run external .exe under thread

Question

I need to run an external exe "embed.exe" under my WPF project,

here's a snippet

ProcessStartInfo processInf = new ProcessStartInfo("embed.exe");
processInf.Arguments = string.Format(@"Some arguments");
processInf.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
Process run = Process.Start(processInf);

my problem is that it's block my UI,

is there a way to include embed.exe using a thread or any code that won't block the UI ?

Does it block till you close the other application (embed.exe)? I guess it only block until the process is being loaded. — Mohammad Dehghan, Feb 16 '13 at 16:14
Run it on a new thread, line in this question http://stackoverflow.com/questions/363377/c-sharp-how-do-i-run-a-simple-bit-of-code-in-a-new-thread — Kuf, Feb 16 '13 at 16:15
You defined `processInf` and two lines below that you are using `compressProcessInfo`. Is that OK? — Mohammad Dehghan, Feb 16 '13 at 16:34
Starting a new process doesn't block the current process. Probably you are missing something here. — Mohammad Dehghan, Feb 16 '13 at 16:34

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 16 '13 at 17:26

1

OK,

Try to put your previous snippet inside a method, then create a new thread and initialize it to that method.

here's how to make it //hone code

private void EmbedMethod()
{
ProcessStartInfo processInf = new ProcessStartInfo("embed.exe");
processInf.Arguments = string.Format(@"Some arguments");
processInf.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
Process run = Process.Start(processInf);
}

Thread embedThread=new Thread(EmbedMethod);
embedThread.start();

answered Feb 16 '13 at 17:26

Omarj

1,151
2
16
43

i have a problem now, yes no UI block but after exiting the program the process is still running, how could i terminate it before program termination ? – Howa Feb 16 '13 at 18:19
well, i tried to set IsBackground property to true, but still working, the problem is that i created a new process inside a running thread, is there a way to terminate that too ? – Howa Feb 16 '13 at 18:34

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 18 '13 at 02:32

0

The process you started is running on its own thread, not the thread your application used to start it.

To terminate your embed.exe process you need to keep a reference to the Process started. In this case the run variable. To terminate the process call either: run.CloseMainWindow() or run.Kill(). Kill forces a termination of the process, while CloseMainWindow only requests a termination.

answered Feb 18 '13 at 02:32

Steven Licht

760
4
5

how do i keep a reference to `run` process out of `EmbedMethod`??,,i found a way to locate that process by searching in `Process.GetProcesses();` list , is there any other way ? – Howa Feb 18 '13 at 07:09

run external .exe under thread

2 Answers2