How to open a file in the already running IDE?

[aehimself 399]

I'm building a tool which searches for and opens Delphi source files. Until now execution was a simple ShellExecute call to the .pas file and everything was working just file.

Now, as a second Delphi version is introduced I had to change the code to support opening said file in a specific Delphi version. My issue is that a simple call to bds.exe will always launch a new Delphi instance, and I need to re-use the one currently running. Basically I need to mimic the IDEs behavior when double-clicking a .pas file in Explorer.

 

Unfortunately I could not find any documentation about the parameters of BDSLauncher, nor any relevant parameters of Bds.exe which could achieve this. I also built a small program which only lists the parameters it was started with and temporarily replaced BdsLauncher.exe and then bds.exe to see what it received when something is double-clicked, but all I got was the full path of bds.exe.

 

Can anyone point me to the right direction?

 

Thanks!

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

22 minutes ago, aehimself said:

Can anyone point me to the right direction?

I think that it's not problem with your code, but with REGISTRY definitions to RAD Studio!

 

I think that you needs pay attention if your "IDE" is registering "* files using by RAD" in Tools->IDE->File Associaton = *

• I once had a problem that when I clicked on a ".pas" file (for example), the O.S. insisted on opening a new session for a new "IDE RAD Studio", even with the option above set to "all files associated with RAD Studio"...
  In short, I had to "deselect" and "select" the above option again, in order for the REGISTRY to be updated!

• From there, everything went back to working as expected!

 

So maybe this can help you with this task!

• UnSelect and Re-Select again the option and try your tool!

Edited December 5, 2022 by programmerdelphi2k

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

here, a code from @David Heffernan on StackOverFlow that works like a charm

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16941455/how-do-i-open-a-file-with-the-default-text-editor

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  sei: TShellExecuteInfo;
begin
  ZeroMemory(@sei, SizeOf(sei));
  sei.cbSize := SizeOf(sei);
  sei.fMask := SEE_MASK_CLASSNAME;
  sei.lpFile := PChar('d:\myfile.pas');
  sei.lpClass := '.pas';
  sei.nShow := SW_SHOWNORMAL;
  ShellExecuteEx(@sei);
end;

or just: PChar or PWideChar ?

procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  LOperation: PWideChar;
  LExec      : PWideChar;
  LParams     : PWideChar;
  LDirWork  : PWideChar;
begin
  LOperation := PWideChar('open');
  LExec       := PWideChar('d:\myfile.pas');
  LParams      := PWideChar('');
  LDirWork   := PWideChar('d:\');
  //
  ShellExecute(Handle, LOperation, LExec, LParams, LDirWork, SW_SHOWNORMAL)
end;

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by programmerdelphi2k

[aehimself 399]

Please read the question again. To be able to launch with a specific Delphi version you need to start bds.exe, not just the .pas file; this is how it was until now.

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

use "o BDS path\exe" as your first param, and the file name .pas as second! then, you "force" use only "bdsXXX" to open file.pas!

• dont forget: qualify the paths!

Edited December 5, 2022 by programmerdelphi2k

[aehimself 399]

This is exactly what I did. This introduces the new instance issue, which this topic is about.

I'm probably missing a parameter - I just don't know which.

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

LShExecInfo.hkeyClass == use Registry definition... maybe you can use the key where is definide the "exe from RAD" desired!!! --> try some like this!

[Attila Kovacs 631]

35 minutes ago, aehimself said:

I'm probably missing a parameter - I just don't know which.

you have to start the bdslauncher not the bds, theoretically, on my install it stopped working completely couple of months ago.

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

  LOperation := PWideChar('open');
  LExec      := PWideChar('C:\RADStudio\RX112\bin\bdslauncher.exe');  // dont works for here, nothing is opened!!! no error at all!
  LParams    := PWideChar('d:\myfile.pas');
  LDirWork   := ''; // PWideChar('d:\');
  //
  ShellExecute(Handle, LOperation, LExec, LParams, LDirWork, SW_SHOWNORMAL)
 

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

in my test, would be necessary "Create a process" or verify if the "Process X" in opened on memory"... then, use this ID to open your file!

[Attila Kovacs 631]

20 minutes ago, programmerdelphi2k said:

dont works for here, nothing is opened!!!

what about bdslauncher.exe bds.exe /np d:\myfile.pas

?

 

with full paths ofc

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Attila Kovacs

[aehimself 399]

15 minutes ago, Attila Kovacs said:

what about bdslauncher.exe bds.exe /np d:\myfile.pas

?

 

with full paths ofc

 

Tried. Bds.exe never starts, bdslauncher.exe never quits, just hangs. No windows, no errors, nothing.

Also tried adding the necessary (?) -pDelphi switch, same result. Tried giving these parameters only to Bdslauncher and only the source file. No effect.

Edited December 5, 2022 by aehimself

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

nop!

procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  LOperation: PWideChar;
  LExec     : PWideChar;
  LParams   : PWideChar;
  LDirWork  : PWideChar;
begin
  LOperation := PWideChar('open');
  LExec      := PWideChar('C:\RADStudio\RX112\bin\bdslauncher.exe BDS.EXE /np d:\myfile.pas');
  LParams    := ''; // PWideChar('d:\myfile.pas');
  LDirWork   := ''; // PWideChar('d:\');
  //
  ShellExecute(Handle, LOperation, LExec, LParams, LDirWork, SW_SHOWNORMAL)
end;

 

but this works with IDE on memory or not!

 

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  LShExecInfo    : TShellExecuteInfo;
  LShExecInfoSize: NativeUInt;
  LWinReg        : TRegistry;
  LHKEY          : HKEY;
  // LKeyString     : string;
begin
  // "App"="c:\\radstudio\\rx112\\bin\\bds.exe"
  // C:\RADStudio\RX112\bin\bds.exe "-pDelphi" -np
  LHKEY   := 0;
  LWinReg := TRegistry.Create;
  try
    if LWinReg.KeyExists('HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Embarcadero\BDS\22.0') then
      begin
        LWinReg.OpenKeyReadOnly('HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Embarcadero\BDS\22.0');
        LHKEY := LWinReg.CurrentKey;
        // LKeyString := LWinReg.ReadString('App');
      end;
    //
    LShExecInfoSize := SizeOf(LShExecInfo); // 60...
    //
    ZeroMemory(@LShExecInfo, LShExecInfoSize);
    //
    LShExecInfo.cbSize    := SizeOf(LShExecInfo);
    LShExecInfo.fMask     := SEE_MASK_CLASSNAME; // or SEE_MASK_CLASSKEY;
    LShExecInfo.lpFile    := PChar('d:\myfile.pas');
    LShExecInfo.lpClass   := '.pas';
    LShExecInfo.hkeyClass := LHKEY;
    LShExecInfo.nShow     := SW_SHOWNORMAL;
    //
    ShellExecuteEx(@LShExecInfo);
  finally
    LWinReg.Free;
  end;
end;

 

[Attila Kovacs 631]

4 minutes ago, programmerdelphi2k said:

LExec := PWideChar('C:\RADStudio\RX112\bin\bdslauncher.exe BDS.EXE /np d:\myfile.pas');

with full path of bds.exe?

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

nop!

  LOperation := PWideChar('open');
  LExec      := PWideChar('C:\RADStudio\RX112\bin\BDSLauncher.exe C:\RADStudio\RX112\bin\BDS.EXE /np D:\myfile.pas ');  // DOESNT WORKS TOO! at least here!
  LParams    := ''; // PWideChar('d:\myfile.pas');
  LDirWork   := ''; // PWideChar('d:\');
  //
  ShellExecute(Handle, LOperation, LExec, LParams, LDirWork, SW_SHOWNORMAL)
 

Edited December 5, 2022 by programmerdelphi2k

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

according with "Raymond Chen" MVP MS, it's ShellExecute is a "little box" very complicate to understand an easy to use!

[aehimself 399]

24 minutes ago, programmerdelphi2k said:

but this works with IDE on memory or not!

That is really surprising as that's not how you open a registry key with TRegistry AND even if you correct that, reg.CurrentKey won't be changed after a single .OpenReadOnly.

 

Running the code on a PC with Delphi 10.4 and 11 installed also confirms failure: it opens up the file in Delphi 10.4.

Edited December 5, 2022 by aehimself

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

sorry, on copy I did wrong ... but the result is the same = WORKS!

 

  LWinReg := TRegistry.Create;
  try
    LWinReg.RootKey := HKEY_CURRENT_USER;
    if LWinReg.KeyExists('SOFTWARE\Embarcadero\BDS\22.0') then
      begin
        if LWinReg.OpenKeyReadOnly('SOFTWARE\Embarcadero\BDS\22.0') then
 

Edited December 5, 2022 by programmerdelphi2k

[aehimself 399]

11 minutes ago, programmerdelphi2k said:

sorry, on copy I did wrong ... but the result is the same = WORKS!

No, it does not 🙂 First, CurrentKey has a zero value after .OpenKeyReadOnly. Second, you are assigning a wrong registry path, not what the API expects:

 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/shellapi/ns-shellapi-shellexecuteinfoa

 

hkeyClass

Type: HKEY

A handle to the registry key for the file type. The access rights for this registry key should be set to KEY_READ. This member is ignored if fMask does not include SEE_MASK_CLASSKEY.

 

Edit: wrong parameter copied

Edited December 5, 2022 by aehimself

[David Heffernan 2353]

3 hours ago, programmerdelphi2k said:

here, a code from @David Heffernan on StackOverFlow that works like a charm

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16941455/how-do-i-open-a-file-with-the-default-text-editor

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  sei: TShellExecuteInfo;
begin
  ZeroMemory(@sei, SizeOf(sei));
  sei.cbSize := SizeOf(sei);
  sei.fMask := SEE_MASK_CLASSNAME;
  sei.lpFile := PChar('d:\myfile.pas');
  sei.lpClass := '.pas';
  sei.nShow := SW_SHOWNORMAL;
  ShellExecuteEx(@sei);
end;

or just: PChar or PWideChar ?

procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  LOperation: PWideChar;
  LExec      : PWideChar;
  LParams     : PWideChar;
  LDirWork  : PWideChar;
begin
  LOperation := PWideChar('open');
  LExec       := PWideChar('d:\myfile.pas');
  LParams      := PWideChar('');
  LDirWork   := PWideChar('d:\');
  //
  ShellExecute(Handle, LOperation, LExec, LParams, LDirWork, SW_SHOWNORMAL)
end;

 

Oh how it pains me to see my name in a post with a call to ShellExecute. That function should never be called because it doesn't offer proper handling of errors. Although it also shames me that my SO answer doesn't handle errors. 

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

cest la vie, mon cherry!

[David Heffernan 2353]

58 minutes ago, programmerdelphi2k said:

cest la vie, mon cherry!

mon chéri

[Attila Kovacs 631]

10 minutes ago, David Heffernan said:

mon chéri

perhaps he has a Cherry keyboard...

[programmerdelphi2k 237]

Je suis désolé, mais mon "français" n'est pas très bon et Google n'était pas disponible à ce moment

by Google, it would be: c'est la vie mon cherie

Edited December 5, 2022 by programmerdelphi2k

[David Heffernan 2353]

19 minutes ago, programmerdelphi2k said:

Je suis désolé, mais mon "français" n'est pas très bon et Google n'était pas disponible à ce moment

by Google, it would be: c'est la vie mon cherie

ma chérie

mon chéri

 

I am male, as you can infer from my forename. Therefore you use mon chéri. 

 

https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/chéri/15145

 

I'm surprised that Google translate gets this wrong. Although perhaps my French is even worse than I think it is! 

Edited December 5, 2022 by David Heffernan