AxtiveX or simlar

[trisol]

Is there any feature with DAQ Factory that allows starting, controlling and closing of other applications within DAQ Factory?

We are aware of the ShellExecute function that allows starting an application but we are also looking for a way to have the GUI of that application fitting into a space of the DAQ GUI and to close the app from DAQ as well.

One of the uses we are trying to achieve with this is to open a web-browser that shows the live streaming of a camera on a part of the DAQ Runtime page. Another use is having the available monitor space shared with other application but controlled by DAQ where we can have DAQ controls (Buttons, variable values, etc) surrounding another application (in our current pressing case the other app is a high precision GPS app).

[AzeoTech]

If you really knew what you were doing you can do it. Here is how I would attempt it:

For the browser there is an ActiveX control for IE. Wrap this into a DLL that you can trigger from DF. Add in C code that allows you to move the window location and keep it on top. Then, from DF, you can make this window appear on top of the DF window and also make it disappear.

Another option for the browser is to use DAQConnect with DAQFactory. Since DAQConnect is a web app and can be embedded on other web pages, you could probably combine DAQConnect pages with your other web app.

As for actually embedding another process inside DAQFactory, I'm not sure that can be done without the source for that product. .exe processes typically don't expose any functions that can be loaded externally (like a DLL), and since they run in their own process space, there isn't a way to directly access them. However, if you can figure out the title of the main application window of this other app, you can retrieve a handle for it and thus do the position, visibility and z-order changes required to overlay the app on top of a DF screen. This, again, would require some sort of DLL wrapper that DF could call.

Finally, there may be a way for us to do it for you, though there would be an engineering cost involved. The embedded browser is definitely a possibility. Embedding a separate process would be a bit more involved. If you are interested, please email us directly from our web form.