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ShellExe |
About freeware: Freeware is not free software. It may be used without payment (optional payment links are provided below). Software on this page is the proprietary software of Addsum Busines Software, Inc. and is provided on an "as is" basis. Users may download and use the software without charge. Developers may download the software and distribute it to their users without payment. If you find this software of value, the suggested nominal payment will help us to cover past and future ongoing development costs. Provided EXE's are compressed and digitally signed. ShellExe
For use particularly in connection with legacy 16-bit or other applications to provide the ability to open standard file types using Windows file associations. Opens the file in a new thread so that the calling program is not waiting for the opened document, file or link to be closed in order to continue. ShellExe.exe is a 32-bit executable. Simply call the ShellExe.exe with a file name (include the full path if not in the current subdirectory). Windows will load the file based on the file association in place just as if clicking on Start --> Run and opening the file. Example: If a spreadsheet file has an extension of XLS, it will open with whatever program is associated with that extension (see links below that provide guidance concerning how to change a file association). After loading the file, ShellExe.exe will then close automatically. In addition, ShellExe.exe can be used to call Windows/script batch files which may contain other executables or can be used to directly call any executable directly where you want to run the batch/script/executable in a new thread. This can solve various problems including "too big to fit into memory" issues as well as allowing the separate process to run while giving the user control of their initial session. Available for use in any programming environment. In a legacy TAS 5.1 environment, see example below.
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Technical information When calling batch or executables with ShellExe.exe (or, with Windows generally speaking), a user might encounter the highly familiar and annoying Windows dialog box:
Open File - Security Warning Included in the dialog box will be the BAT or other file that it is trying to "verify" and it will reference the drive letter or path. Write this drive letter or path down. If that occurs, then run Microsoft's Internet Explorer Browser (click on Start then Run and then type iexplore.exe and OK or locate Internet Explorer from your desktop or in your Programs menu; it needs to be IE and not your default browser and even if you don't normally use it since IE and its related updates and options are completely intertwined with the Microsoft Windows operating system. With Internet Explorer running, click on Tools (if you don't see the file/options menu, you can still do an ALT-T, i.e. hold ALT and press T, and the menu will drop down; you can do the same thing with the File option, ALT-F, etc.). Choose the last option: Internet Options. Click on the Security tab. You can then add the path either under Local Intranet or under Trusted Sites in the "Select a Zone" tool bar. Try Local Intranet first. Click on it and then click on the Sites button. If the "Automatically detect intranet network" checkbox is checked, uncheck it and uncheck "Include all network paths (UNCs)." Sometimes that is all you have to do, but typically you also need to then click on the Advanced button and in the the "Add this website to the zone" input box just type in the drive letter or path you wrote down when you first received the "publisher could not be verified" message above and click on Add, then Click on Close and then OK and exit out of IE. If you instead try to add the drive/path to Trusted Sites, you will get to a similar form as when choosing Advanced button under Local Intranet, but you may need to uncheck the "Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone" first and then re-check it after adding the path. If you go back in to look at the site you just added, you may note that Windows changed it to something a little or a lot different that what you input. That doesn't mean anything is wrong and is as expected. Drive letters will be translated into UNC paths for example. This is what ultimately will cause the verification message to go away. Windows should now trust what you are trying to run and you should no longer receive the "publisher not verified" dialog box (which is really a largely useless annoyance and does not help users effectively user their computers nor does it typically help to protect them in any way; rather it confuses users and makes computer use particularly in the business world less efficient). |