Launch Applications

Here is an example that I use to make my point. The hard drive I am working on is made of different partitions and different applications are installed all over the place, for example MS Office 97 is installed in E:\Program Files, MS Office 2000 is installed in D:\Program Files, Microsoft Internet Explorer is on C:\Program Files, Netscape Navigator is installed in D:\Program Files, and Jasc Paint Shop Pro 6 is installed in D:\Program Files. There are other stuffs on F:\. To launch an application, you should know where it is located.

Since I don't know your computer, I can't figure which applications you have or want to use. The applications located in C:\Windows are easy to launch. To show you how you can launch other applications, I will assume that you have Microsoft Internet Explorer; if you are using Netscape, the process is the same. Create the following buttons:

We will first implement the launching of the applications that are easy to locate.

Many applications that are installed with your computer are located in C:\Windows. You can open any of them by simply calling it from the WinExec() function.

The WinExec() function takes two arguments, the first one specifies the location or Command Line of the executable file or application, the second one specifies how the window will be displayed when the application starts. 

Implement the new function as follows:

void CApplicationsDlg::OnExplorerBtn() 
{
	WinExec("Explorer.exe", SW_MAXIMIZE);
}

void CApplicationsDlg::OnControlPanelBtn() 
{
	WinExec("Control.exe", SW_NORMAL);
}

void CApplicationsDlg::OnDesktopBtn() 
{
	WinExec("Control.exe Desktop", SW_NORMAL);
}

void CApplicationsDlg::OnDateTimeBtn() 
{
	WinExec("Control.exe Date/Time", SW_NORMAL);
}

void CApplicationsDlg::OnPrintersBtn() 
{
	WinExec("Control.exe Printers", SW_NORMAL);
}

void CApplicationsDlg::OnWordPadBtn() 
{
	WinExec("Write.exe", SW_MAXIMIZE);
}

void CApplicationsDlg::OnSolitaireBtn() 
{
	WinExec("Sol.exe", SW_NORMAL);
}

Invoke the ClassWizard dialog. Create a function based on IDC_IE_BTN, call the function OnIntExplorerBtn.

Edit its code as follows:

void CApplicationsDlg::OnIntExporerBtn() 
{
	WinExec(, SW_MAXIMIZE);
}

On the Taskbar, click Start -> Programs, there are probably two Internet Explorer(s) in the Programs group, one would be a program folder (its icon looks exactly like that of Accessories), the other would an application (its icon would be a blue e); right-click the Internet Explorer application and choose Properties.

Here is another way you can copy an application's command line.

First, you need to locate the application's executable file: you could do a search on the name of the application (for example, click Start -> Search -> Files or Folders... In the Find What, type notepad and press Enter) or you could use Windows Explorer. Most (commercial) applications are installed in C:\Program Files

Here is an example:

a) Open Windows Explorer.

b) Let's say you want to launch WordPad. By experience, we know that WordPad is located in C:\Program Files\Accessories. Therefore, expand the C: drive, expand the Program Files folder, and click Accessories.

c) The whole path should be displaying in the Address combo box. If it displays like this you have to ask the computer to display the whole path. To do that, on the main menu of Windows Explorer, click Tools -> Folder Options... In the Folder Options dialog, click the View property sheet. Click the Display The Full Path In the Address Bar check box:

Now you should have the whole path.

Right-click in the Address combo box where the path is displaying. And click Copy.

d) All you have to do now is to paste the path to your code.

Double each one of the backslashes in the function so that when you finish, the function should look as follows:

Source Code