Stealthily get cmd output without temp files or clipboard Topic is solved

[AmazinglyDumb]

I need to run a cmd command and get it's output.
1. This needs to be done without writing the output to a file and then reading that file.
2. This needs to be done without writing using clipboard.
3. This needs to be done stealthily (in a meaning that no windows should appear while the script works out).

I've successfully managed to meet requirements 1. and 2., but don't know how to meet requirement 3.

Code: Select all

objShell := ComObjCreate("WScript.Shell")
; objShell.Visible := false ; Returns an error.
; objExec.Visible := false ; Doesn't affect anything.
objExec := objShell.Exec(ComSpec " /U /C ping google.com -n 1")
While, !objExec.StdOut.AtEndOfStream
	result := objExec.StdOut.ReadAll()

MsgBox, % result

Another question is about codepage:
I'm using a localized windows OS and output sometimes contains non-latin chars. In that case msgbox shows them in the wrong charset (but in CMD I see non-latin chars normally). How to fix that?

[TLM]

Unfortunately there is no hide feature in the Exec() method, only the Run() method.
The downside of using Run() is it saves stdout to a temp file ( which sucks ).
The only other trick that I've seen, is to hide the command window once it's launched,
( It briefly flashes on screen before being hidden ).

[wolf_II]

but in CMD I see non-latin chars normally

I have got german Win7. Ping outputs some "Umlaute". This works for me instead of MsgBox:

Code: Select all

Gui, Font, s14, Terminal
Gui, Add, Text, w800 h300, %result%
Gui, Show
Return

GuiClose:
ExitApp

I hope that helps you a bit,

Greetings

[garry]

thank you Wolf_II for font terminal
found this

Code: Select all

;-------- http://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/3489-cmdret-return-output-from-console-progs-dll-version/page-12 ---
DetectHiddenWindows,On
Run,%ComSpec% /k,,Hide UseErrorLevel,pid
if not ErrorLevel
{
while !WinExist("ahk_pid" pid)
Sleep,10
DllCall("AttachConsole","UInt",pid)
}

CMD=ping -n 10 8.8.8.8                            ;- ping 10-times
objShell:=ComObjCreate("WScript.Shell")
objExec:=objShell.Exec(CMD)
Gui,1:-border
Gui,font,s14,Terminal
Gui,Add,Text,W480 H800 vText gButtonCancel,Testing internet connection`r`nPinging Google DNS: 10 times
Gui,Show,w580 H850

while,!objExec.StdOut.AtEndOfStream
{
GuiControlGet,Text
strStdOut:=objExec.StdOut.readline()
GuiControl,,Text,%Text%`r`n%strStdOut%
}

GuiControlGet,Text
GuiControl,,Text,%Text%`r`n`r`n%A_Tab%%A_Tab%%A_Space%%A_Space%Click me to Close..
Return

Buttoncancel:
exitapp

esc::exitapp

[lexikos]

FYI, ping is not a cmd command; it's a standalone program. If you're actually using ping and not just as an example, I would suggest SimplePing() or similar instead. No need for a console window or a separate process.

Also, the old StdoutToVar() function can run commands and return their output without showing a console window.

[TLM]

Also, the old StdoutToVar() function can run commands and return their output without showing a console window.

I was going to suggest that one too but was worried about compatibility.
The last version I tried didn't work outside of ahk vanilla

[lexikos]

That's why I didn't provide a link. Someone posted an updated version which is lacking stdin support. I have another version which supports stdin, but it isn't available for download.

At any rate, StdoutToVar() shows that it can be done without showing a window.

[Coco]

StdOutToVar() or to hide console window:

Code: Select all

DetectHiddenWindows On
Run %ComSpec%,, Hide, pid
WinWait ahk_pid %pid%
DllCall("AttachConsole", "UInt", pid)
WshShell := ComObjCreate("Wscript.Shell")
exec := WshShell.Exec("ping www.google.com")
output := exec.StdOut.ReadAll()
MsgBox %output%
DllCall("FreeConsole")
Process Close, %pid%
return

[Guest]

but in CMD I see non-latin chars normally

I have got german Win7. Ping outputs some "Umlaute". This works for me instead of MsgBox:

Thx for that trick, but I need that data not just shown in human-readable charset, but actually saved so. Msgbox is used as an example. I need the result to be in a var so I could parse it.

[AmazinglyDumb]

Previous message was written by me, so the charset problem is still actual for me.

FYI, ping is not a cmd command; it's a standalone program. If you're actually using ping and not just as an example, I would suggest SimplePing() or similar instead. No need for a console window or a separate process.

Ping is just an example. I need to run different cmd commands/programs.

Also, the old StdoutToVar() function can run commands and return their output without showing a console window.
That's why I didn't provide a link. Someone posted an updated version which is lacking stdin support. I have another version which supports stdin, but it isn't available for download.

A bit offtopic, but I'm curious what stdIn

StdOutToVar() or to hide console window:

Code: Select all

DetectHiddenWindows On
Run %ComSpec%,, Hide, pid
WinWait ahk_pid %pid%
DllCall("AttachConsole", "UInt", pid)
WshShell := ComObjCreate("Wscript.Shell")
exec := WshShell.Exec("ping www.google.com")
output := exec.StdOut.ReadAll()
MsgBox %output%
DllCall("FreeConsole")
Process Close, %pid%
return

Coco, thanks a lot! That's completely awesome!

garry,
thanks for the idea to use button instead of msgbox as output

[AmazinglyDumb]

A bit offtopic, but I'm curious what stdIn

Sorry, accidentally posted the previous message before finishing it.

I know almost nothing about StdIn and you, lexikos, have said that there's no support of it yet (in a script compatible with latest ahk_l).
What benefits would bring it's support? Judging by wikipedia one can redirect stdin and thus the only benefit I see is that I could write a script where user could interact with console through that script (and to do that I'd need redirecting stdin to the ahk script) like he used to interact with cmd.exe (with all the hotkeys like tab for auto-finishing dir/file names). Am I right?

[lexikos]

Stdin is the reverse of stdout. It's like this:

Code: Select all

script  ---stdin--> program
script  <--stdout-- program

Stdout gives you the program's output, and stdin is how you would give the program input (other than via the command line). For example, RunWaitMany() uses stdin to give commands to cmd.exe and ExecScript() uses it to run AutoHotkey code without writing to a file.

[AmazinglyDumb]

lexikos, thanks for that clarification.

So the only problem I have now is the output in wrong charset.
Could anyone, please, help me with that?

[wolf_II]

So the only problem I have now is the output in wrong charset.
Could anyone, please, help me with that?

Please, give an example.

[AmazinglyDumb]

Please, give an example.

The example is already given in this thread by Coco: any 'ping' results into something like that

Code: Select all

---------------------------
interact with cmd.ahk
---------------------------


ЋЎ¬Ґ­ Ї ЄҐв ¬Ё б google.com [173.194.32.133] б 32 Ў ©в ¬Ё ¤ ­­ле:

ЋвўҐв ®в 173.194.32.133: зЁб«® Ў ©в=32 ўаҐ¬п=3¬б TTL=51



‘в вЁбвЁЄ  Ping ¤«п 173.194.32.133:

    Џ ЄҐв®ў: ®вЇа ў«Ґ­® = 1, Ї®«г祭® = 1, Ї®вҐап­® = 0

    (0% Ї®вҐам)

ЏаЁЎ«Ё§ЁвҐ«м­®Ґ ўаҐ¬п ЇаЁҐ¬ -ЇҐаҐ¤ зЁ ў ¬б:

    ЊЁ­Ё¬ «м­®Ґ = 3¬бҐЄ, Њ ЄбЁ¬ «м­®Ґ = 3 ¬бҐЄ, ‘।­ҐҐ = 3 ¬бҐЄ


---------------------------
ОК   
---------------------------

If your OS locale is not english.

[AmazinglyDumb]

p.s.: the above gibberish message should look like this:

Code: Select all

Обмен пакетами с google.com [173.194.32.133] с 32 байтами данных:
Ответ от 173.194.32.133: число байт=32 время=3мс TTL=51

Статистика Ping для 173.194.32.133:
    Пакетов: отправлено = 1, получено = 1, потеряно = 0
    (0% потерь)
Приблизительное время приема-передачи в мс:
    Минимальное = 2мсек, Максимальное = 2 мсек, Среднее = 2 мсек

[wolf_II]

Sorry if I am missing the point. But that gibberish output is still from MsgBox, right?
My Suggestion is: Don't use MsgBox, use Gui with font "Terminal"

Does that still not work?
Sorry if I am missing the point.

[AmazinglyDumb]

Sorry if I am missing the point. But that gibberish output is still from MsgBox, right?

Both yes. I could apply terminal font to the msgbox, but the variable that's used in msgbox will still contain text in gibberish and thus remains unable to be parsed.

[wolf_II]

I could apply terminal font to the msgbox

No, you can't, That's the point here. Unless I still miss something...

Try the example from coco without MsgBox:

Code: Select all

DetectHiddenWindows On
Run %ComSpec%,, Hide, pid
WinWait ahk_pid %pid%
DllCall("AttachConsole", "UInt", pid)
WshShell := ComObjCreate("Wscript.Shell")
exec := WshShell.Exec("ping www.google.com")
output := exec.StdOut.ReadAll()
;---------------------------------- new lines from here
Gui, Font, s14, Terminal
Gui, Add, Text, w800 h300, %output%
Gui, Show
return

GuiClose:
GuiEscape:
;---------------------------------- to here
DllCall("FreeConsole")
Process Close, %pid%
ExitApp

[AmazinglyDumb]

I could apply terminal font to the msgbox

No, you can't, That's the point here. Unless I still miss something...

You are right, I didn't mean msgbox, but meant gui.

Try the example from coco without MsgBox:

yeah, it works. But now try it with msgbox and try to make it human-readable.