C++ question, how to get directory info...

[Corey]

OK so I'm creating a basic free add-on for AMS so people can add optional command line functionality to their apps. It's a small .exe which people can include (beside their autorun.exe) with their project that, when called, simply creates a .lua file at system root which contains the first command line parameter and then launches the autorun.exe (which detects/deletes that .lua file at startup) hidden. It's a learning excercise, but it could be cool for people to create multi-state or modal AMS apps, i.e. "Presentation Mode" or "Admin Mode", etc. according to command line switches. I remember someone asked for this a while back...

Anyhow OK so here's what I got so far, but I can't figure out how to use GetWindowsDirectory or even if that's what I should be doing. If anyone can help me figure out how to create the amsCmd.lua file automatically at %SYSTEMROOT% instead of c:\ that would be great. Thanks.

#include <iostream>
#include <windows.h>
#include <shellapi.h>
#include <fstream.h>

int main(int argc, char* argv[])  {

ofstream myCode ("c:\\amsCmd.lua");

  if (myCode.is_open())
  {
    myCode << "amsCmd=\"";
    myCode << argv[1];
    myCode << "\";";
    myCode.close();
  }

ShellExecute(0, "open", "autorun.exe", NULL, NULL, SW_HIDE);

return 0;

}

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[Corey]

Oh yeah. Here's two more cool things that I would appreciate if someone could show me:

1. How to make it loop through all parameters passed and write them to amsCmd.lua as a table instead of just writing the first one as a variable (as I have it).

2. Any possible ways to make this tinier in file size. The tinier the better.

Thanks, that should make for a nifty little command line wrapper add-on for AMS projects! Perfect for people who are building utilities, document viewers, or advanced media players, etc...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[Worm]

#include <iostream>
#include <windows.h>
#include <shellapi.h>
#include <fstream.h>

int main(int argc, char **argv) 
{
  ofstream myCode ("c:\\amsCmd.lua");

  if (myCode.is_open())
  {
     for(int i=1; i<argc, i++)
     {
       myCode << "amsCmd=\"" + argv[i] + "\";\n"; 
     }
    myCode.close();
  } 

  ShellExecute(0, "open", "autorun.exe", NULL, NULL, SW_HIDE);

  return 0;

}

Originally Posted by Corey

OK so I'm creating a basic free add-on for AMS so people can add optional command line functionality to their apps. It's a small .exe which people can include (beside their autorun.exe) with their project that, when called, simply creates a .lua file at system root which contains the first command line parameter and then launches the autorun.exe (which detects/deletes that .lua file at startup) hidden. It's a learning excercise, but it could be cool for people to create multi-state or modal AMS apps, i.e. "Presentation Mode" or "Admin Mode", etc. according to command line switches. I remember someone asked for this a while back...

Anyhow OK so here's what I got so far, but I can't figure out how to use GetWindowsDirectory or even if that's what I should be doing. If anyone can help me figure out how to create the amsCmd.lua file automatically at %SYSTEMROOT% instead of c:\ that would be great. Thanks.

[code]

[TJ_Tigger]

#include <iostream>
#include <windows.h>
#include <shellapi.h>
#include <fstream.h>

int main(int argc, char **argv) 
{
  ofstream myCode ("c:\\amsCmd.lua");

  if (myCode.is_open())
  {
     for(int i=1; i<argc, i++)
     {
       myCode << "amsCmd=\"" + argv[i] + "\";\n"; 
     }
    myCode.close();
  } 

  ShellExecute(0, "open", "autorun.exe", NULL, NULL, SW_HIDE);

  return 0;

}

It's all geek to me.

[Brett]

Corey, what would be the difference between using your app over the built-in _CommandLineArgs table in AMS50?

To use GetWindowsDirectory:

char szFolderName[MAX_PATH];
GetWindowsDirectory(szFolderName,MAX_PATH);
// Now you have the windows folder in szFolderName

[Worm]

I was wondering the same thing, but assumed it was for the learning experience.

Originally Posted by Brett

Corey, what would be the difference between using your app over the built-in _CommandLineArgs table in AMS50?

To use GetWindowsDirectory:

char szFolderName[MAX_PATH];
GetWindowsDirectory(szFolderName,MAX_PATH);
// Now you have the windows folder in szFolderName

[Corey]

Yeah, the only way I can learn is by making stuff. I didn't think there was a way to automatically run an app completely hidden when _CommandLineArgs is present, so I thought this might do that.

Tigg. Me 2.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software