Opening Internet Explorer 100% Hidden - vbscript

I have a ClickOnce application and I want to create an exe that autoruns the weblink using Internet Explorer. I would like it to run seamless and professionally such that no pop-ups etc. appear.
I have created a batch file that runs a VBS file, which launches Internet Explorer and runs the link, the Internet explorer window is hidden, but the icon for Internet explorer still appears on the task bar.
This is the code used to launch Internet Explorer:
Dim ie
Set ie = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
ie.Visible = False
ie.Navigate "https://google.com"
To give you an example of what I'm trying to achieve, the following application https://www.jitbit.com/bat-to-exe/
Manages to run a clickonce application seamlessly without any taskbar icons showing Internet explorer, but I can't seem to reverse engineer its method

For anyone also wanting to open a ClickOnce weblink using a single exe
Create an application that runs the following CMD line:
C:\WINDOWS\system32>rundll32.exe dfshim.dll, ShOpenVerbApplication https://yourweblink
It is as simple as that.
This way, no browser is used at all.

Related

unable to retrieve overlayicons for dialog box window in my visual studio application

I'm trying to display overlay icons on specific set of files in explorer window.
I have written shellextensionhandler class which has ismemberof(),getoverlayinfo() and getpriority() functions and it works fine if I open a new window in explorer, all these APIs are getting hit and overlay icons are getting displayed.
However, if I try to open a dialog box from any application, none of these APIs are getting hit and hence overlay icons are not getting set for files inside dialog box. And also I have observed that if I open dialog box it is not showing under explorer app (probably because of that reason since it is not treated as explorer window, for dialog box these APIs are not getting hit). Could anyone please provide solution on how to implement this?
The problem is with our code, where we are ignoring dialog boxes. Thanks Denis for helping. As Denis mentioned handler works correctly in Explorer if it is installed properly.

Force Firefox to open new tab and not new window

My application sometimes opens URLs in a browser. I do this with Process.Start("http://www.example.com").
My default browser is Firefox. I notice that if the above code runs when no Firefox window is active, each URL (I open several URLs in one go) is opened in its own window.
However, if a Firefox window is already open, the URLs all get opened as new tabs.
How can I make it always open as tabs? Always as windows? Open a single new window and make everything a tab in that?
Because command-line arguments differ between browsers, to do this successfully you would need to launch Firefox explicitly and pass in the appropriate parameters. You would have to create a similar solution for each additional browser you wanted to drive.
If this is something you're doing just for yourself or in an environment where you have some control over what's installed on user machines, then it may be solvable. But if it's a general purpose program meant to work on any Windows PC, then it probably isn't practical.
For firefox, the command line arguments are:
-new-tab URL
Opens URL in a new tab.
-new-window URL
Opens URL in a new window.

Coded UI testing in multiple IE browser windows

I am testing a chat client at a web service. I thought the best way to do this was to open the website in one internet explorer window, log in, open the chat. Then open a new IE window(in private mode so that the log in details will be forgotten) go the the page and then log in with another user and open the chat, and then start chatting with the other user in the other browser window.
The problem is when I have done everything in the first window and I open a new window, all actions are triggered in the first window even though the second window is selected. Is there any way to select which browser window to use? Or are there better ways to test this functionality without opening two internet explorer windows?
Solved: I solved this by opening a new window in private mode. When I wanted to do actions in that window I defined the browser window as:
BrowserWindow privateWindow = new BrowserWindow();
privateWindow.SearchProperties.Contains("[InPrivate]");
You need to find some characteristic of the two IE windows that is different and ensure that it is included in the search criteria used to find the two windows. However modern browsers are complex, the distinction between windows and tabs it not always clear; window titles can change depending on which tab is selected.
Specific windows are selected by setting the properties of the UITestControl objects (and of derived objects). In the UI Map editor the properties panel has fields for the "Windows Title" and the "Search Criteria". For some controls there is also a "Filter Properties" field. The same fields are available if hand coding rather than recording tests.

Windows Form App Deployment/Installation

I have a Windows form app that I've published but the end result is not what I've expected. After the wizard finishes, I click on the setup.exe and the application installs and launches, but I don't see any shortcuts in the All Programs. The application is listed in Programs and Features but when I close the app, there is no icon to click to launch it again. I've searched for an executable file in the Program Files and System32 folders found nothing.
So what I wanted to to do is create a desktop shrtcut, or shortcut in the All Programs as part of the installation process.
Also how do I assign a custom icon that will show up in the task bar?
Thanks,
Risho
create-setup-and-deployment-of-wpf-application-step-by-step
Is very helpful link for new users. Wpf and windows Forms are not much different in Deployment.
Assuming you are talking about ClickOnce publishing, you can ensure that desktop shortcuts and start menu shortcuts are created by selecting the 'The application is available offline as well (launchable from start menu)' radio button in the publish tab of the project properties, and clicking the 'Create desktop shortcut' checkbox in the Publish Options window.
I figured it out. For some reason, Visual Studio used the registered name under which it was installed, which is my employer, to create a shortcut on the All Programs and dropped the program shortcut there.
I also found in the project property page where to set the desktop icon.
Man, I'm good - sheesh! (JK)
Have great day.

Open a URL in Firefox in current tab/window from a Windows application?

I have a Windows application that works with Firefox. If Firefox is already open, I'd like to have it open a given URL in the current tab+window as is currently showing. Our application tends to open a lot of URLs and reusing the same browser window makes the most sense. I already have a COM application that works with Internet Explorer, but haven't been able to find something similar for an external application to work with Firefox.
The only way I know of to do this in Firefox is to set the browser.link.open_newwindow preference to 1. Unfortunately this also stops all in-page links from opening a new tab or window.
If you use SeaMonkey as your default browser then you can use the Preferences window under Tabbed Browsing or Link Behaviour to make links from external applications open in the current tab.

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