We Keep Coding

How safe is it to open file and wait for change in a C# program

In my C# WinForms app, users are allowed to create documents and show them in other programs (typically, Word or Excel) and once users close it (if modified), the file is saved by the app in a specific database.
I use the following code to open the file with the correct default program:
string tmpPath = "myTempDoc.xyz"; // extension might vary
FileInfo f = new FileInfo(tmpPath);
DateTime tmpStamp = f.LastWriteTimeUtc;
System.Diagnostics.Process p = System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(tmpPath);
p.WaitForExit();
f = new FileInfo(tmpPath);
if (f.LastWriteTimeUtc > tmpStamp.AddSeconds(1)) {
db_store_file(tmpPath); // stores the modified version of the file in a database
}
// ---- REMAINING CODE AFTER CLOSING ---
doSomeStuff();
I am a bit concerned with the WaitForExit() method. Users need to close the default program for the app to continue. This is ok, but is it really safe?
What if the user (or some process) kills the App during the WaitForExit? For sure, remaining code doSomeStuff() will NOT be executed so I need to make sure all is done BEFORE starting the process... But is there any additional risk?
I know about FileSystemWatcher could be an alternative... But this allows the user to continue in the app without saving changes, which is an additional risk I'd rather not take...
Is the above method safe? Or is there a standard method for letting users modify files in their default program and, once done, retrieve these changes in the database?

Intercept MS Windows 'SendTo' menu calls?

SCENARIO
I manage and organize many files during the day, the SendTo is the most used feature that I use on Windows.
PROBLEM
By default, when the user clicks an item/link of the contextmenu to send the files, the O.S does not show any kind of advise/notifier indicating that the files are copying to the selected destination.
I consider it a very wrong design issue because for big files its OK ...a progressbar will be shown, but if the files are to small it will not show any progressbar/visual indicator so is not possible to ensure that the files are copied (without manual effort) because I'm human and I could click outside the SendTo contextmenu by error.
So, I would like to develop a personal mini-tool that will help me to optimize my time showing me a notifier window wherever on the screen when I send/copy files using the SendTo feature from the contextmenu, and only the SendTo feature.
QUESTION
In just simple words, I want to detect a copy/send operation from SendTo menu to ensure that the click was done properly on the menu item (and not outside the menu), by also providing additional basic info such as the source folder, the destination folder, and the amount of files or the filepaths.
Any ideas to start developing this tool in the right direction?.
I will be grateful for a code example in C# or else VB.Net, preferably this last.
APPROACH
Since I don't know how to start doing this I mean which could be the easiest or the efficient way to intercept those SendTo calls, firstly I thought to hook the CopyFile or CopyFileEx API functions, but they do not provide the information that I need because that function will be called in any kind of copy operation and not only when I use the SendTo Feature, so I'm lost.
I'm not sure if I should investigate more about internal calls, or maybe investigate more about the windows contextmenu itself instead of messing with function hooks and ugly things that I could avoid.
My main idea is to develop a hidden WinForms (or else a windows service) that stays in background waiting for when I use the SendTo feature (when I click on an item of the SendTo menu) and then show any kind of visual indicator on the screen to ensure that I properly clicked that menu-item and maybe inform about the amount of files that I'm moving and where I'm moving them.
RESEARCH
Here is a code example that I think it demostrates how to instantiate the SendTo com object to create your own?, but its written in c++ and I'm not sure if the example is helpful because my intention is not to replace the SendTo menu but I'll keep this useful info here it it serves for something else:
How to add(enable) standard "Send To" context menu option in a namespace extension
The KNOWNFOLDERID constants docs gives some useful info about the SendTo folder, again I'm not sure if this could help maybe for a read/access monitoring approach?, I just keep the info here:
GUID: {8983036C-27C0-404B-8F08-102D10DCFD74}
Default Path: %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Legacy Default Path: %USERPROFILE%\SendTo
In the Shell Extension Handlers docs there is a Copy hook handler which I don't know if it has relation with the SendTo's COM component and if that could help me in some way,
the same ignorance for IContextMenu::InvokeCommand method reference which maybe I could intercept it to identify a SendTo invocation?
By the moment I feel like flying blind.
I recently found this A managed "Send To" menu class but again its a example written in C/C++ (I think is the same source before) which I don't understand at all and again I'm not sure if that could help me because I repeat that replacing SendTo is not what I have in mind (just because I don't know how to properly do it avoiding all possible risks, I prefer to still let Windows logic copy/send the files, I just want to detect the copy operation to retrieve info)
EXPECTED RESULTS AND USAGE
Step 1:
Select a random file and use the SendTo menu (in my language, Spanish, the command name is 'Enviar a')
Step 2:
Let the .net application's logic (working in background) intercept the SendTo operation to retrieve info.
(I only need help with this step)
Step 3:
Display the info somewhere over the screen to ensure that the SendTo operation was performed, to ensure that I properly clicked the SendTo item (My Link).
(That popup is just a simulation, I don't know any way to retrieve all that info)

It's really simple to do once you understand what SendTo really does, and it doesn't involves COM or shell extensions at all. Basically, the send to menu is populated with the content of the SendTo folder of the user profile (C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo by default in Windows 6.x).
When clicked, if the option is a shortcut to a folder it will copy the files there, but if there is a shortcut to a program (or a program executable itself) it will run that program, passing the paths of the selected files as command-line arguments.
From there, it's really trivial to make some program that simply takes paths as arguments, present some kind of notification and then copies the files or do whatever you want with them.
A quick and dirty example could be as follow (in C#, but could be done with anything else really):
private static void Main(string[] args)
{
if(MessageBox.Show("Are you sure you want to copy files?", "Copy files", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo) == DialogResult.No) return;
foreach (string file in args)
File.Copy(file, Path.Combine("c:\\temp", Path.GetFileName(file));
}
This just ask for confirmation for copying a bunch of files. Note that this really doesn't "intercepts" the send to menu, but rather handles it completely, so it's the program responsability to do any meaningful action. A more serious implementation could use the built-in Windows copy dialog and display some screen with progress or anything else, that's up to your needs.
It could also take some more parameters on the command line. When you place a shortcut in the SendTo folder, the destination could add some more parameters that will be passed as the first ones (before the file names). For example the destination of the shortcut can read c:\program files\copyfiles.exe c:\temp to pass the destination folder instead of hardcoding. The called program must then interpret the first parameter as the destination path and subsequent ones as the source files.

I've had to do something like this before. You don't even have to intercept the SendTo() function, you only need to make sure the the file has arrived. How about FileSystemWatcher if it's on the same computer?
You could use a watcher to watch before you send it, then, if the file successfully arrives at it's destination, you can display a successful message, and then kill the watcher.
Code Example
// Create a FileSystemWatcher property.
FileSystemWatcher fsw { get; set; }
// So we can set the FileToWatch within WatchFilesBeforeTransfer().
private string FileToWatch { get; set; }
private void WatchFilesBeforeTransfer(string FileName, string DestinationFolder)
{
fsw = new FileSystemWatcher();
fsw.Path = DestinationFolder;
FileToWatch = FileName;
// Only if you need support for multiple directories. Code example note included.
fsw.InclueSubdirectories = true;
// We'll be searching for the file name and directory.
fsw.NotifyFilter = NotifyFilters.FileName | NotifyFilters.DirectoryName
// If it's simply moving the file to another location on the computer.
fsw.Renamed += new RenamedEventHandler(FileRenamed);
// If it was copied, not moved or renamed.
fsw.Created += new FileSystemEventHandler(FileCreated);
fsw.EnableRaisingEvents = true;
}
// If the file is just renamed. (Move/Rename)
private void FileRenamed(Object source, RenamedEventArgs e)
{
// Do something.
// Note that the full filename is accessed by e.FullPath.
if (e.Name == FileToWatch)
{
DisplaySuccessfulMessage(e.Name);
KillFileWatcher();
}
}
// If creating a new file. (Copied)
private void FileCreated(Object source, FileSystemEventArgs e)
{
// Do something.
// Note that the full filename is accessed by e.FullPath.
if (e.Name == FileToWatch)
{
DisplaySuccessfulMessage(e.Name);
KillFileWatcher();
}
}
private void KillFileWatcher()
{
fsw.Dispose();
}
You can access the desired property information (like in your popup gif) in this way:
Folder name: Path.GetDirectory(e.FullPath); (like "C:\yo\")
Full file name: e.FullPath (like "C:\yo\hey.exe")
File name: e.Name (like "hey.exe")
Non-code execution process:
Before you initiate SendTo(), create an instance of the FileSystemWatcher property, and have it watch for a specific Folder/File name combination, which should show up in the watched folder: WatchFilesBeforeTransfer(FileName, DestinationFolder).
Initiate SendTo().
File received? DisplaySuccessfulSendToMessage(), KillFileWatcher();
???
Profit.
UPDATE:
I just realized that's just for one file. If you want to check for multiple files, you could either create multiple FileWatcher instances (not recommended), or use a List<string> object, like this:
private void SendTo(List<string> FileCollection)
{
// Clear your previous FileList.
FileList.Clear();
foreach (string file in FileCollection)
{
FileList.Add(file);
}
// Rest of the code.
}
List<string> FileList { get; set; }
private void WatchFilesBeforeTransfer(string DestinationFolder)
{
// Same code as before, but delete FileToWatch.
}
private void FileRenamed(Object source, RenamedEventArgs e)
{
foreach (string file in FileList)
{
if (e.Name == file)
{
// Do stuff.
}
}
}
private void FileCreated(Object source, FileSystemEventArgs e)
{
foreach (string file in FileList)
{
if (e.Name == file)
{
// Do stuff.
}
}
}
Hope this helps!

I'm afraid this ain't that easy.
I was playing around with the FileSystemWatcher on this, but with only partly success.
Something that should definitely work are File system drivers but this looks like just too, well, look at it...
In the end it might be the easiest way to write your own shell extension to access the SendTo folder, and use this instead of the SentTo command which would give you full control.
These might be some starters:
Windows shell extensions
Shell Context Menus

Maybe I come a little bit late to answer my own question, which was published on year 2015, but it wasn't until few days ago that I became interested in this matter again, with much more experience and knowledge gained in .NET after these years to start from scratch and try to understand everything that I did not understood in the past.
I just discovered that, as #Ňɏssa Pøngjǣrdenlarp already commented in the comments box, apparently the most viable way to accomplish this would be to implement my own SendTo context menu and use IFileOperationProgressSink interface to report progress, which for this firstly I need to depend on the usage of IFileOperation interface.
The reason to use the IFileOperation interface is because it seems the only way offered in the Windows API to let the developer perform multiple file operations (copy, move, rename, create or delete) all at once within the same progress dialog UI. This is probably the interface used by the system when the user selects multiple files or directories (via the SendTo menu or just CTRL+C and CTRL+V) to move or copy them at once, because it only shows one progress dialog with all the copy operations queued in it...
So clearly IFileOperation and IFileOperationProgressSink interfaces were what I need. But from what I know there is no managed implementation of these interfaces in the .NET framework namespaces (neither in the Microsoft's WindowsAPICodePack library), which seems somewhat inexcusable to me considering that these interfaces exists since the era of Windows VISTA or even earlier, and it is an indisputable improvement being the totally opposite of any built-in members that you can think of to perform copy, move, rename, create or delete operations, like for example System.IO.File.Copy or Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.FileSystem.CopyFile method. All of them only supports a single operation and only on a single progress dialog at once.
So I focused to investigate on that suggested solution, and I ended up finding a good implementation of IFileOperation and IFileOperationProgressSink interfaces in this repository:
https://github.com/misterhaan/au.Shared/tree/master/IO/Files.FileOperation
And this one which is the original implementation that I found on a old Microsoft's article which also comes with a good PDF reading to learn some things:
https://github.com/mlaily/MSDNMagazine2007-.NET-Matters-IFileOperation-in-Windows-Vista
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/msdn-magazine/2007/december/net-matters-ifileoperation-in-windows-vista
Actually, for what I've discussed in this thread to do since year 2015, delving into the use of the IFileOperationProgressSink interface to report progress would not be necessary (only if I really want a deep progress information), since it is enough to determine that the copy was started / the call to IFileOperation.PerformOperations function was performed, and if any problems occur during the copy then it will appear in the progress dialog UI.
But of course what is still necessary is to develop a shell-extension of a custom SendTo menu to replace the one built into Windows. Shell-extensions could be developed with SharpShell library.
I develop in VB.NET language. I managed to extend and document their IFileOperation implementation and the wrapper, and updated the enums adding the newer, missing values added for Windows 7 and Windows 8.
If it can be helpful for someone, I'm going to attach the IFIleOperation and the wrapper in Vb.NET all in a new answer (because it exceeds the maximum character limit allowed for a post).
Note that in my implementation of IFileOperation interface and the wrapper class with name FileSystemOperation you will find some return types and missing classes or methods (like HRESULT return type or NativeMethods class), I just can't share all in one place, but these missing things are things that any experienced programmer will know how to resolve (eg. change HRESULT to UInteger type, and go to Pinvoke.net to find any missing method from my NativeMethods class).
UPDATE
It seems that StackOverflow doesn't allow me to add another answer, so I'll upload my implementation on PasteBin instead:
Class FileSystemOperation
https://pastebin.com/nvgLWEXu
Interface IFileOperation
https://pastebin.com/GzammHtu
Interface IFileOperationProgressSink
https://pastebin.com/jf9JjzyH
Class ComObjectDisposer(Of T As Class)
https://pastebin.com/7mPeawWr
Enum TransferSourceFlags
https://pastebin.com/V7wSSEvv
Enum FileOperationFlags
https://pastebin.com/A223w9XY
That's all.

can record unc connection?

The Pc I use have an UNC file. I'm in a Network with other people.
Every other can open the file by tipping in the adress line \\file.
Know I want to write a c# programm in Vs2010 which watch over the file I use Win7 32bit. If any one Open the file the programm shall write in a Logfile that someone has open my file.
I tried to use the FileSystemWatcher but this only look for changes/saves/cration but not for Opening.
I read somthing about "auditing" and that I'm be able to do that(watch over my unc file) with this(auditing).But i tried to find out how to use auditing in c# but i found not much.
.
So my Questions:
Is it possible to do what i want with "auditing" ?
Did someone worked with auditing in c# befor or has anyone a link or somtihng to show me how it works in c#?
mfg Sam
Sry for bad english

You might want to use the Audit Object Access.
The steps you have to follow:
Enable the Audit object access in the Local Computer Policy.
Enable auditing for the object you want to follow.
From your application, use the EventLog.EntryWritten Event to detect the file opening event
Here's a simplistic sample usage, but you'll have to dig in the documentation in order to capture and log as you need to:
class Program
{
public static void Main()
{
EventLog myNewLog = new EventLog("Security", ".", "Microsoft Windows security");
myNewLog.EntryWritten += new EntryWrittenEventHandler(MyOnEntryWritten);
myNewLog.EnableRaisingEvents = true;
Console.ReadLine();
}
public static async void MyOnEntryWritten(object source, EntryWrittenEventArgs e)
{
await Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
{
if (e.Entry.InstanceId == 4656 || e.Entry.InstanceId == 4663)
{
Console.WriteLine(e.Entry.Message);
}
});
}
}

Count the number of times the Program has been launched

How can I get the number of times a program has previously run in c# without keeping a file and tallying. Is there a Application class or something in c# to check the count.
Please give a detailed explantion as i know nothing about it.This is A windows console application not windows forms.

You can do that my creating an Entry in the Registry. And another way is by using an Application Settings.
But I prefer Application Settings because it has less task to do.
See HERE: Creating an Application Settings.
Tutorial From Youtube

Recent versions of Windows automatically maintain this information in the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist.
The data is obfuscated with ROT13, but that's easy to "decrypt". A free utility (with source code) is available and can serve as your starting point.

You could send a message to a database or webservice every time the program starts up (assuming there's a network connection).
You could keep a count on some form of hardware thet's not a standard storage device (therefore not technically being a file).
You could make a registry entry that you keep the count in (if you ignore the fact that the registry entry is, at some level, persisted into a file somewhere).
You could just have a file somewhere that keeps track of the count. Not sure why you're so opposed to this one in the first place....

If you are running a Winforms application, the you can easily use the Application Settings. Right click on your Solution Name --> Properties --> Settings Tab. More info and tutorial here.
Then, every time your program starts, increment this setting and save it.

Ref: Count the number of times the Program has been launched
In my knowledge Windows does not keep this information for you. You would have to tally the value somewhere (file, database, registry setting).
Better way is Application Settings as:
Create setting in app.config and then use it as:
Properties.Settings.Default.FirstUserSetting = "abc";
then, you usually do this in the Closing event handler of the main form. The following statement to Save settings method.
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
Implementation using Registry:
static string AppRegyPath = "Software\\Cheeso\\ApplicationName";
static string rvn_Runs = "Runs";
private Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey _appCuKey;
public Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey AppCuKey
{
get
{
if (_appCuKey == null)
{
_appCuKey = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(AppRegyPath, true);
if (_appCuKey == null)
_appCuKey = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(AppRegyPath);
}
return _appCuKey;
}
set { _appCuKey = null; }
}
public int UpdateRunCount()
{
int x = (Int32)AppCuKey.GetValue(rvn_Runs, 0);
x++;
AppCuKey.SetValue(rvn_Runs, x);
return x;
}
If it's a WinForms app, you can hook the Form's OnClosing event to run UpdateCount.
Then Check tutorial to Read, write and delete from registry with C#

EventLog.CreateEventSource is not creating a custom log

I have some code like this:
EventLog.CreateEventSource("myApp", "myAppLog");
EventLog.WriteEntry("myApp", "Test log message", EventLogEntryType.Error);
Now, unless I'm missing something having read MSDN, this should cause a new log 'myAppLog' to be created in the event viewer, and an entry should be added to that new log with the source name 'myApp'. But, I can't get the new log to be created. This always just writes an error log message to the Application log, with the source 'myApp' - 'myAppLog' is nowhere to be seen. What am I doing wrong? I am logged in as an Administrator.

Is it possible that you already used the source "myApp" when writing to the standard Application log? If so according to MSDN:
If a source has already been mapped to
a log and you remap it to a new log,
you must restart the computer for the
changes to take effect.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/2awhba7a.aspx
(about half way down the page)

I have just written a little code to help me out of this. source registered in another log issue which I have encountered and don't want to manually have to remove sources from logs. What I decided to do was check if the source exists, if it does check that its linked to the correct log, if it isn't delete the source, now that it doesn't exist or f it never did create the Log brand new.
protected const string EventLogName = "MyLog";
private static bool CheckSourceExists(string source) {
if (EventLog.SourceExists(source)) {
EventLog evLog = new EventLog {Source = source};
if (evLog.Log != EventLogName) {
EventLog.DeleteEventSource(source);
}
}
if (!EventLog.SourceExists(source)) {
EventLog.CreateEventSource(source, EventLogName);
EventLog.WriteEntry(source, String.Format("Event Log Created '{0}'/'{1}'", EventLogName, source), EventLogEntryType.Information);
}
return EventLog.SourceExists(source);
}
public static void WriteEventToMyLog(string source, string text, EventLogEntryType type) {
if (CheckSourceExists(source)) {
EventLog.WriteEntry(source, text, type);
}
}
Hopefully it helps :)

You might be forgetting to set the Source property on your EventLog.
It should look something like this:
if(!EventLog.SourceExists("MySource"))
{
EventLog.CreateEventSource("MySource", "MyNewLog");
}
EventLog myLog = new EventLog();
myLog.Source = "MySource";
myLog.WriteEntry("Writing to event log.");
Here's the MSDN article for reference.

Did you set the source on your EventLog?
From MSDN Article.
You must set the Source property on your EventLog component instance before you can write entries to a log. When your component writes an entry, the system automatically checks to see if the source you specified is registered with the event log to which the component is writing, and calls CreateEventSource if needed. In general, create the new event source during the installation of your application. This allows time for the operating system to refresh its list of registered event sources and their configuration. If the operating system has not refreshed its list of event sources and you attempt to write an event with the new source, the write operation will fail. If creating the source during installation is not an option, then try to create the source well ahead of the first write operation, perhaps during your application initialization. If you choose this approach, be sure your initialization code is running with administrator rights on the computer. These rights are required for creating new event sources.

If you have checked all suggestions in other answers, then read the following
From MSDN
The operating system stores event logs as files. When you use EventLogInstaller or CreateEventSource to create a new event log, the associated file is stored in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config directory on the specified computer. The file name is set by appending the first 8 characters of the Log property with the ".evt" file name extension.
Make sure that the first 8 characters are unique.

Basically, the simplest solution is you have to close your visual studio and run as administrator mode. Then, you would be able to resolve this error