VB 6 to DOS Prompt

[simonstre]

I'm developping a soft with VB 6 (I know, I know... it sucks, but it is a requirement) that will be launched from the command line. The only problem left is for the /h (help) argument... I've searched a lot and didn't find anything working in this context. Of course, I could create a new DOS Prompt window and ask the user to press a key to close it, but I find this a bit dirty. I'd like to print it in the same prompt window, if it is possible.
I searched on VB forums and I was answered by beguinners... you know, "You should put this into a form and place your text in a label" or some answers like that. I want the REAL solution

Any ideas?

*** I tried the print method... I didn't manage to make it work. ***

 

[timwhit]

So your help file is going to be some kind of text file that opens in the command prompt?

If you post some of your code I can probably help you.

 

[simonstre]

Ok, here's an example of what I wanna do:

EDP_converter /h

This should give a short text (to have an example, type dir /h to the command line.) I could post my code, but it doesn't work So I don't see why I should do it. But, if you really need it, I'll post it.


Thanks!

 

[timwhit]

I've never written a program that runs on the command line in VB. But, is there a way to refer to the command line (cmd.exe) as an object. Because, then you could just do cmd.print textfile.txt or something like that. Other than that I am pretty stumped on this one.

 

[Mercutio]

I've not done console apps with VB, but I know in Delphi (where I have), there's a syntax for working with console apps that way. IIRC, once the app was declared a console application, writing a line of output was as simple as doing a 'writeln "some text here"'

I'd be shocked if VB didn't have something similar, if you dug a bit in the references.

 

[simonstre]

Timwhit : there's a way to refer a command line as an object, but only if I create a new instance of it. That's exactly what I don't want to do. But if there's no other way, I'll create a new one.

Mercutio : I know I can do it with Delphi... In fact, I've manage to made with Delphi in about 10 minutes, with some research on the net. But, with VB, after 9.5 hours of research, nothing came up... yes, I can use some API calls to handle a new console instance. But what about the existing one? I've found absolutely nothing on this. Perhaps that I don't search correctly (I'm just a frenchie after all :roll: )


Any other idea?

 

[Cliptin]

Timwhit : there's a way to refer a command line as an object, but only if I create a new instance of it. That's exactly what I don't want to do. But if there's no other way, I'll create a new one.

Mercutio : I know I can do it with Delphi... In fact, I've manage to made with Delphi in about 10 minutes, with some research on the net. But, with VB, after 9.5 hours of research, nothing came up... yes, I can use some API calls to handle a new console instance. But what about the existing one? I've found absolutely nothing on this. Perhaps that I don't search correctly (I'm just a frenchie after all :roll: )


Any other idea?

Maybe your teacher is trying to show you the inadequacies of VB!

Whenever I had spend an inordinate amount of time (9.5 hours?) researching a function/problem my teachers would scold me for not having come to them sooner. In the real world you would be able to go to the senior programmer or the developer of the software for help.

 

[time]

10 minutes in Delphi, 9.5 hours in VB and it still doesn't work. I don't see the problem. Isn't that perfectly normal? :wink:

 

[time]

Seriously, a quick search on google came up with this.

I grant you that MsgBox doesn't sound like the appropriate function, but presumably it works differently with this compilation profile?

 

[simonstre]

Cliptin: duh. I'm the senior programmer in VB, here. And my teachers won't help me, because they only know C++/Java. They believe (and I guess it's true) that all MS products aren't appropriate to build a software solution.

Time: this is useful to accept command line arguments, not to return something to it. I guess I'll just create a new instance of it... Man, I really hate to do dumbs things just because it's not possible to do it correctly.


Thanks a lot guys... and please don't stop to search. But I doubt there's anything that can be done in this case.

 

[simonstre]

Time : and msgbox works EXACTLY the same in this compilation profile... You didn't expected seriously that VB would be smart enough to evaluate the context, no?

 

[simonstre]

I want to share this painful moment with you all : I'm able, with a simple batch file, to do what I want. echo [myString] works fine... But, when I want to do this with VB, with Shell, ShellExecute, CreateProcess, etc... etc... the only thing I get is file not found.

Ugrade to VB, they said. It'll make your work easier...

 

[timwhit]

Have you been over to The Extreme Visual Basic Forum? I have gotten some good help over there in the past.

 

[simonstre]

Have you been over to The Extreme Visual Basic Forum? I have gotten some good help over there in the past.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try to get a solution there.

 

[timwhit]

Check this thread. It might not be possible with VB6 but you can do it with VB.net.

 

[Will Rickards WT]

I thought using GetStdHandle and WriteConsole would work... but GetStdHandle doesn't seem to work.

The code I tried:
Option Explicit

Public Const STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE As Long = -11
Public Const INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE As Long = -1

Public Declare Function GetStdHandle Lib "kernel32" (ByVal nStdHandle As Long) As Long
Public Declare Function WriteConsole Lib "kernel32" Alias "WriteConsoleA" (ByVal hConsoleOutput As Long, lpBuffer As Any, ByVal nNumberOfCharsToWrite As Long, lpNumberOfCharsWritten As Long, lpReserved As Any) As Long

Sub Main()

Dim lngHandle As Long
Dim lngBufferLength As Long
Dim strBuffer As String
Dim lngWritenLength As Long
Dim lngError As Long

strBuffer = "Hello World"
lngBufferLength = Len(strBuffer) + 1

lngHandle = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE)

If lngHandle <> INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE Then

If WriteConsole(lngHandle, strBuffer, lngBufferLength, lngWritenLength, 0) Then

MsgBox "Hello World Worked"

Else

MsgBox "Hello World Failed"

End If

Else

MsgBox "Invalid Handle Returned " & Hex(lngHandle)

End If

End Sub

 

[Mercutio]

Well, if you want to be a smartass, I think I still have all the floppies to Visual Basic for DOS somewhere...

 

[simonstre]

I thought using GetStdHandle and WriteConsole would work... but GetStdHandle doesn't seem to work.

Exactly what I tried. Failed miserably.

 

[Will Rickards WT]

I found this article on how to do it:
http://www.devx.com/premier/mgznarch/vbpj/1998/03mar98/bb0398.pdf
Turns out that what I suspected was true... you have to tell windows your are a console app when vb usually tells windows it is a windowed app. This involves modifying the executable.

 

[Cliptin]

Cliptin: duh. I'm the senior programmer in VB.

Ahh. I guess I can't "console" you then.

 

[Will Rickards WT]

The article on exe type stuff the other refers to.

 

[simonstre]

Cliptin: duh. I'm the senior programmer in VB.

Ahh. I guess I can't "console" you then.

Very funny


Thank you, Will, it works well. I was a few code lines short of a solution! But now its ok.