I'm having a problem calling Winspool.drv "OpenPrinter" when I run my program in standard user acccount. But when I ran my program in Administrator account. It can properly execute API call.
I am trying to call OpenPrinter using this API
[DllImport("WinSpool.drv", SetLastError = true)]
static extern unsafe bool OpenPrinter (string pPrinterName, int* phPrinter, void* pDefault);
and implementing it using this code
static unsafe int CSOpenPrinter(string printerName)
{
bool bResult;
int hPrinter;
PRINTER_DEFAULTS pd = new PRINTER_DEFAULTS();
//int rawsize = Marshal.SizeOf(pd);
//IntPtr pdPtr = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(rawsize);
//pd.pDatatype = null;
//pd.pDevMode = null;
pd.DesiredAccess = PRINTER_ALL_ACCESS;
bResult = OpenPrinter(printerName, &hPrinter, &pd);
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("bResult: " + bResult);
if (!bResult)
{
throw new ApplicationException("Cannot open printer '" +
printerName + "' " +
Marshal.GetLastWin32Error());
}
return hPrinter;
}
Ok again, that code works perfectly when I try to make my program "Run As Administrator". How do I make my application run as a Administrator without right clicking on the application and selecting "Run As Administrator"?
I believe this is a UAC problem, but can you give me an Idea how to solve this? Is adding app.manifest will help? Can you give me an exampple?
Best to all
What are you trying to do with the printer? Your code is asking for full access and so requires admin access.
If you just want to use the printer, request PRINTER_ACCESS_USE access instead.
If it is actually an admin process, then add an appropriate manifest to the executable to tell windows that it needs admin access.
Add manifest file to your project. Like here
Related
I need to start a process and have access to the PID, so I am trying to use ShellExecuteEx. I am attempting to open a batch file. However, no matter how I pass the parameters and no matter where the file is located and what permission's I have on the file, the function is returning with Error Code 5: Access is denied.
The File is located in the same location as the config files that have already been read successfully.
The File is set for full access permissions with any user.
It does this with any file type. I've tried just opening text files with the same outcome (Error 5)
If I use ShellExecute() instead, the batch file is run successfully.
Here is some of the code I've tried:
SHELLEXECUTEINFO exInfo;
exInfo.cbSize = sizeof(SHELLEXECUTEINFO);
exInfo.fMask = SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS;
exInfo.lpVerb = "open";
exInfo.lpFile = "C:\\batchtest.bat";
exInfo.nShow = SW_NORMAL;
BOOL hReturnCode = ShellExecute(&exInfo);
DWORD LastError = GetLastError();
I've also tried:
SHELLEXECUTEINFO exInfo;
exInfo.cbSize = sizeof(SHELLEXECUTEINFO);
exInfo.fMask = SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS;
exInfo.lpVerb = "open";
exInfo.lpFile = "C:\\Windows\\system32\\cmd.exe";
exInfo.lpParameters = "batchtest.bat";
And many variations of the above.
Also, I've tried something really simple like from here:
Get PID from ShellExecute
to no avail.
However this:
ShellExecute(NULL, "open", "C:\\testbat.bat", NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL);
works without an error. Unfortunately, I need the PID, so I can't use ShellExecute.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I've exhausted all of my options.
Environment:
VS 2008
Windows 7
EDIT: fixed the code to "C:\batchtest.bat"; as suggested. (Still same result)
Figured it out.
In order to run batch file and I guess some other types of exe's on Windows 7, you have to elevate the call using the lpVerb = _TEXT("runas") -- even if you have UAC turned off. This isn't documented in the SHELLEXECUTEINFO structure documentation on MDSN (it isn't even given as an option), since it says: "The following verbs are commonly used"
The final code was as follows:
SHELLEXECUTEINFO exInfo;
exInfo.cbSize = sizeof(SHELLEXECUTEINFO);
exInfo.fMask = SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS; //allows the PID to be returned
exInfo.hwnd = NULL;
exInfo.lpVerb = _TEXT("runas"); //elevates for Windows 7
exInfo.lpFile = "C:\\BatchTest.bat";
exInfo.lpParameters = NULL;
exInfo.nShow = SW_MAXIMIZE;
exInfo.hInstApp = NULL;
exInfo.lpDirectory = NULL;
BOOL hReturnCode = ShellExecuteEx(&exInfo);
I hope that helps others out.
Shouldn't the line
exInfo.lpFile = "C:\\batchtest.exe";
be
exInfo.lpFile = "C:\\batchtest.bat";
I'm trying to see how many instances of an application are running on a MC65 device, a Windows Mobile 6.5 device. Then if there is more than one instance of the application running kill all instances and run the application. I've tried that code here. But it doesn't work on the MC65 device. I believe this is because it is a symbol device and I've read somewhere that they act differently than non-symbol devices.
Does anyone know how to find out what processes are running on a symbol device programatically?
Update: Upon further testing the device is having problems creating a snapshot of the running processes. Still haven't found a solution.
Taking a snapshot should work fine BUT you have to use a flag to avoid memory limitations throwing an exception:
[Flags]
private enum SnapshotFlags : uint
{
HeapList = 0x00000001,
Process = 0x00000002,
Thread = 0x00000004,
Module = 0x00000008,
Module32 = 0x00000010,
Inherit = 0x80000000,
All = 0x0000001F,
NoHeaps = 0x40000000
}
Then in a normal call to CreateToolhelp32Snapshot you can get a list of processes:
public static Dictionary<UInt32, process> getProcessNameList()
{
int iCnt = 0;
//List<processnames> name_list = new List<processnames>();
Dictionary<UInt32, process> _pList = new Dictionary<uint, process>();
uint procID = 0;
IntPtr pHandle = CreateToolhelp32Snapshot(SnapshotFlags.Process | SnapshotFlags.NoHeaps, procID);
if ((Int32)pHandle == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
throw new Exception("CreateToolhelp32Snapshot error: " + Marshal.GetLastWin32Error().ToString());
if ((int)pHandle != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
{
PROCESSENTRY32 pEntry = new PROCESSENTRY32();
pEntry.dwSize = (uint)Marshal.SizeOf(pEntry);
if (Process32First(pHandle, ref pEntry) == 1)
{
do
{
//name_list.Add(new processnames(pEntry.th32ProcessID, pEntry.szExeFile));
_pList[pEntry.th32ProcessID] = new process(pEntry.th32ProcessID, pEntry.szExeFile, new List<thread>());
iCnt++;
} while (Process32Next(pHandle, ref pEntry) == 1);
}
else
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Process32First error: " + Marshal.GetLastWin32Error().ToString());
CloseToolhelp32Snapshot(pHandle);
}
return _pList;
}
The above code is part of my remote ProcessorUsage test application.
Nevertheless normal windows mobile application will terminate them self if a previous instance is already running. That is also the default when you create and run a SmartDevice project in CSharp or CPP targetting "Windows Mobile ...".
If you target a Standard Windows CE based SDK, there is no automatic code generated to prevent multiple instances in the start code of the app.
Let us know, if you still need assistance.
As in title, is there any Win32 API to do that?
Don't do this.
I'm 99% sure there isn't an official API for it, for exactly the same reason that there wasn't programmatic access to the old Start Menu's pin list.
In short, most users don't want programs putting junk in their favorites, quick launch, taskbar, etc. so Windows doesn't support you doing as such.
I'm trying to implement a VirtuaWin (opensource virtual desktop software) plugin that allows me to pin different buttons to different virtual desktops. Completely valid reason to use this.
Found the way to pin/unpin it already:
Following code snippet is taken from Chromium shortcut.cc file, nearly unchanged, see also the ShellExecute function at the MSDN
bool TaskbarPinShortcutLink(const wchar_t* shortcut) {
int result = reinterpret_cast<int>(ShellExecute(NULL, L"taskbarpin", shortcut,
NULL, NULL, 0));
return result > 32;
}
bool TaskbarUnpinShortcutLink(const wchar_t* shortcut) {
int result = reinterpret_cast<int>(ShellExecute(NULL, L"taskbarunpin",
shortcut, NULL, NULL, 0));
return result > 32;
}
// Copyright (c) 2012 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
// found in the LICENSE file.
Seems pretty straightforward if you know the shortcut. For me though this is not sufficient, I also need to iterate over existing buttons and unpin and repin them on different desktops.
In the comments of a Code Project article it says all you have to do is create a symbolic link in the folder "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar".
But it appears to generally be unsociable practice, as the other comments here have noted.
You can pin/unpin apps via Windows Shell verbs:
http://blogs.technet.com/deploymentguys/archive/2009/04/08/pin-items-to-the-start-menu-or-windows-7-taskbar-via-script.aspx
For API, there is a script-friendly COM library for working with the Shell:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776890%28VS.85%29.aspx
Here is an example written in JScript:
// Warning: untested and probably needs correction
var appFolder = "FOLDER CONTAINING THE APP/SHORTCUT";
var appToPin = "FILENAME OF APP/SHORTCUT";
var shell = new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application");
var folder = shell.NameSpace(appFolder);
var folderItem = folder.ParseName(appToPin);
var itemVerbs = folderItem.Verbs;
for(var i = 0; i < itemVerbs.Count; i++)
{
// You have to find the verb by name,
// so if you want to support multiple cultures,
// you have to match against the verb text for each culture.
if(itemVerbs[i].name.Replace(/&/, "") == "Pin to Start Menu")
{
itemVerbs[i].DoIt();
}
}
Just to put some links on the info as microsoft now offer an official documentation on "Taskbar Extensions" :
A small set of applications are pinned
by default for new installations.
Other than these, only the user can
pin further applications; programmatic
pinning by an application is not
permitted.
So Kevin Montrose answer is the correct one : DON'T.
It works, but not for all OS, e.g. Windows 10:
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
private static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string dllName);
[DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
static extern int LoadString(IntPtr hInstance, uint uID, StringBuilder lpBuffer, int nBufferMax);
private static void PinUnpinTaskBar(string filePath, bool pin)
{
if (!File.Exists(filePath))
throw new FileNotFoundException(filePath + " not exists!");
int MAX_PATH = 255;
var actionIndex = pin ? 5386 : 5387; // 5386 is the DLL index for"Pin to Tas&kbar", ref. http://www.win7dll.info/shell32_dll.html
StringBuilder szPinToStartLocalized = new StringBuilder(MAX_PATH);
IntPtr hShell32 = LoadLibrary("Shell32.dll");
LoadString(hShell32, (uint)actionIndex, szPinToStartLocalized, MAX_PATH);
string localizedVerb = szPinToStartLocalized.ToString();
// create the shell application object
dynamic shellApplication = Activator.CreateInstance(Type.GetTypeFromProgID("Shell.Application"));
string path = Path.GetDirectoryName(filePath);
string fileName = Path.GetFileName(filePath);
dynamic directory = shellApplication.NameSpace(path);
dynamic link = directory.ParseName(fileName);
dynamic verbs = link.Verbs();
for (int i = 0; i < verbs.Count(); i++)
{
dynamic verb = verbs.Item(i);
if ((pin && verb.Name.Equals(localizedVerb)) || (!pin && verb.Name.Contains(localizedVerb)))
{
verb.DoIt();
break;
}
}
}
I found there is no offical API to do that, but someone has do it through VBScript.
http://blog.ananthonline.net/?p=37
Thanks.
this folder contains shortcut of pinned application
C:\Users\Your-User-Name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar
This may not be a purely programming related question, but I come across this often during development. When my app crashes and I choose to kill it, Windows automatically throws up a "Checking for a solution..." dialog box. When I hit the cancel button on that I get another dialog box that says "Restarting the program..." Is there a way to prevent this behavior? When I stop an app I'd prefer if it were silently killed. I'm using Windows 7 if the platform is important.
Although Microsoft recommends using a newer replacement API available only on Windows Vista and later, there is an API which works for all versions of Windows from XP onward: AddERExcludedApplication(). This function takes the module name without path information (e.g., "myprogram.exe") for which error reporting is to be disabled.
The new method available only Windows Vista and later is to call WerAddExcludedApplication() function. This API allows you to specify whether it should change the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive, or the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive. Be sure to set this for the HKCU if the HKLM set fails, such as:
typedef BOOL (*ADD_MER_EXCLUDED_APP_XP) (PCWSTR);
typedef BOOL (*ADD_MER_EXCLUDED_APP_VISTA) (PCWSTR, BOOL);
bool disable_microsoft_error_reporting(PCWSTR wz_app)
{
const WCHAR * const WZ_MER_DLL_XP = L"faultrep.dll";
const char * const SZ_MER_PROC_XP = "AddERExcludedApplicationW";
const WCHAR * const WZ_MER_DLL_VISTA = L"wer.dll";
const char * const SZ_MER_PROC_VISTA = "WerAddExcludedApplicationW";
const int WER_EXCLUDE_FOR_ALL_USERS = TRUE;
const int WER_EXCLUDE_FOR_THIS_USER = FALSE;
HANDLE hlib_error_reports_xp = NULL;
HANDLE hlib_error_reports_vista = NULL;
ADD_MER_EXCLUDED_APP_XP add_mer_excluded_app_xp = NULL;
ADD_MER_EXCLUDED_APP_VISTA add_mer_excluded_app_vista = NULL;
bool success = false;
// First, attempt the API that has been around since XP.
hlib_error_reports_xp = LoadLibrary(WZ_MER_DLL_XP);
if (hlib_error_reports_xp)
{
add_mer_excluded_app_xp = (ADD_MER_EXCLUDED_APP_XP)GetProcAddress(hlib_error_reports_xp, SZ_MER_PROC_XP);
if (add_mer_excluded_app_xp)
success = add_mer_excluded_app_xp(wz_app);
FreeLibrary(hlib_error_reports_xp);
hlib_error_reports_xp = NULL;
add_mer_excluded_app_xp = NULL;
if (success)
return true;
}
// That did not succeed. Attempt the Vista API.
hlib_error_reports_vista = LoadLibrary(WZ_MER_DLL_VISTA);
if (hlib_error_reports_vista)
{
add_mer_excluded_app_vista = (ADD_MER_EXCLUDED_APP_VISTA)GetProcAddress(hlib_error_reports_vista, SZ_MER_PROC_VISTA);
if (add_mer_excluded_app_vista)
{
success = (S_OK == add_mer_excluded_app_vista(wz_app, WER_EXCLUDE_FOR_ALL_USERS));
if (!success)
success = (S_OK == add_mer_excluded_app_vista(wz_app, WER_EXCLUDE_FOR_THIS_USER));
}
FreeLibrary(hlib_error_reports_vista);
hlib_error_reports_vista = NULL;
add_mer_excluded_app_vista = NULL;
if (success)
return true;
}
// Nothing worked. Fail.
return false;
}
To further curtail the execution of the WER components, imeplement an unhandled exception filter and pass it to: SetUnhandledExceptionFilter() function. To shunt WER, your filter must never return EXCEPTION_CONTINUE_SEARCH or EXCEPTION_EXECUTE_HANDLER.
One of the drawbacks of implementing the SetUnhandledExceptionFilter() function is that it interferes with Just-in-time debugging.
You mention you want the app to be "silently killed." In that case:
LONG WINAPI global_exception_filter(struct _EXCEPTION_POINTERS *exception_info)
{
ExitProcess(0xDEDD000D);
}
int WINAPI WinMain(
HINSTANCE _hinstance,
HINSTANCE hinstance_prev,
LPSTR sz_cmd_line,
int cmd_show
)
{
SetUnhandledExceptionFilter(global_exception_filter);
/* ... */
}
Will cause the application to immediately vanish upon unhandled exception. N.B., the exit code to return is a matter of taste.
Check out the answers on these questions:
How do I disable the ‘Debug / Close Application’ dialog on Windows Vista?
Hide Error Report window
I realize that others have answered with ways to work around this, but...
Let's not forget that the best way to protect against this is to write a program that doesn't crash. :-) You shouldn't be seeing this if you are using memory correctly and not hanging the GUI thread.
Altering the behavior of an application crash is a great way to introduce subtle and deadly bugs. See also this blog post from Microsoft's Raymond Chen.
Take a look at the Windows Error Reporting APIs.
I want to allow my users to toggle the current user theme between Aero and Windows Classic(1). Is there a way that I can do this programatically?
I don't want to pop up the "Display properties", and I'm dubious about just changing the registry. (This requires a log out and a log back in for the changes to take effect).
Application skinning (using the Codejock libraries) doesn't work either.
Is there a way of doing this?
The application is hosted/run on a Windows Server 2008 over RDP.
(1) The application in question is a hosted "Remote App", and I want users to be able to change the look of the displayed application to match their desktop.
You can set it using the following command:
rundll32.exe %SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %SystemRoot%\system32\desk.cpl desk,#Themes /Action:OpenTheme /file:"C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\aero.theme"
Caveat is that this will show the theme selector dialog. You could kill that dialog straight after.
There are certainly good reasons for wanting to change the current theme programmatically. E.g. an automated test tool may need to switch between various themes to make sure the application works correctly with all of them.
As a user, you can change the theme by double-clicking a .theme file in Windwos Explorer and then closing the Control Panel applet that pops up. You can easily do the same from code. The steps below work just fine for me. I've only tested on Windows 7.
Use SHGetKnownFolderPath() to get the "Local AppData" folder for the user. Theme files are stored in the Microsoft\Windows\Themes subfolder. Theme files stored there are applied directly, while theme files stored elsewhere are duplicated when you execute them. So it's best to use files from that folder only.
Use ShellExecute() to execute the .theme file you located in step 1.
Wait for the theme to be applied. I simply let my app sleep for 2 seconds.
Call FindWindow('CabinetWClass', 'Personalization') to get the handle of the Control Panel window that popped up when the theme was applied. The "Personalization" caption will likely be different on non-US-English versions of Windows.
Call PostMessage(HWND, WM_CLOSE, 0, 0) to close the Control Panel window.
This isn't a very elegant solution, but it does the job.
I know this is an old ticket, but somebody asked me how to do this today. So starting from Mike's post above I cleaned things up, added comments, and will post full C# console app code:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Globalization;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Microsoft.Win32;
namespace Windows7Basic
{
class Theming
{
/// Handles to Win 32 API
[DllImport("user32.dll", EntryPoint = "FindWindow")]
private static extern IntPtr FindWindow(string sClassName, string sAppName);
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern IntPtr SendMessage(IntPtr hWnd, uint Msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam);
/// Windows Constants
private const uint WM_CLOSE = 0x10;
private String StartProcessAndWait(string filename, string arguments, int seconds, ref Boolean bExited)
{
String msg = String.Empty;
Process p = new Process();
p.StartInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Minimized;
p.StartInfo.FileName = filename;
p.StartInfo.Arguments = arguments;
p.Start();
bExited = false;
int counter = 0;
/// give it "seconds" seconds to run
while (!bExited && counter < seconds)
{
bExited = p.HasExited;
counter++;
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000);
}//while
if (counter == seconds)
{
msg = "Program did not close in expected time.";
}//if
return msg;
}
public Boolean SwitchTheme(string themePath)
{
try
{
//String themePath = System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.Windows) + #"\Resources\Ease of Access Themes\basic.theme";
/// Set the theme
Boolean bExited = false;
/// essentially runs the command line: rundll32.exe %SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %SystemRoot%\system32\desk.cpl desk,#Themes /Action:OpenTheme /file:"%WINDIR%\Resources\Ease of Access Themes\classic.theme"
String ThemeOutput = this.StartProcessAndWait("rundll32.exe", System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System) + #"\shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL " + System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System) + "\\desk.cpl desk,#Themes /Action:OpenTheme /file:\"" + themePath + "\"", 30, ref bExited);
Console.WriteLine(ThemeOutput);
/// Wait for the theme to be set
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000);
/// Close the Theme UI Window
IntPtr hWndTheming = FindWindow("CabinetWClass", null);
SendMessage(hWndTheming, WM_CLOSE, IntPtr.Zero, IntPtr.Zero);
}//try
catch (Exception ex)
{
Console.WriteLine("An exception occured while setting the theme: " + ex.Message);
return false;
}//catch
return true;
}
public Boolean SwitchToClassicTheme()
{
return SwitchTheme(System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.Windows) + #"\Resources\Ease of Access Themes\basic.theme");
}
public Boolean SwitchToAeroTheme()
{
return SwitchTheme(System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.Windows) + #"\Resources\Themes\aero.theme");
}
public string GetTheme()
{
string RegistryKey = #"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes";
string theme;
theme = (string)Registry.GetValue(RegistryKey, "CurrentTheme", string.Empty);
theme = theme.Split('\\').Last().Split('.').First().ToString();
return theme;
}
// end of object Theming
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
class Program
{
[DllImport("dwmapi.dll")]
public static extern IntPtr DwmIsCompositionEnabled(out bool pfEnabled);
/// ;RunProgram("%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\themeName.theme") ;For User Themes
/// RunProgram("%WINDIR%\Resources\Ease of Access Themes\classic.theme") ;For Basic Themes
/// ;RunProgram("%WINDIR%\Resources\Themes\aero.theme") ;For Aero Themes
static void Main(string[] args)
{
bool aeroEnabled = false;
Theming thm = new Theming();
Console.WriteLine("The current theme is " + thm.GetTheme());
/// The only real difference between Aero and Basic theme is Composition=0 in the [VisualStyles] in Basic (line omitted in Aero)
/// So test if Composition is enabled
DwmIsCompositionEnabled(out aeroEnabled);
if (args.Length == 0 || (args.Length > 0 && args[0].ToLower(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture).Equals("basic")))
{
if (aeroEnabled)
{
Console.WriteLine("Setting to basic...");
thm.SwitchToClassicTheme();
}//if
}//if
else if (args.Length > 0 || args[0].ToLower(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture).Equals("aero"))
{
if (!aeroEnabled)
{
Console.WriteLine("Setting to aero...");
thm.SwitchToAeroTheme();
}//if
}//else if
}
// end of object Program
}
}
I'm not sure if this is a new thing, but you can just double click the .theme file and Windows 10 will apply the theme. Hence, you can do this with PowerShell easily:
$Windows10Theme = "C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\aero.theme"
Invoke-Expression $Windows10Theme
The command for newer Windows versions (Windows 8 and 8.1, haven't tried it on W10 yet) is:
rundll32.exe themecpl.dll,OpenThemeAction %1
or with full paths:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\themecpl.dll,OpenThemeAction %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\yourtheme.theme
Basically it's the Personalisation CPL "open" command for .theme & .themepack extensions taken from registry...
You'll still end up with the Personalisation window beeing open after using this command so to close it down programatically you'll have to use one of the suggested methods mentioned above... (I personally prefer the Powershell script)
I have been experimenting about changing the windows theme via command line and I learned that by executing the theme file it is being applied by the Windows 10 as well. So in your batch file, you could use one of the following lines:
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\Dark_Mode.theme
or
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\Light_Mode.theme
Please note the path to the theme files might be needed to adjust depending on your system user configuration. I strongly advise saving your themes with names excluding spaces as it makes much easier moving forward. Executing such line leaving you with the Settings window opened. To deal with I considered using VBS script instead. Thanks to Patrick Haugh user1390106 there is a much easier way to close the Settings window.
taskkill /F /IM systemsettings.exe
So the updated version of batch file could look like this:
#echo off
if %1 == dark (
REM ================== Go Dark ==================
color 09
echo.
echo Applying DARK MODE
echo Windows Theme ...
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\Dark_Mode.theme
timeout /T 1 /nobreak > nul
taskkill /F /IM systemsettings.exe > nul
echo DONE
) else (
REM ============== Return to Light ==============
color 30
echo.
echo Applying LIGHT MODE
echo Windows Theme ...
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\Light_Mode.theme
timeout /T 1 /nobreak > nul
taskkill /F /IM systemsettings.exe > nul
echo DONE
)
REM ================== Goodbye ==================
echo.
echo Goodbye
cls
exit
Please note the path to the theme files might be needed to adjust depending on your system user configuration. Save above script with the name theme.bat somewhere in your drive.
This batch file taking one parameter which needs to be either dark or any other string. Then you could prepare two shortcuts to this batch file each with one of the following in the box called “Target” on the “Shortcut” tab in its properties:
C:\full-path-to-your-batch-file\theme.bat dark
or
C:\full-path-to-your-batch-file\theme.bat light
Please replace “full-path-to-your-batch-file” with actual path to that file.
Here are links to the videos showing how this works:
a) Going Dark – https://youtu.be/cBcDNhAmfyM
b) Returning to the Light – https://youtu.be/2kYJaJHubi4
Please note that my script in those videos also activating/deactivating the Stylish plug-in for chrome. I have omitted to explain how I accomplished that part as it is not a subject of this article.
I believe the best you can do is open your target .msstyles file (in c:\windows\resources\themes), which will pop up the display properties box. At this point you could use window subclassing to programmatically click the right buttons.
In addition of the post of "Jan Goyvaerts":
I use SendMessage instead of PostMessage. The difference is that SendMessage waits for the command to be taken in by the window. Meaning that in the SendMessages returns, you know that the theme dialog is closed.
So if you start it with the monstrous (but genious) rundll32.exe method suggested by "Campbell". You should wait a sec before sending WM_CLOSE. Otherwise the theme will not be set and the application closes right away.
The code snippet below extracts a file from resource (a themepack). Then executes the desk.cpl with rundll32.exe, waits 3 sceonds, then sends WM_CLOSE (0x0010), waits for the command to be process (the time it takes for the theme to be set).
private Boolean SwitchToClassicTheme()
{
//First unpack the theme
try
{
//Extract the theme from the resource
String ThemePath = System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.Windows) + #"\Resources\Themes\ClassicTheme.themepack";
//WriteFileToCurrentDirectory("ClassicTheme.theme", TabletConfigurator.Resources.ClassicTheme);
if(File.Exists(ThemePath))
{
File.Delete(ThemePath);
}
if(File.Exists(ThemePath))
{
throw new Exception("The file '" + ThemePath + "' exists and can not be deleted. You can try to delete it manually.");
}
using (BinaryWriter sw = new BinaryWriter(new FileStream(ThemePath, FileMode.OpenOrCreate)))
{
sw.Write(TabletConfigurator.Resources.ClassicTheme);
sw.Flush();
sw.Close();
}
if(!File.Exists(ThemePath))
{
throw new Exception("The resource theme file could not be extracted");
}
//Set the theme file as like a user would have clicked it
Boolean bTimedOut = false;
String ThemeOutput = StartProcessAndWait("rundll32.exe", System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System) + #"\shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL " + System.Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System) + "\\desk.cpl desk,#Themes /Action:OpenTheme /file:\"" + ThemePath + "\"", ref bTimedOut);
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(3000);
//Wait for the theme to be set
IntPtr hWndTheming = FindWindow("CabinetWClass", null);
SendMessage(hWndTheming, (uint)WM_CLOSE, 0, 0);
//using (Bitmap bm = CaptureScreenShot())
//{
// Boolean PixelIsGray = true;
// while (PixelIsGray)
// {
// System.Drawing.Color pixel = bm.GetPixel(0, 0)
// }
//}
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
ShowError("An exception occured while setting the theme: " + ex.Message);
return false;
}
return true;
}
I just realized you can double click the theme and it autoswitches it - much simpler, so just executing the theme works, ex batch file:
:: Reactivate my theme after an remote desktop session
:: We must select another theme first before we can select ours again and hence re-activate Aero, please wait..."
#echo Off
"C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\aero.theme"
::echo "Simulating a pause while"
ping 127.0.0.1 -n 10 > null && "D:\Users\danielsokolowski\Windows 7 Aero Themes\`danielsokolowski` Theme (without Glass).theme"
::or ping 127.0.0.1 -n 3 > null && "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\`danielsokolowski` Theme (without Glass).theme"
For Windows 10 I wrote this simple solution (it can also be used in DSC) in PowerShell
# Apply your theme
& "C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Brand.theme"
# We need to wait for the theme to be applied
Start-Sleep -s 5
# Close the settings window that is opened by the action above
$window = Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq "SystemSettings"}
Stop-Process -Id $window.Id
Okay so here is my take on this - a VB script. It's a bit nasty but the best I could come up with (sadly).
For a user that logs in, we simply run ChangeTheme.vbs as the user logs in (e.g. autorun). The script starts desk.cpl and passes the required parameters to it as well as the name of the selected theme.
One can run the script with or without parameters:
> ChangeTheme.vbs
> ChangeTheme.vbs AnyThemeName
The script:
' ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
'
' Changes the theme.
'
' Name:
' ChangeTheme.vbs
' Parameter 1:
' Theme name e.g. aero or anything
' located in in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes.
' If not present, a default theme will be used.
'
' Example:
' Inside a command line run
' > ChangeTheme.vbs TheThemeName
'
' ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
If(Wscript.Arguments.Count <= 0) Then
' If no parameter was given we set the following theme as default
selectedTheme = "aero"
Else
' Get theme via the first argument
selectedTheme = Wscript.Arguments(0)
End If
' Create WScript shell object
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
' Run the command to open the "theme application" (or whatever)
Set process = WshShell.Exec("rundll32.exe %SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %SystemRoot%\system32\desk.cpl desk,#Themes /Action:OpenTheme /file:""C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\" & selectedTheme & ".theme""")
' Wait for the application to start
Wscript.Sleep 250
Success = False
maxTries = 20
tryCount = 0
Do Until Success = True
Wscript.Sleep 1000
' Set focus to our application
' If this fails, or the application loses focus, it won't work!
Success = WshShell.AppActivate(process.ProcessId)
tryCount = tryCount + 1
If (tryCount >= maxTries) Then
' If it does not work after maxTries we give up ..
MsgBox("Cannot change theme - max tries exceeded ..")
Exit Do
End If
Loop
' The crucial part: Send keys ALT + B for applying the theme
WshShell.Sendkeys "%(B)"
' Send key "escape" to close the window
WshShell.Sendkeys "{ESCAPE}"
Hope that helps.
It works on Windows 10.
this is my script. It changes the theme and closes the window. I save it to a batch file and run this patch file from TaskScheduler:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\themecpl.dll,OpenThemeAction C:\Users\xxx\Misc_computer_stuff\themes\my_fav_gr.theme
TIMEOUT 1 & REM Waits 1 seconds before executing the next command
TASKKILL /F /IM systemsettings.exe & close window
exit
You can simply open any of the .theme files present in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\ to change the theme.
The only catch is that the settings app is also opened after this. But we can kill it using Stop-Process in PowerShell
Invoke-Expression "C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\<theme_name>.theme"
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
Stop-Process -Name SystemSettings
For Example:
Invoke-Expression "C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\dark.theme"