Determine if application is running with Excel - excel

Question

Goal
Have an Excel file with a "Search" button that opens a custom program. This program is used for researches. If the program is already opened when the user clicks on the button, make it popup and focus on that given program.
Current Situation
Here's the code I'm trying to use to make it work:
Search Button
Private Sub btnSearch_Click()
Dim x As Variant
Dim Path As String
If Not IsAppRunning("Word.Application") Then
Path = "C:\Tmp\MyProgram.exe"
x = Shell(Path, vbNormalFocus)
End If
End Sub
IsAppRunning()
Function IsAppRunning(ByVal sAppName) As Boolean
Dim oApp As Object
On Error Resume Next
Set oApp = GetObject(, sAppName)
If Not oApp Is Nothing Then
Set oApp = Nothing
IsAppRunning = True
End If
End Function
This code will work only when I put "Word.Application" as the executable. If I try to put "MyProgram.Application" the function will never see the program is running. How can I find that "MyProgram.exe" is currently opened?
Further more, I'd need to put the focus on it...

Answer 1

You can check this more directly by getting a list of open processes.
This will search based on the process name, returning true/false as appropriate.
Sub exampleIsProcessRunning()
Debug.Print IsProcessRunning("MyProgram.EXE")
Debug.Print IsProcessRunning("NOT RUNNING.EXE")
End Sub
Function IsProcessRunning(process As String)
Dim objList As Object
Set objList = GetObject("winmgmts:") _
.ExecQuery("select * from win32_process where name='" & process & "'")
IsProcessRunning = objList.Count > 0
End Function

Answer 2

Here's how I brought the search window to front:
Private Const SW_RESTORE = 9
Private Declare Function BringWindowToTop Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As Any, ByVal lpWindowName As Any) As Long
Private Declare Function ShowWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nCmdShow As Long) As Long
Private Sub btnSearch_Click()
Dim x As Variant
Dim Path As String
If IsProcessRunning("MyProgram.exe") = False Then
Path = "C:\Tmp\MyProgram.exe"
x = Shell(Path, vbNormalFocus)
Else
Dim THandle As Long
THandle = FindWindow(vbEmpty, "Window / Form Text")
Dim iret As Long
iret = BringWindowToTop(THandle)
Call ShowWindow(THandle, SW_RESTORE)
End If
End Sub
Now if the window was minimized and the user clicks the search button again, the window will simply pop up.

Answer 3

Just want to point out that the Window Text may change when documents are open in the application instance.
For example, I was trying to bring CorelDRAW to focus and everything would work fine so long as there wasn't a document open in Corel, if there was, I would need to pass the complete name to FindWindow() including the open document.
So, instead of just:
FindWindow("CorelDRAW 2020 (64-Bit)")
It would have to be:
FindWindow("CorelDRAW 2020 (64-Bit) - C:\CompletePath\FileName.cdr")
As that is what would be returned from GetWindowText()
Obviously this is an issue as you don't know what document a user will have open in the application, so for anyone else who may be coming here, years later, who may be experiencing the same issue, here's what I did.
Option Explicit
Private Module
Private Const EXE_NAME As String = "CorelDRW.exe"
Private Const WINDOW_TEXT As String = "CorelDRAW 2020" ' This is common with all opened documents
Private Const GW_HWNDNEXT = 2
Private Const SW_RESTORE = 9
Private Declare PtrSafe Function ShowWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal nCmdShow As Long) As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function GetWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal wCmd As Long) As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As Any, ByVal lpWindowName As Any) As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function GetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, ByVal cch As Long) As Long
Public Sub FocusIfRunning(parAppName as String, parWindowText as String)
Dim oProcs As Object
Dim lWindowHandle As Long
Dim sWindowText As String
Dim sBuffer As String
' Create WMI object and execute a WQL query statement to find if your application
' is a running process. The query will return an SWbemObjectSet.
Set oProcs = GetObject("winmgmts:").ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM win32_process WHERE " & _
"name = '" & parAppName & "'")
' The Count property of the SWbemObjectSet will be > 0 if there were
' matches to your query.
If oProcs.Count > 0 Then
' Go through all the handles checking if the start of the GetWindowText()
' result matches your WindowText pre-file name.
' GetWindowText() needs a buffer, that's what the Space(255) is.
lWindowHandle = FindWindow(vbEmpty, vbEmpty)
Do While lWindowHandle
sBuffer = Space(255)
sWindowText = Left(sBuffer, GetWindowText(lWindowHandle, sBuffer, 255))
If Mid(sWindowText, 1, Len(parWindowText)) Like parWindowText Then Exit Do
' Get the next handle. Will return 0 when there are no more.
lWindowHandle = GetWindow(lWindowHandle, GW_HWNDNEXT)
Loop
Call ShowWindow(lWindowHandle , SW_RESTORE)
End If
End Sub
Private Sub btnFocusWindow_Click()
Call FocusIfRunning(EXE_NAME, WINDOW_TEXT)
End Sub
Hopefully somebody gets use from this and doesn't have to spend the time on it I did.

Answer 4

Just wanted to say thank you for this solution. Only just started playing around with code and wanted to automate my job a bit. This code will paste current selection in excel sheet into an already open application with as single click. Will make my life so much easier!!
Thanks for sharing
Public Const SW_RESTORE = 9
Public Declare Function BringWindowToTop Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Public Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As Any, ByVal lpWindowName As Any) As Long
Public Declare Function ShowWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nCmdShow As Long) As Long
Public Sub updatepart()
'
' updatepart Macro
' copies current selection
' finds and focuses on all ready running Notepad application called Test
' pastes value into Notepad document
' Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+u
'
Dim data As Range
Set data = Application.Selection
If data.Count <> 1 Then
MsgBox "Selection is too large"
Exit Sub
End If
Selection.Copy
If IsProcessRunning("Notepad.EXE") = False Then
MsgBox "Notepad is down"
Else
Dim THandle As Long
THandle = FindWindow(vbEmpty, "Test - Notepad")
Dim iret As Long
iret = BringWindowToTop(THandle)
Call ShowWindow(THandle, SW_RESTORE)
End If
waittime (500)
'Call SendKeys("{F7}")
Call SendKeys("^v", True) '{F12}
Call SendKeys("{ENTER}")
End Sub
Function waittime(ByVal milliseconds As Double)
Application.Wait (Now() + milliseconds / 24 / 60 / 60 / 1000)
End Function
Function IsProcessRunning(process As String)
Dim objList As Object
Set objList = GetObject("winmgmts:") _
.ExecQuery("select * from win32_process where name='" & process & "'")
If objList.Count > 0 Then
IsProcessRunning = True
Else
IsProcessRunning = False
End If
End Function