Determine from what shortcut or process a script was started

[rudi]

Hello,

I'd like to determine, "from what shortcut" a compiled autoit script was run.

 

The background is, that several script versions shall be consolidated, an I have no clue, where the users might have placed fileshortcuts to oboslete old script verion names.

 

eg. MyScript.exe, MyScript-1.exe MyScript-2.5.exe

And shortcuts might be placed on the userdesktop, alluserdesktop, startup folder or somewhere else in the Start Menu.

What I've found so far is the function _WinAPI_GetStartupInfo(). The helpfile is just pointing to MSDN without giving any examples... it's returning a "DLLstruct" -- howto retrieve further info from that type of variable?

 

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#include <Debug.au3>

$StartupInfo=_WinAPI_GetStartupInfo()
$VarType=VarGetType($StartupInfo)
if IsArray($StartupInfo) Then
    _DebugArrayDisplay($StartupInfo,$VarType)
Else
    MsgBox(0,$VarType,"""" & $StartupInfo & """")
EndIf

 

Or maybe there is a better, different approach to get what shortcut from a compiled autoit script was started from?

 

 

Regards, Rudi.

[FrancescoDiMuro]

13 minutes ago, rudi said:

Or maybe there is a better, different approach to get what shortcut from a compiled autoit script was started from?

Never used, but maybe FileGetShortcut() could be a possible solution

[Danp2]

There's this basic example --

Then there's this information on Microsoft --

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/processthreadsapi/ns-processthreadsapi-_startupinfoa

[rudi]

Hello,

 

thanks for your replies.

 @FrancescoDiMuro

FileGetShortcut() doesn't help, as I don't need to extract information from a known LNK file, but I need to retrieve the unknown location of the link file, that was used to start a compiled script.

@Danp2

That might be the right direction:

 

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#include <Debug.au3>

$tStartupInfo=_WinAPI_GetStartupInfo()
$VarType=VarGetType($tStartupInfo)
$StartupInfoString=""
For $i = 1 To 18
    $StartupInfoString &= $i & " = " & DllStructGetData($tSTARTUPINFO, $i) & @CRLF
Next

MsgBox(0,"startup info",$StartupInfoString)

How did your know that there are 18 elements in the returned DLLStuct variable?

 

The information I can retrieve with this function unfortunately doesn't help to know, where the "calling LNK file" is located:

 

Regards, Rudi.

[rudi]

Hello,

I've just seen the function DllStructGetSize() it's returning "68", but just the 1st 18 seem to hold valid data?

 

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#include <Debug.au3>

$tStartupInfo=_WinAPI_GetStartupInfo()
$VarType=VarGetType($tStartupInfo)
$StructSize=DllStructGetSize($tStartupInfo)
$StartupInfoString="DllStructGetSize = " & $StructSize & @CRLF & "-----------------------------"
For $i = 1 To $StructSize
    $StartupInfoString &= @CRLF &  $i & " = " & DllStructGetData($tSTARTUPINFO, $i)
    if @error Then $StartupInfoString &= " @error = " & @error
Next

MsgBox(0,"startup info",$StartupInfoString)

[Danp2]

You need to read the link I posted before from Microsoft. It outlines the _STARTUPINFOA structure and it's contents.

15 minutes ago, rudi said:

I've just seen the function DllStructGetSize() it's returning "68", but just the 1st 18 seem to hold valid data?

That's the size in bytes, not elements.

[rudi]

yes, I did read that in the help file.

 

Seems the "Elements" are not the bytes, but some kind of "sub-structure"?

 

So how to know the number of elements and *THEIR* size and type?

 

Regards, Rudi.

 

<edit>

Type should be this one?

 

Size? Howto resolve the values pointer elements point to?

 

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#include <Debug.au3>

$tStartupInfo=_WinAPI_GetStartupInfo()
$VarType=VarGetType($tStartupInfo)
$StructSize=DllStructGetSize($tStartupInfo)
$StartupInfoString="DllStructGetSize = " & $StructSize & @CRLF & "-----------------------------"
For $i = 1 To 18 ; $StructSize
    $NextElement=DllStructGetData($tSTARTUPINFO, $i)

    $StartupInfoString &= @CRLF &  $i & " = " & $NextElement & ", VarType = " & VarGetType($NextElement)
    if @error Then $StartupInfoString &= " @error = " & @error
Next

MsgBox(0,"startup info",$StartupInfoString)

Edited September 30, 2018 by rudi

[Danp2]

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/processthreadsapi/ns-processthreadsapi-_startupinfoa

[rudi]

Hi Dan.

thanks for your reply.

 

Honestly, the description at docs.microsoft.com doesn't help me at all to figure out, how to grab the information I'm looking for, that's basically to know, what "call" started "this instance of a compiled autoit script. Especially what was the LNK (FileShortcut) used to do so.

 

And once more, the question, how to get hold of the information the poiters within the elements of the DllStruct point to?

 

Regards, Rudi.

 

typedef struct _STARTUPINFOA {
  DWORD  cb;
  LPSTR  lpReserved;
  LPSTR  lpDesktop;
  LPSTR  lpTitle;
  DWORD  dwX;
  DWORD  dwY;
  DWORD  dwXSize;
  DWORD  dwYSize;
  DWORD  dwXCountChars;
  DWORD  dwYCountChars;
  DWORD  dwFillAttribute;
  DWORD  dwFlags;
  WORD   wShowWindow;
  WORD   cbReserved2;
  LPBYTE lpReserved2;
  HANDLE hStdInput;
  HANDLE hStdOutput;
  HANDLE hStdError;
} STARTUPINFOA, *LPSTARTUPINFOA;

 

[rudi]

Bump:

 

Any further suggestions, howto determine, *WHAT LNK FILE* was used to start "this-instance-of-a-running-autoit-script" ??? (compiled)

 

TIA, Rudi.

[Jfish]

How about _WinAPI_GetProcessFileName ?  It needs the PID but returns the fully-qualified path to the file.  *EDIT* :L just realized you may need the actual shortcut as opposed to where the exe is located.  

Edited October 4, 2018 by Jfish

[rudi]

@Jfish

Exactly.

Maybe the function ...

_WinAPI_GetStartupInfo()

... is the right approach, it's returning a DLLSTRUCT, holding several pointer elements, as @Danp2 pointed out some posts above.

 

Well, I fail to figure out how to address the data these pointers point to.

 

 

Regards, Rudi.

[Deye]

Hi rudi,

have you tried looking into _WinAPI_QueryInformationJobObject (check the help file example )
then find away to read its array output
I tried looking into it a bit but I'm not very familiar with object manipulations ..

Deye