Not able to call COM components from windows service

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I have a windows service which launches one application. this application has some COM component provided which can be used to perform different operations on the application. by using these COM components one can Login into application, Create new Patient, Select Patient, select Test etc. All these COM Methods working fine with Console Application. but when i try doing the same thing with windows service it is not working. I am able to launch the application by making it interactive but still COM component are not working. when i looked into the application i noticed that Patient is getting added to the application but the process is not visible. it does not login and selects the patient. Is there any way I can achieve this. please help!!

What I have tried:

Tried interactive windows service but only launches the applications and COM component working is not visible

Posted 29-Mar-17 1:50am

uday vichare

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F-ES Sitecore 29-Mar-17 8:12am

Services aren't suitable for things that require interaction or things to be visible on the desktop. Services don't have access to the desktop, and remember they still run when no-one is logged in at all.

uday vichare 29-Mar-17 8:14am

OK..i get that..but is there any any way to achieve this..?

F-ES Sitecore 29-Mar-17 8:18am

We don't really know what it is you're trying to achieve. Scheduled tasks are possibly the next best thing you can use.

uday vichare 29-Mar-17 8:24am

I have a application which have provided me some COM Components to interact with this application. I want to use these COM components in my windows service.
for Example using Login method of the COM class i can login into the application. By using Select Patient Method i can select a certain patient in the application. when I tried this with the Console application it worked fine but it is not working with windows service.

CHill60 29-Mar-17 8:35am

Windows Services are not suitable for things that require user interaction or things that need to be visible on the desktop.
Why are you trying to make it a service?

uday vichare 29-Mar-17 8:58am

I know it is not suitable it is not my decision to make it a service and i dont have authority to change the project structure. so this is my requirement that i have to create a service which will interact with desktop and use the COM components! is there any way? or is it impossible?

CHill60 29-Mar-17 9:19am

I don't know any other way of explaining - it is impossible. Services do not have access to the desktop and they still run even when no-one is logged on ... as @F-ES-Sitecore said earlier.
If someone has told you to make this a service when user interaction is required then you need to tell them politely that they do not know what they are doing (or that they are an idiot if you prefer)

Philippe Mori 30-Mar-17 22:56pm

Even if it was possible, you should not do it. It is well known that service should not interact with the desktop so stop doing it. If you need to interact with the user, then create a application that is run under the user account. Stop trying to hack the system or listen to stupid requirement.

Garth J Lancaster 30-Mar-17 1:29am

this may (or may not help) https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/1159908/Yes-I-Know-But-I-Still-Want-a-GUI-for-my-Windows-S .. the main issue is that a service isnt logged on as a normal user so doesnt have an 'environment' - registry hive etc - one way to get around this *may* be to create a normal user profile for the service, and add other privileges to that profile, and use that for the service

but as pointed out already, anyone asking you to do this doesnt know what they are doing

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