PipeExec Component
Properties Methods Events Config Settings Errors
PipeExec provides an easy way to start and interact with a process over Stdin, Stdout, and Stderr.
Syntax
nsoftware.IPWorksIPC.PipeExec
Remarks
The PipeExec component provides a way to launch a process and then send/receive data to/from the process. To begin set ProcessFileName to the path of the process on disk. Optionally set ProcessArgs and ProcessWorkingDir.
Call StartProcess to start the process. Next call Send to send data to the process. Received data will be provided through the Stdout and Stderr events.
To terminate the process call StopProcess.
Example Code
Pipeexec exec = new Pipeexec();
exec.OnStdout += exec_OnStdout;
exec.ProcessFileName = @"C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe";
exec.ProcessArgs = "/Q";
exec.StartProcess();
exec.Stdin = "dir" + System.Environment.NewLine;
while (true) //Wait for output
exec.DoEvents();
static void exec_OnStdout(object sender, PipeexecStdoutEventArgs e)
{
Console.WriteLine(e.Text);
}
Property List
The following is the full list of the properties of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
AcceptData | Enables or disables data reception (the Stdout and Stderr events). |
BytesSent | The number of bytes actually sent after a call to the SendStdinText or SendStdinBytes method. |
EOL | This property is used to break the incoming data stream into chunks separated by EOL . |
ProcessArgs | The arguments to pass to the process |
ProcessFileName | The path to the file on disk to execute. |
ProcessRunning | Whether the process is running. |
ProcessWorkingDir | The working directory of the process. |
SingleLineMode | This property includes a special mode for line-oriented protocols. |
Timeout | This property includes the timeout for the component. |
Method List
The following is the full list of the methods of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
Config | Sets or retrieves a configuration setting. |
DoEvents | This method processes events from the internal message queue. |
GetLine | This method gets a line of text from the server. |
Interrupt | This method interrupts the current action. |
Send | Sends data over the connected pipe. |
SendFile | Sends the file over the connected pipe. |
SendLine | This method sends a string followed by a newline. |
SendStdinBytes | This method sends binary data over the connected pipe. |
SendStdinText | This method sends text over the connected pipe. |
StartProcess | Starts the process. |
StopProcess | Stops the process. |
Event List
The following is the full list of the events fired by the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
Error | Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery. |
ReadyToSend | Fired when the component is ready to send data. |
Stderr | Fired when data come in through stderr. |
Stdout | Fired when data come in through stdout. |
Config Settings
The following is a list of config settings for the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.
LogonType | Specifies the logon type when starting a process as another user. |
Password | Specifies the password when starting a process as another user. |
ProcessId | Returns the Id of the process which was started. |
ProcessStartupFlags | Specifies the flags used when starting the process in Windows. |
ProcessWindowStyle | Specifies the window style when STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW is specified. |
User | Specifies the user when starting a process as another user. |
BuildInfo | Information about the product's build. |
GUIAvailable | Whether or not a message loop is available for processing events. |
LicenseInfo | Information about the current license. |
MaskSensitiveData | Whether sensitive data is masked in log messages. |
UseInternalSecurityAPI | Whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation. |
AcceptData Property (PipeExec Component)
Enables or disables data reception (the Stdout and Stderr events).
Syntax
Default Value
True
Remarks
This property enables or disables data reception (the Stdout and Stderr events). Setting this property to False, temporarily disables data reception. Setting this property to True, re-enables data reception.
This property is not available at design time.
BytesSent Property (PipeExec Component)
The number of bytes actually sent after a call to the SendStdinText or SendStdinBytes method.
Syntax
Default Value
0
Remarks
This property indicates how many bytes were sent after the last call to SendStdinText or SendStdinBytes. Please check the SendStdinText or SendStdinBytes method for more information. Note: that BytesSent will always return 0 when the component is operating in synchronous mode (i.e., the Timeout property is set to a positive value.)
This property is read-only and not available at design time.
EOL Property (PipeExec Component)
This property is used to break the incoming data stream into chunks separated by EOL .
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
This property is used to define boundaries in the input stream using the value of the property.
This property is especially useful with ASCII files. Setting it to CRLF ("\r\n") enables the incoming ASCII text stream to split into defined lines. In this case, one event is fired for each line received (as well as in packet boundaries). The CRLF ("\r\n") bytes are discarded.
This property is a binary string. Notably, this means that it can be more than one byte long, and it can contain NULL bytes.
ProcessArgs Property (PipeExec Component)
The arguments to pass to the process
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
This property specifies the arguments that will be passed to the process when it is started.
This property is not available at design time.
ProcessFileName Property (PipeExec Component)
The path to the file on disk to execute.
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
This property specifies the path to the file on disk that will be executed. ProcessArgs optionally specifies the arguments that will be passed. ProcessWorkingDir optionally specifies the working directory in which the process will run.
This property is not available at design time.
ProcessRunning Property (PipeExec Component)
Whether the process is running.
Syntax
Default Value
False
Remarks
This property indicates whether the process specified by ProcessFileName is running.
After calling StartProcess this property returns True. After calling StopProcess this property returns False.
This property is read-only and not available at design time.
ProcessWorkingDir Property (PipeExec Component)
The working directory of the process.
Syntax
Default Value
""
Remarks
This property optionally specifies the working directory in which the process will run.
This property is not available at design time.
SingleLineMode Property (PipeExec Component)
This property includes a special mode for line-oriented protocols.
Syntax
Default Value
False
Remarks
When this property is set to True, the component treats the incoming data stream as lines separated by carriage return line feed (CRLF), CR, or LF. The EOL property is ignored.
When this property is set to True, AcceptData automatically will be set to False. Please refer to the GetLine method for more information.
This property is not available at design time.
Timeout Property (PipeExec Component)
This property includes the timeout for the component.
Syntax
Default Value
60
Remarks
This property defines the timeout when sending data. When SSLEnabled is False a value of 0 means data will be sent asynchronously and a positive value means data is sent synchronously. When SSLEnabled is True all data is sent synchronously regardless of the Timeout value. Please see the notes below for details.
Plaintext
If the Timeout property is set to 0, all operations return immediately, potentially failing with a WOULDBLOCK error if data cannot be sent immediately.
If Timeout is set to a positive value, data is sent in a blocking manner and the component will wait for the operation to complete before returning control. The component will handle any potential WOULDBLOCK errors internally and automatically retry the operation for a maximum of Timeout seconds.
SSL
If the Timeout property is set to 0, all operations will run uninterrupted until successful completion or an error condition is encountered.
If Timeout is set to a positive value, the component will wait for the operation to complete before returning control.
Additional Notes
The component will use DoEvents to enter an efficient wait loop during any potential waiting period, making sure that all system events are processed immediately as they arrive. This ensures that the host application does not freeze and remains responsive.
If Timeout expires, and the operation is not yet complete, the component throws an exception.
Note: By default, all timeouts are inactivity timeouts, that is, the timeout period is extended by Timeout seconds when any amount of data is successfully sent or received.
The default value for the Timeout property is 60 seconds.
Config Method (PipeExec Component)
Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.
Syntax
Remarks
Config is a generic method available in every component. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the component.
These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.
To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).
To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.
DoEvents Method (PipeExec Component)
This method processes events from the internal message queue.
Syntax
public void DoEvents(); Async Version public async Task DoEvents(); public async Task DoEvents(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub DoEvents() Async Version Public Sub DoEvents() As Task Public Sub DoEvents(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
When DoEvents is called, the component processes any available events. If no events are available, it waits for a preset period of time, and then returns.
GetLine Method (PipeExec Component)
This method gets a line of text from the server.
Syntax
public string GetLine(); Async Version public async Task<string> GetLine(); public async Task<string> GetLine(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Function GetLine() As String Async Version Public Function GetLine() As Task(Of String) Public Function GetLine(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task(Of String)
Remarks
This method gets a line of text from the server. This method is an alternative method of receiving data for line-oriented protocols. The component will block if necessary and then will return the received line. AcceptData will be set automatically to True when the method is called, and then will be set to False after a line is received.
Please refer to the SingleLineMode property for more information.
Interrupt Method (PipeExec Component)
This method interrupts the current action.
Syntax
public void Interrupt(); Async Version public async Task Interrupt(); public async Task Interrupt(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub Interrupt() Async Version Public Sub Interrupt() As Task Public Sub Interrupt(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method interrupts the current action. If you use SendFile to upload a file, the component will run synchronously until the upload is completed. This method will allow you to stop the file from uploading without disconnecting from the host.
Send Method (PipeExec Component)
Sends data over the connected pipe.
Syntax
public void Send(byte[] text); Async Version public async Task Send(byte[] text); public async Task Send(byte[] text, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub Send(ByVal Text As String) Async Version Public Sub Send(ByVal Text As String) As Task Public Sub Send(ByVal Text As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method sends data to the server.
SendFile Method (PipeExec Component)
Sends the file over the connected pipe.
Syntax
public void SendFile(string fileName); Async Version public async Task SendFile(string fileName); public async Task SendFile(string fileName, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub SendFile(ByVal FileName As String) Async Version Public Sub SendFile(ByVal FileName As String) As Task Public Sub SendFile(ByVal FileName As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method sends the specified file to the server/process over the connected pipe.
Timeout must be set to a positive value so that the component will operate synchronously.
SendLine Method (PipeExec Component)
This method sends a string followed by a newline.
Syntax
public void SendLine(string text); Async Version public async Task SendLine(string text); public async Task SendLine(string text, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub SendLine(ByVal Text As String) Async Version Public Sub SendLine(ByVal Text As String) As Task Public Sub SendLine(ByVal Text As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method sends a string followed by a newline. This method is used to send data with line-oriented protocols. The line is followed by CRLF ("\r\n") .
Please refer to the GetLine method and SingleLineMode property for more information.
SendStdinBytes Method (PipeExec Component)
This method sends binary data over the connected pipe.
Syntax
public void SendStdinBytes(byte[] data); Async Version public async Task SendStdinBytes(byte[] data); public async Task SendStdinBytes(byte[] data, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub SendStdinBytes(ByVal Data As String) Async Version Public Sub SendStdinBytes(ByVal Data As String) As Task Public Sub SendStdinBytes(ByVal Data As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method sends the specified binary data to the server over Stdin. To send text, use the SendStdinText method instead.
When Timeout is set to 0 the component will behave asynchronously. If you are sending data to the receiving process faster than it can process it, the outgoing queue might fill up. When this happens, the component fails with exception 10035: "[10035] Operation would block" (WSAEWOULDBLOCK). You can check this error, and then try to send the data again. The BytesSent property shows how many bytes were sent (if any). If 0 bytes were sent, then you can wait for the ReadyToSend event before attempting to send data again. (However, please note that ReadyToSend is not fired when part of the data is successfully sent).
SendStdinText Method (PipeExec Component)
This method sends text over the connected pipe.
Syntax
public void SendStdinText(string text); Async Version public async Task SendStdinText(string text); public async Task SendStdinText(string text, CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub SendStdinText(ByVal Text As String) Async Version Public Sub SendStdinText(ByVal Text As String) As Task Public Sub SendStdinText(ByVal Text As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method sends the specified text to the server over Stdin. To send binary data, use the SendStdinBytes method instead.
When Timeout is set to 0 the component will behave asynchronously. If you are sending data to the receiving process faster than it can process it, the outgoing queue might fill up. When this happens, the component fails with exception 10035: "[10035] Operation would block" (WSAEWOULDBLOCK). You can check this error, and then try to send the data again. The BytesSent property shows how many bytes were sent (if any). If 0 bytes were sent, then you can wait for the ReadyToSend event before attempting to send data again. (However, please note that ReadyToSend is not fired when part of the data is successfully sent).
StartProcess Method (PipeExec Component)
Starts the process.
Syntax
public void StartProcess(); Async Version public async Task StartProcess(); public async Task StartProcess(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub StartProcess() Async Version Public Sub StartProcess() As Task Public Sub StartProcess(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method starts the process specified by StartProcess. After starting the process data may be sent to the process by calling Send, SendLine, Send.
Data received from the process will be available from the Stdout and Stderr events.
The following properties are applicable when calling this method:
- ProcessFileName (required)
- ProcessArgs
- ProcessWorkingDir
StopProcess Method (PipeExec Component)
Stops the process.
Syntax
public void StopProcess(); Async Version public async Task StopProcess(); public async Task StopProcess(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
Public Sub StopProcess() Async Version Public Sub StopProcess() As Task Public Sub StopProcess(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task
Remarks
This method stops the process.
Error Event (PipeExec Component)
Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.
Syntax
public event OnErrorHandler OnError; public delegate void OnErrorHandler(object sender, PipeExecErrorEventArgs e); public class PipeExecErrorEventArgs : EventArgs { public int ErrorCode { get; } public string Description { get; } }
Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler Public Delegate Sub OnErrorHandler(sender As Object, e As PipeExecErrorEventArgs) Public Class PipeExecErrorEventArgs Inherits EventArgs Public ReadOnly Property ErrorCode As Integer Public ReadOnly Property Description As String End Class
Remarks
The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the component throws an exception.
The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.
ReadyToSend Event (PipeExec Component)
Fired when the component is ready to send data.
Syntax
public event OnReadyToSendHandler OnReadyToSend; public delegate void OnReadyToSendHandler(object sender, PipeExecReadyToSendEventArgs e); public class PipeExecReadyToSendEventArgs : EventArgs { }
Public Event OnReadyToSend As OnReadyToSendHandler Public Delegate Sub OnReadyToSendHandler(sender As Object, e As PipeExecReadyToSendEventArgs) Public Class PipeExecReadyToSendEventArgs Inherits EventArgs End Class
Remarks
The ReadyToSend event indicates that the underlying pipe is ready to accept data again after a failed send. The event is also fired immediately after a connection to the remote host is established.
Stderr Event (PipeExec Component)
Fired when data come in through stderr.
Syntax
public event OnStderrHandler OnStderr; public delegate void OnStderrHandler(object sender, PipeExecStderrEventArgs e); public class PipeExecStderrEventArgs : EventArgs { public string Text { get; }
public byte[] TextB { get; } public bool EOL { get; } }
Public Event OnStderr As OnStderrHandler Public Delegate Sub OnStderrHandler(sender As Object, e As PipeExecStderrEventArgs) Public Class PipeExecStderrEventArgs Inherits EventArgs Public ReadOnly Property Text As String
Public ReadOnly Property TextB As Byte() Public ReadOnly Property EOL As Boolean End Class
Remarks
The Stderr event is fired every time the process outputs a line in its standard output. The incoming data is provided through the Text parameter.
Stdout Event (PipeExec Component)
Fired when data come in through stdout.
Syntax
public event OnStdoutHandler OnStdout; public delegate void OnStdoutHandler(object sender, PipeExecStdoutEventArgs e); public class PipeExecStdoutEventArgs : EventArgs { public string Text { get; }
public byte[] TextB { get; } public bool EOL { get; } }
Public Event OnStdout As OnStdoutHandler Public Delegate Sub OnStdoutHandler(sender As Object, e As PipeExecStdoutEventArgs) Public Class PipeExecStdoutEventArgs Inherits EventArgs Public ReadOnly Property Text As String
Public ReadOnly Property TextB As Byte() Public ReadOnly Property EOL As Boolean End Class
Remarks
The Stdout event is fired every time the process outputs a line in its standard output. The incoming data is provided through the Text parameter.
EOL indicates whether or not the EOL string was found at the end of Text. If the EOL string was found, then EOL is True.
If Text is part of a data portion of length larger than MaxLineLength with no EOL strings in it, then EOL is False. Note: This means that one or more DataIn events with EOL set to False can be received during a connection.
If the EOL property is "" (empty string), then EOL can be disregarded (it is always True).
Config Settings (PipeExec Component)
The component accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.PipeExec Config Settings
2 | LOGON32_LOGON_INTERACTIVE |
3 | LOGON32_LOGON_NETWORK |
4 | LOGON32_LOGON_BATCH |
5 | LOGON32_LOGON_SERVICE |
7 | LOGON32_LOGON_UNLOCK |
8 | LOGON32_LOGON_NETWORK_CLEARTEXT |
9 | LOGON32_LOGON_NEW_CREDENTIALS |
This may be set to the binary 'OR' of one or more of the following values:
0x00000040 | STARTF_FORCEONFEEDBACK |
0x00000080 | STARTF_FORCEOFFFEEDBACK |
0x00002000 | STARTF_PREVENTPINNING |
0x00000020 | STARTF_RUNFULLSCREEN |
0x00001000 | STARTF_TITLEISAPPID |
0x00000800 | STARTF_TITLEISLINKNAME |
0x00000008 | STARTF_USECOUNTCHARS |
0x00000010 | STARTF_USEFILLATTRIBUTE |
0x00000200 | STARTF_USEHOTKEY |
0x00000004 | STARTF_USEPOSITION |
0x00000001 (default) | STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW |
0x00000002 | STARTF_USESIZE |
0x00000100 (default) | STARTF_USESTDHANDLES |
0 (default) | SW_HIDE |
1 | SW_SHOWNORMAL |
2 | SW_SHOWMINIMIZED |
3 | SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED |
4 | SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE |
5 | SW_SHOW |
6 | SW_MINIMIZE |
7 | SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE |
8 | SW_SHOWNA |
9 | SW_RESTORE |
10 | SW_SHOWDEFAULT |
11 | SW_FORCEMINIMIZE |
Base Config Settings
In some non-GUI applications, an invalid message loop may be discovered that will result in errant behavior. In these cases, setting GUIAvailable to false will ensure that the component does not attempt to process external events.
- Product: The product the license is for.
- Product Key: The key the license was generated from.
- License Source: Where the license was found (e.g., RuntimeLicense, License File).
- License Type: The type of license installed (e.g., Royalty Free, Single Server).
- Last Valid Build: The last valid build number for which the license will work.
This setting only works on these components: AS3Receiver, AS3Sender, Atom, Client(3DS), FTP, FTPServer, IMAP, OFTPClient, SSHClient, SCP, Server(3DS), Sexec, SFTP, SFTPServer, SSHServer, TCPClient, TCPServer.
Setting this configuration setting to true tells the component to use the internal implementation instead of using the system security libraries.
On Windows, this setting is set to false by default. On Linux/macOS, this setting is set to true by default.
If using the .NET Standard Library, this setting will be true on all platforms. The .NET Standard library does not support using the system security libraries.
Note: This setting is static. The value set is applicable to all components used in the application.
When this value is set, the product's system dynamic link library (DLL) is no longer required as a reference, as all unmanaged code is stored in that file.
Trappable Errors (PipeExec Component)
PipeExec Errors
401 | Failed to create event. |
402 | Failed to create security descriptor. |
403 | Error creating named pipe. |
404 | Error connecting to named pipe. |
405 | Error disconnecting named pipe. |
408 | Error sending data. |
410 | Invalid MaxLineLength value. |
411 | Error reading data. |
412 | Error invoking RegisterWaitForSingleObject. |
413 | Operation would block. |
414 | Named pipe does not exist. |
415 | Named pipe is already connected. |
416 | Error connecting to named pipe. |
417 | Named pipe not connected. |
419 | Unsupported operation, see error message for details. |
420 | Failed to create named pipe for Stdin/Stdout/Stderr. |
421 | Failed to set handle information for Stdin/Stdout/Stderr. |
422 | Failed to create process. |
423 | Failed to terminate process. |