COM / connecting to a running COM instance

Hi,

The following code fragment start Internet Explorer 7 (on my machine) and
navigates to the
given url. Using nav I can navigate somewhere else.

Now it would be very convinient if I could connect to an already running
instance of IE7.

Can anybody give me any hint?
How does LispWorks itself solve the problem?


(eval-when (compile load eval)
  (require "automation"))

(defvar *ie* nil)

(defun run-ie (&optional url)
  (com:co-initialize)
  (let* ((iexplore (com:create-object :progid
"InternetExplorer.Application")))
    (setf *ie* iexplore)
    (when url
      (com:invoke-dispatch-method iexplore "Navigate" url))
    (com:invoke-dispatch-put-property iexplore "Visible" "true")))

(defun nav (url)
  (com:invoke-dispatch-method *ie* "Navigate" url))


Thanks Andreas

Re: COM / connecting to a running COM instance

Hello Andreas,

This may be more than you bargained for, since it will connect to networked
machines (use your local machine's host name to connect locally).  The
classid is a string that is the Microsoft class id for the application, a
string like "00020970-0000-0000-C000-000000000046".  (Sorry, I don't have
IE7's classid at hand, I'd give you that instead).  Host is also a string
which is the hostname of the desired target machine on which the app is
running

(fli:define-c-struct (_coauthidentity (:foreign-name "_COAUTHIDENTITY"))
  (user (:pointer com:ushort))
  (user-length win32:dword)
  (domain (:pointer com:ushort))
  (domain-length win32:dword)
  (password (:pointer com:ushort))
  (password-length win32:dword)
  (flags win32:dword))

(fli:define-c-typedef (coauthidentity (:foreign-name "COAUTHIDENTITY"))
  (:struct _coauthidentity))

(fli:define-c-struct (_coauthinfo (:foreign-name "_COAUTHINFO"))
  (dw-authn-svc win32:dword)
  (dw-authz-svc win32:dword)
  (pwsz-server-princ-name win32:lpwstr)
  (dw-authn-level win32:dword)
  (dw-impersonation-level win32:dword)
  (p-auth-identity-data (:pointer coauthidentity))
  (dw-capabilities win32:dword))

(fli:define-c-typedef (coauthinfo (:foreign-name "COAUTHINFO"))
  (:struct _coauthinfo))

(fli:define-c-struct (_coserverinfo (:foreign-name "_COSERVERINFO"))
  (dw-reserved-1 win32:dword)
  (pwsz-name win32:lpwstr)
  (p-auth-info (:pointer coauthinfo))
  (dw-reserved-2 win32:dword))

(fli:define-c-typedef (coserverinfo (:foreign-name "COSERVERINFO"))
  (:struct _coserverinfo))

(defun retry-com-connection (c)
  (let ((restart (find-restart 'retry-com-connection)))
    (invoke-restart restart (classid c) (host c) (riid c))))

(defun connect-remote-host (classid host &optional riid)
  "generic COM connection function - takes a classid and remote host to
connect to and an optional riid (interface type)"
  (fli:with-dynamic-foreign-objects ()
    (let* ((succeeded nil)
         (authptr (fli:allocate-foreign-object :type 'coauthinfo))
         (authsvc 10) ;0
         (authzsvc 0)
         (authlevel 0); 1
         (authimp 3)
         (cap 0))
      (setf (fli:foreign-slot-value authptr 'dw-authn-svc) authsvc
          (fli:foreign-slot-value authptr 'dw-authz-svc) authzsvc
          (fli:foreign-slot-value authptr 'pwsz-server-princ-name) nil
          (fli:foreign-slot-value authptr 'dw-authn-level) authlevel
          (fli:foreign-slot-value authptr 'dw-impersonation-level) authimp
          (fli:foreign-slot-value authptr 'p-auth-identity-data) nil
          (fli:foreign-slot-value authptr 'dw-capabilities) cap)
      (unwind-protect
         (handler-bind
             ((com::com-error
             #'(lambda (c)
                 (restart-case
                   (error 'COM-creation-error :classid classid
                        :com-host host
                        :riid riid
                        :com-err c)
                   ((retry-com-connection (clsid hst rid)
                   (connect-remote-host clsid hst rid))))
                 )))
           (prog1
             (if riid
                 (com:create-instance
                  classid
                  :clsctx COM:CLSCTX_REMOTE_SERVER
                  :auth-info authptr
                  :riid riid
                  :server-name host)
                 (com:create-instance
                  classid
                  :clsctx COM:CLSCTX_REMOTE_SERVER
                  :auth-info authptr
                  :server-name host))
             (setq succeeded t)))
      (unless succeeded
        (fli:free-foreign-object authptr)))
      )))

Re: COM / connecting to a running COM instance

Andreas,

a simpler solution to your request is to just use

(com:create-instance classid)

If an instance of the classid application is already running, you'll
connect to it, as you would have w/the remote example.

Raymond Laning

Re: COM / connecting to a running COM instance

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Re: COM / connecting to a running COM instance

Brian,

my understanding, which is slightly less laughable, is that whether you
connect to a running server app or instead start a new instance of one is
determined by whoever compiled the app.  One of the black arts in compiling
a COM server app is knowing what settings to use to get the app to do what
you want.  The settings that control what you want are mentioned as single
threaded vs multi threaded apartments.  If the app is set up to handle
multi-threading, then creating a COM object instance of that type and
initing it in your app should establish communication with the
already-running server app on the target machine, presumably your local
machine.  Remote machine communication is another ball of wax, but doable.
Single threaded server apps, you should always get a new process starting
when you create the COM object.  If no instance of the server app is
running, then one should start, whether single or multi threaded.  Of
course, other compiler settings dealing with permissions, etc. can make for
wonderfully hard to debug problems, especially on remote machines on which
you might not be logged in.

HTH,

Raymond Laning

Re: COM / connecting to a running COM instance

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