How to attach child process to other external process?

[MrCreatoR]

Hi,

My question today is how can we attach some executed application to other process?

What i mean is that when we use Run() (for example), the execute process is become to be a child process, what i need is to "tell" to that process that his parent is not my script, but some other process, for example «MyOtherApp.exe». Is that would be possible to do?

Thanks.

[martin]

Hi,

My question today is how can we attach some executed application to other process?

What i mean is that when we use Run() (for example), the execute process is become to be a child process, what i need is to "tell" to that process that his parent is not my script, but some other process, for example «MyOtherApp.exe». Is that would be possible to do?

Thanks.

I don't know much about this, but are you sure the executed process is a child? With Gui creation for example if you create a child window then the child is destroyed when the parent is destroyed. But if you have

$cmdPID = Run("cmd", "", @SW_SHOWNORMAL);

then the script will end as soon as the command prompt window appears but the command prompt window stays. So if the script was the parent of the process what is the parent when the script has finished?

If it's a window that is created then you can change the parent with the SetParent API.

I would have guessed that all processes which are not child windows were 'children' of the Process Manager.

(Hoping I can learn something here.)

[MrCreatoR]

are you sure the executed process is a child?

Yes, it is a child until the parent process exists...

if the script was the parent of the process what is the parent when the script has finished?

The system - I am using Process Explorer, and there you can see details about the process, and in the Threads tab (properties window for the process) you can see that the parent is actualy him self muttley .

Here is an example that shows what the parent:

expandcollapse popup

;We check if it's a first run, then we execute the notepad
If Not StringInStr($CmdLineRaw, "/PID=") Then
    $iPID = Run('Notepad.exe')
    
    ;Here we run the script again with extra parameter passing the Notpad's PID
    Run(@AutoItExe & ' /AutoIt3ExecuteScript "' & @ScriptFullPath & '" /PID=' & $iPID)
    Exit
Else
    $iPID = StringRegExpReplace($CmdLineRaw, ".*?/PID=(.*?)$", "\1")
EndIf

;Now we run in other process to check the child PID that is no longer a child :)
$iParentPID = _GetParentPID($iPID)

MsgBox(0, 'ParentID', _
    'Application: Notepad' & @CRLF & _
    'Application PID: ' & $iPID & @CRLF & _
    'Application Parent PID: ' & $iParentPID & @CRLF & _
    'Application Parent FilePath: ' & _ProcessGetPath($iParentPID))

ProcessClose($iPID)

Func _GetParentPID($iPID)
    Local $wbemFlagReturnImmediately = 0x10
    Local $wbemFlagForwardOnly = 0x20
    Local $colItems = ""
    Local $strComputer = "localhost"
    
    $objWMIService = ObjGet("winmgmts:\\" & $strComputer & "\root\CIMV2")
    $colItems = $objWMIService.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_Process", "WQL", $wbemFlagReturnImmediately + $wbemFlagForwardOnly)

    If IsObj($colItems) Then
        For $objItem In $colItems
            If $objItem.ProcessId = $iPID Then Return $objItem.ParentProcessId
        Next
    Endif
    
    Return ''
EndFunc

Func _ProcessGetPath($vProcess)
    Local $iPID = ProcessExists($vProcess)
    If Not $iPID Then Return SetError(1, 0, -1)
    
    Local $aProc = DllCall('kernel32.dll', 'hwnd', 'OpenProcess', 'int', BitOR(0x0400, 0x0010), 'int', 0, 'int', $iPID)
    If Not IsArray($aProc) Or Not $aProc[0] Then Return SetError(2, 0, -1)
    
    Local $vStruct = DllStructCreate('int[1024]')
    
    Local $hPsapi_Dll = DllOpen('Psapi.dll')
    If $hPsapi_Dll = -1 Then $hPsapi_Dll = DllOpen(@SystemDir & '\Psapi.dll')
    If $hPsapi_Dll = -1 Then $hPsapi_Dll = DllOpen(@WindowsDir & '\Psapi.dll')
    If $hPsapi_Dll = -1 Then Return SetError(3, 0, '')
    
    DllCall($hPsapi_Dll, 'int', 'EnumProcessModules', _
        'hwnd', $aProc[0], _
        'ptr', DllStructGetPtr($vStruct), _
        'int', DllStructGetSize($vStruct), _
        'int_ptr', 0)
    Local $aRet = DllCall($hPsapi_Dll, 'int', 'GetModuleFileNameEx', _
        'hwnd', $aProc[0], _
        'int', DllStructGetData($vStruct, 1), _
        'str', '', _
        'int', 2048)
    
    DllClose($hPsapi_Dll)
    
    If Not IsArray($aRet) Or StringLen($aRet[3]) = 0 Then Return SetError(4, 0, '')
    Return $aRet[3]
EndFunc

[martin]

Yes, it is a child until the parent process exists...

The system - I am using Process Explorer, and there you can see details about the process, and in the Threads tab (properties window for the process) you can see that the parent is actualy him self muttley .

Here is an example that shows what the parent:

.

.

Thanks for that example MrCreatoR. I tried changing your example to help my understanding of this and my version doesn't seem to work. Can you see what I'm doing wrong?

expandcollapse popup

;We check if it's a first run, then we execute the notepad
If Not StringInStr($CmdLineRaw, "/PID=") Then
    $iPID = Run('Notepad.exe')
    $title = 'First Application'
;Here we run the script again with extra parameter passing the Notpad's PID
    Run(@AutoItExe & ' /AutoIt3ExecuteScript "' & @ScriptFullPath & '" /PID=' & $iPID)
    While 1
        Sleep(200)
    WEnd
Else
    
    $iPID = StringRegExpReplace($CmdLineRaw, ".*?/PID=(.*?)$", "\1")
EndIf

;Now we run in other process to check the child PID that is no longer a child smile.gif
$iParentPID = _GetParentPID($iPID)
$title = 'First Application'

$caption1 = $title & ': Notepad' & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' PID: ' & $iPID & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' Parent PID: ' & $iParentPID & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' Parent FilePath: ' & _ProcessGetPath($iParentPID) & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' Script PID:' & @AutoItPID


ProcessClose($iParentPID)
While ProcessExists($iParentPID)
    Sleep(100)
WEnd

;Sleep(1000)
$iParentPID = _GetParentPID($iPID);looks like the return is wrong here
$title = 'Second Application'
$caption2 = $title & ': Notepad' & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' PID: ' & $iPID & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' Parent PID: ' & $iParentPID & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' Parent FilePath: ' & _ProcessGetPath($iParentPID) & @CRLF & _
        $title & ' Script PID:' & @AutoItPID

MsgBox(0, 'ParentID', $caption1 & @CRLF & $caption2)
ProcessClose($iPID)

Func _GetParentPID($iPID)
    Local $wbemFlagReturnImmediately = 0x10
    Local $wbemFlagForwardOnly = 0x20
    Local $colItems = ""
    Local $strComputer = "localhost"

    $objWMIService = ObjGet("winmgmts:\\" & $strComputer & "\root\CIMV2")
    $colItems = $objWMIService.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_Process", "WQL", $wbemFlagReturnImmediately + $wbemFlagForwardOnly)

    If IsObj($colItems) Then
        For $objItem In $colItems
            If $objItem.ProcessId = $iPID Then Return $objItem.ParentProcessId
        Next
    EndIf

    Return ''
EndFunc  ;==>_GetParentPID

Func _ProcessGetPath($vProcess)
    Local $iPID = ProcessExists($vProcess)
    If Not $iPID Then Return SetError(1, 0, -1)

    Local $aProc = DllCall('kernel32.dll', 'hwnd', 'OpenProcess', 'int', BitOR(0x0400, 0x0010), 'int', 0, 'int', $iPID)
    If Not IsArray($aProc) Or Not $aProc[0] Then Return SetError(2, 0, -1)

    Local $vStruct = DllStructCreate('int[1024]')

    Local $hPsapi_Dll = DllOpen('Psapi.dll')
    If $hPsapi_Dll = -1 Then $hPsapi_Dll = DllOpen(@SystemDir & '\Psapi.dll')
    If $hPsapi_Dll = -1 Then $hPsapi_Dll = DllOpen(@WindowsDir & '\Psapi.dll')
    If $hPsapi_Dll = -1 Then Return SetError(3, 0, '')

    DllCall($hPsapi_Dll, 'int', 'EnumProcessModules', _
            'hwnd', $aProc[0], _
            'ptr', DllStructGetPtr($vStruct), _
            'int', DllStructGetSize($vStruct), _
            'int_ptr', 0)
    Local $aRet = DllCall($hPsapi_Dll, 'int', 'GetModuleFileNameEx', _
            'hwnd', $aProc[0], _
            'int', DllStructGetData($vStruct, 1), _
            'str', '', _
            'int', 2048)

    DllClose($hPsapi_Dll)

    If Not IsArray($aRet) Or StringLen($aRet[3]) = 0 Then Return SetError(4, 0, '')
    Return $aRet[3]
EndFunc  ;==>_ProcessGetPath

[MrCreatoR]

I tried changing your example to help my understanding of this and my version doesn't seem to work. Can you see what I'm doing wrong?

I am not sure what are you trying to do... but still that's strange to me, in both captions the parent PID is the same, how it can be if in the second caption we destroyed the parent process, but the _ProcessGetPath() function return -1, and it's correct because that process not exists anymore...

It seems that even if the parent process destroyed, the child process have the information about his initial parent.

Btw: You are using a loop to wait untill the process is closed, but you can use just ProcessWaitClose() muttley

P.S

Somebody have an ideas on the topic's issue? is it possible at least?

[martin]

I am not sure what are you trying to do... but still that's strange to me, in both captions the parent PID is the same, how it can be if in the second caption we destroyed the parent process, but the _ProcessGetPath() function return -1, and it's correct because that process not exists anymore...

I wanted to show the parent PID while the parent still existed then see what the parent became after the parent was destroyed. Some of what I did was nonsense so I need to think it out again.

Btw: You are using a loop to wait untill the process is closed, but you can use just ProcessWaitClose()

Yes that would have been better.

[martin]

Hi,

My question today is how can we attach some executed application to other process?

After reading this on msdn I would expect that you cannot change the parent precess.

ParentProcessId

Data type: uint32

Access type: Read-only

Unique identifier of the process that creates a process. Process identifier numbers are reused, so they only identify a process for the lifetime of that process. It is possible that the process identified by ParentProcessId is terminated, so ParentProcessId may not refer to a running process. It is also possible that ParentProcessId incorrectly refers to a process that reuses a process identifier. You can use the CreationDate property to determine whether the specified parent was created after the process represented by this Win32_Process instance was created.

from here