Intereting challenge: Running 3rd party apps in a subform

[stillnew2vb]

Greetings Gurus,

Before I lose too much sleep over this I would like to know if it is even possible.

The idea is something similar to what this guy was trying to do
http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?p=1335449512

Effectively have a main-form with a listbox down the left hand side. Depending on which record was selected an after-update event would call VNC and launch a saved VNC session. This is easy enough to do with a shell command but I was wondering if you could run the VNC app or the shell command inside a subform on the main-form.

If you have used RD manager http://rdpdesk.com/home-page-2/demo/ or the Microsoft TS MMC manager you will have an idea of what I am trying to do.

Looking forward to hearing from you...

 

[Simon_MT]

So exactly what are you trying to achieve using TS and RDP?

Simon

 

[stillnew2vb]

Hi Simon,

TS & RDP is not involved, I am using it as an example.

I need to connect to a number of managed servers & workstations and it would be nice if I could do it from an Access form where I have a list of the machine's names in a list box and then use an on-click event to get Access to run a VNC connection inside a frame on the form.

 

[darbid]

I am not sure that your question has much to do with a sub-form. There is very little on VNC and VBA or VB6 that I can see.

Your best bet is to do what you have already referenced.

You can start it from the command line with Shell.

You can see the command line options here http://www.physnet.uni-hamburg.de/physnet/vnc/winvnc.html

As you can see there is a -connect [host] which appears to be what that guy is also doing.

He is trying to enter the host name with sendkeys but it appears that you can add the host to the command line.

I have never done this but if I wanted to I would first open CMD and try to get VNC working from the command line - then once I got my commands right I would integrate it into Access.

 

[stillnew2vb]

Hi Darbid,

Nice to "see" you again...

I can get it to work quite happily from Shell "C:\Program Files\..." . What I can't get it to do is run that shell inside a subform without cheating by manipulating the shell screen-size and position

 

[darbid]

Hi Darbid,

Nice to "see" you again...

I can get it to work quite happily from Shell "C:\Program Files\..." . What I can't get it to do is run that shell inside a subform without cheating by manipulating the shell screen-size and position

Thanks, you too.

I must admit I have no idea - especially with a subform. Forgive me if I throw you in the wrong direction, but I cannot imagine how you could easily host VNC on an access form. You could only use shell to call an external program and it will open a new window etc.

In case you really really really and I mean really want VNC on an access form you would have to look at the windows API and perform a "marriage" of an Access form with the VNC window.

 

[stillnew2vb]

I have been looking around a few other forums to see if anybody else has done something similar and have yet to find any solutions.

I am presuming that VNC won't natively run under Access but I was hoping that the shell that it will run under could be "embedded" in a subform.

I guess I'll just have to keep looking because I "really really really and I mean really" don't want to start over-complicating life by fiddling with APIs.

 

[stillnew2vb]

Typical... spend weeks looking for something and as soon as you ask someone about it you find a (potential) answer.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/dnvnccl/files/VNCClient-all/1.03-all/VNCClient-1_03-all.zip/download

has a C# based VNC client that could be interesting

 

[darbid]

I am going to say that putting a non native VBA program onto an Access form is almost impossible - On a subform even more impossible.

This is why we have Active X controls.

If you want to put a program on a form you need to see this thread - here I took a part of the GE program by getting its handle, resized it and then put it on an access form.

http://www.access-programmers.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=167345

 

[stillnew2vb]

I was reading your GE adventure yesterday... very cool