Formless Application?

Formless Application?

• Fredvanherz

  Sorry I haven't replied sooner. I've been busy and we had a public holiday over here in Australia so yeah. I'm quite new to programming especially in VB and i thought all code was in a class. Anyways I figured it out and i've just got a module running and i'm running the code directly from inside that(not referring to a class). So thankyou(and everyone else) for helping me figure that out and teaching me something.

  Regards,
  Nick Dancer.

  
  

• aymenos07

  I hadn't looked at the vsm link, to be honest - just the first one (the service controller). I hadn't thought of doing it like that, but they acheive the same thing: having an object in an 'infinate loop' to keep the application running. The application object has some nice functionality associated with it, though (for example, iterating through all the open forms, or adding windows message filters).

  I think either are fine, and should do what the OP (Nick) wanted by having a form in the application then creating the form when a context menu item is clicked.

  Bottom line, is that I'd do exactly the sort of thing the service controller example showed. Here's a snippet from the main module in that example, which I just downloaded (Not my code - I noticed it had ye olde MsgBox in there):

  Private mobNotifyIcon As NotifyIcon
  Private WithEvents mobContextMenu As ContextMenu
  Private WithEvents mobTimer As Timers.Timer
  Private mobServiceController As System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController
  
  Public Sub Main()
  Try
  '//SET UP CONECTION TO SERVICE.
  mobServiceController = New System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController("IISAdmin")
  '//KEEP NOTIFY ICON HIDDEN UNTIL ICON AND MENU IS SET.
  mobNotifyIcon = New NotifyIcon()
  mobNotifyIcon.Visible = False
  mobContextMenu = New ContextMenu()
  CreateMenu()
  mobNotifyIcon.ContextMenu = mobContextMenu
  SetUpTimer()
  mobNotifyIcon.Visible = True
  Application.Run()
  Catch obEx As Exception
  MsgBox(obEx.Message.ToString, MsgBoxStyle.Critical)
  End Try
  End Sub

  
  
  

• Frank Cassata

  Well, console apps do typically have a user interface and I don't think it would have been the type that the op would have been looking for.
  
  

• Sayan Ghosh

  Stephen,

  I was just trying to figure out where you were going with your code. It was a bit different than the implementation in the VSM article and I wasn't sure how you planned on getting to the user interface settings functionality (having never attempted this approach myself).

  In any event, I'm still not certain as to why the op didn't find the VSM article suitable, other than the fact that he had a desire to drive this app from a class module.

  
  
  

• Mark Conway

  pclement wrote:

  Dancer wrote: Nah basically i want to know how to execute a class on startup. Not a form. I don't believe this is possible. You can launch a standard Windows app via a Windows Form or a Sub Main. A Windows Form will allow your app to remain loaded since it handles the message loop. If you use Sub Main, the application terminates once the Sub has completed executing, unless of course you spawn a new message loop (using a hidden Form) from the existing thread, as in the example provided by Lydon.

  Not necessarily true.

  Start with the sub main, and add application.run():

  Module Module1
      Sub main()
          Application.Run()
      End Sub
  End Module

  Add your class instantiation before application.Run().  The nice thing about this is that your application can contain a form, and can be created if necessary, but won't be loaded by default.

  Note that you will need to uncheck 'Enable Application Framework' in your Project Application settings.

  
  
  

• LuvWhiteSand

  

  Wasn't that the whole objective Now you have a message loop, without a form, you can create all the fun stuff like timers, System tray icons, file watchers, etc, etc.

  (edited to add:) In fact, Paul, you provided a link to an application which did exactly that .

  
  
  

• lnielsen

  OK, so you've spawned a new message loop. What's next
  
  

• auser095

  Nah i don't think thats rlly it sorry. Ya know how when you start up an application it executes the startup form. well i don't have a form in this application so how am i supposed to get it to startup. another question once i've got it started up how do i shut it down.
  

• Chad Magendanz

  Nah basically i want to know how to execute a class on startup. Not a form.
  

• Sarev0k

  Dancer wrote:

  Nah basically i want to know how to execute a class on startup. Not a form.

  I don't believe this is possible. You can launch a standard Windows app via a Windows Form or a Sub Main. A Windows Form will allow your app to remain loaded since it handles the message loop. If you use Sub Main, the application terminates once the Sub has completed executing, unless of course you spawn a new message loop (using a hidden Form) from the existing thread, as in the example provided by Lydon.

  
  
  

• J-P Lefebvre

  Check out this link:
  
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/coding4fun/inthebox/trickedoutapp/default.aspx
  
  I think that's exactly what you want to do (although it does have a form).
  
  Lydon
  
  

• Active_Matrix

  I am a little confused as to why no one has mentioned a simple console application

  
  
  

• Kalpana

  I'm not sure what this application will be doing but what you're describing sounds like a Windows Service. See if the following helps:

  http://www.devcity.net/Articles/74/1/servicecontroller.aspx

  Another method uses a standard Windows application:

  http://www.ftponline.com/vsm/2003_09/online/hottips/lobel/
  http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/VB.Net/Simple-VB.NET-Notify-Icon-with-Panel-Application/

  
  
  
• Formless Application?