How to get number of process's "USER objects"?

[Mbee]

I'm faced with a problem working with a third-party application. One of the first things I do is to check to see if the third-party process in question is already running, and if not, I launch it.  However, it turns out that on occasion a process with exactly the same name but otherwise dead (such as when the previous one failed to exit cleanly and cannot be completely killed except by rebooting) is still running, in which case I try to work with this dead application.

In trying to find some way to differentiate between dead processes and live ones, the only difference I can find is that the dead process has zero "USER Objects" aka "USER handles" when I view the processes with Process Hacker and the like.  How can I get this count given a PID (or whatever)?

Thanks!

[Bilgus]

See _WinAPI_GetGuiResources in the autoIt helpfile

[Mbee]

10 hours ago, Bilgus said:

See _WinAPI_GetGuiResources in the autoIt helpfile

Thanks, Bilgus!  But I'm not sure that will work.  The main issue relates to _WinAPI_GetGuiResources():. According to the help file, if it runs into a problem, it returns a count of zero. But what I'm looking for is a valid count of zero!  There's no way to distinguish a valid count of zero objects from an error return.

Can you suggest any solution or alternative function / algorithm?

Well, I could call _WinAPI_GetLastError(). However, I have no idea what the return values could be. Any guidance?

Thanks.

Edited March 5, 2018 by Mbee

[Melba23]

Mbee,

If you get 0 returned from _WinAPI_GetGuiResources then, as suggested in the Help file, call  _WinAPI_GetLastError to see if there was an error returned - if not, then it is a valid 0.

M23

[Mbee]

5 minutes ago, Melba23 said:

Mbee,

If you get 0 returned from _WinAPI_GetGuiResources then, as suggested in the Help file, call  _WinAPI_GetLastError to see if there was an error returned - if not, then it is a valid 0.

M23

Hi, Melba23, and thanks!  While you were posting this, I was editing my previous post to indicate that I could do as you suggest.  But as I told Bilgus, I've never used that function and I'm quite unclear as to what to expect as a return. In other words, how do I distinguish between an error and a non-error?

Thanks

[Melba23]

Mbee,

Quote

I've never used that function

Ditto - but I imagine that a return of 0 would mean no error - anything else would indicate a problem.

M23

[Mbee]

16 minutes ago, Melba23 said:

Mbee,

Ditto - but I imagine that a return of 0 would mean no error - anything else would indicate a problem.

M23

Frankly, I'm quite surprised and disappointed that, even in the help file, there's no information regarding the return values, not even whether it returns an integer or string!  Even the example shown on the MSDN page on the equivalent function is quite ambiguous, but the primary indication was that it was a string. However, the MSDN page specifically on the function itself shows it's a DWORD, so it's an integer with bit 29 indicating whether it represents whether it's a system return code (bit 29 = 0) or a user code.

Melba23, my friend, you're an all high AutoIt muckety-muck, or at least a demi-muckety-muck . Perhaps you could request that the help file be updated with this info?

In any case, thanks again!

[Melba23]

Mbee,

Anyone can open a Trac ticket - over to you!

M23

[Bilgus]

There is nothing wrong with that help entry for _WinAPI_GetGuiResources

I understood it exactly just glancing at it, granted it doesn't give a return 'format' but in Autoit it doesn't matter

What is this checking if bit 29 is set stuff you are on about?

[Mbee]

1 minute ago, Bilgus said:

There is nothing wrong with that help entry for _WinAPI_GetGuiResources

I understood it exactly just glancing at it, granted it doesn't give a return 'format' but in Autoit it doesn't matter

What is this checking if bit 29 is set stuff you are on about?

Read it yourself. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms679360(v=vs.85).aspx

Also, your assertions are wrong (besides being rude).  If it returned an error message string, you couldn't compare it to integer zero or one, so it does indeed matter.

[Bilgus]

No I've yet to be rude just direct, you are just being ambiguous

 GetLastError

Return Value

Returns the Last error code

Related

_WinAPI_GetLastErrorMessage

_WinAPI_GetLastErrorMessage ( )

Return Value

Success:the last error message.

[BrewManNH]

GetLastError returns an error message, GetGUIResources returns a 0 or the count of handles in use. The help file is correct.

[Bilgus]

I'm still unsure what you are on about did I miss a few posts or something?

 

#include <WinAPI.au3>

Local $iGDI_handles = _WinAPI_GetGuiResources(0, 0)
ConsoleWrite("GDIh:" & $iGDI_handles & @CRLF)
$ErrCode = _WinAPI_GetLastError()
ConsoleWrite($ErrCode & ":" & BitAND($ErrCode, 0x20000000) & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite(_WinAPI_GetLastErrorMessage() & @CRLF)

ConsoleWrite(@CRLF)

$iGDI_handles = _WinAPI_GetGuiResources(0, -1)
ConsoleWrite("GDIh:" & $iGDI_handles & @CRLF)
$ErrCode = _WinAPI_GetLastError()
ConsoleWrite($ErrCode & ":" & BitAND($ErrCode, 0x20000000) & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite(_WinAPI_GetLastErrorMessage() & @CRLF)

ConsoleWrite(@CRLF)

$iGDI_handles = _WinAPI_GetGuiResources(0, -1)
ConsoleWrite("GDIh:" & $iGDI_handles & @CRLF)
If $iGDI_handles = 0 Then
    $ErrCode = _WinAPI_GetLastError()
    ConsoleWrite($ErrCode & ":" & BitAND($ErrCode, 0x20000000) & @CRLF)
    ConsoleWrite(_WinAPI_GetLastErrorMessage() & @CRLF)
EndIf

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by Bilgus
@Mbee

[Bilgus]

Func GetGuiResources($iFlag = 0, $iPID = -1)
    _WinAPI_SetLastError(0)
    Local $iGDI_handles = _WinAPI_GetGuiResources(0, $iPID)
    Local $iErrCode = _WinAPI_GetLastError()
    If $iErrCode <> 0 Then Return SetError(1, $iErrCode, -1)
    Return $iGDI_handles
EndFunc

maybe you are looking for something like this?