open .exe in VBA excel and write in the input window - excel

Question

I have to run an .exe in VBA Excel and write in the input window "in.txt" "out.txt" in order to make the process automatic inside a macro. I tried to use shell but it works asynchrounous and I also don't know how to tell her to write inside the .exe.
I've also tried with SendKeys but apperently it doesen't work.
How could I make the VBA calling my .exe, open it, write inside the command window of the .exe, wait for the output and use it to go on?
thank you in advance
here are two attempts (both failed):
Sub write()
prog = Shell("C:\Users\arancia\Pictures\Camera Roll\axtur\axtur\AXTUR_64.exe", 1)
Application.Run "'AXTUR&EXCEL.xlsm'!inserisci_dati_input"
SendKeys.send "in.txt~", True
SendKeys.send "out.txt~", True
SendKeys "%{F4}", True
End Sub
Sub StartExeWithArgument()
Dim strProgramName As String
Dim strArgument As String
strProgramName = "C:\Users\arancia\Pictures\Camera Roll\axtur\axtur\AXTUR_64.exe"
strArgument = "in.txt~out.txt~"
Call Shell("""" & strProgramName & """ """ & strArgument & """", vbNormalFocus)
End Sub

Answer 1

One solution would be to write a batch file that includes all the parameters and then run the batch.
I have used WshShell (Windows scripting host) to run batch files to do what you want in the past but WshShell does not work on our computers since the Nov 2020 updates. WshShell allows you to wait for the outcome of the external program.
One way I found to go around it is to write a simple text file at the end of the batch and wait for it to show up. This is crude but it works.
In the code below, I write a simple batch file in the folder of the Excel sheet. The last line of the batch writes the content of the folder in a text file. The Do Until loop waits for the text file to show up in 1 second increments. When the code resumes after the loop, the text file is deleted. If you write the command line you would type in cmd instead of "echo Hello World" this should work.
You need to reference the Microsoft Scripting Runtime (scrrun) to use the file system object.
Good Luck!
Public Sub RunBatch()
Dim i As Integer
Dim k As Integer
Dim xlWB As Workbook
Dim fso1 As New FileSystemObject
Dim BatFile As Object
Dim IsDone As Boolean
Dim OutFileName As String
Set xlWB = ThisWorkbook
OutFileName = xlWB.Path & "\" & "HW.bat"
Set BatFile = fso1.CreateTextFile(OutFileName)
BatFile.WriteLine "cd /d " & xlWB.Path
BatFile.WriteLine "echo Hello World"
BatFile.WriteLine "dir > Done.txt"
BatFile.Close
IsDone = False
Call Shell(OutFileName, vbNormalFocus)
Do Until IsDone
If fso1.FileExists(xlWB.Path & "\Done.txt") Then IsDone = True
Application.Wait (Now + TimeValue("00:00:01"))
Loop
fso1.DeleteFile (OutFileName)
End Sub