmsPar
myproc.Start()

So start from there, and it should be obvious what you need to do.

Richard MacCutchan · Answer 2 · 2023-04-10T00:03:00

Solution 2

NB As mentioned by Richard Deeming below, this is only valid with .NET Core.

Most of those extra quote characters are unnecessary. Try this:

VB

Dim myproc As New Process
Dim start As New myproc.StartInfo
start.FileName = "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\wscript.exe"
start.ArgumentList.Add("C:\Temp\AnyProcess.vbs")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par1=AnyVal")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par2=AnyVal2")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par3=AnyVal3")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par4=AnyVal4")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par1")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par2")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par3")
start.ArgumentList.Add("Cmd1Par4")
myproc.Start()

Posted 10-Apr-23 0:03am

Richard MacCutchan

Updated 11-Apr-23 0:24am

v3

Comments

Richard Deeming 11-Apr-23 6:02am

NB: The ProcessStartInfo.ArgumentList property[^] was added in .NET Core 2.1; if you're still using .NET Framework, that property won't be available.

You can see the code that converts that to the arguments string on GitHub:
runtime/ProcessStartInfo.cs at 17ed09116b8750f73d4b96f67fa875659edc98b4 · dotnet/runtime · GitHub[^]
runtime/PasteArguments.cs at 17ed09116b8750f73d4b96f67fa875659edc98b4 · dotnet/runtime · GitHub[^]

Richard MacCutchan 11-Apr-23 6:04am

Thanks Richard. Unfortunately I forget that whenever I read a MSDN .NET entry it defaults to .NET core.