Library code snippets

Prevent multiple VB application instances

Often you'll find it beneficial to allow just one instance of a VB
application to run on each PC. To do so, you can use several standard Win32
api calls before loading an application, such as in a main module. Obtain
the application window's handle from the startup form's caption with the
FindWindow() API call. If this function returns a non-zero value, then the
specified window is open.  Below, is some example code that uses this
function to prevent the main module from starting.

Option Explicit
Private Declare Function ShowWindow Lib "user32" _
    (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nCmdShow As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" _
   Alias "FindWindowA" _
   (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName _
   As String) As Long

Private Declare Function IsIconic Lib "user32" _
    (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function SetForegroundWindow Lib "user32" _
    (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long

Const SW_RESTORE = 9

'Conatants used for the return of the MultiInst function
Private Const OPEN_APPLICATION = 0
Private Const SINGLE_INSTANCE_OPEN = 1

Sub Main()
Dim MultiInstResult As Integer

'Call procedure to determine if an instance of
'the application is already loaded
MultiInstResult = MultiInst

'Handle the result from the MultiInst function
If MultiInstResult = OPEN_APPLICATION Then
     Form1.Show 
     'No instance of the application is already open,
     'continue to load the login form
ElseIf MultiInstResult = SINGLE_INSTANCE_OPEN Then
   'An instance already exists cancel the
   'current application load
    End
End If
End Sub

Private Function MultiInst() As Integer
'This function determines if a single instance of the
'application is already running.

Dim hwndFound As Long   'The window handle
Dim strWindowName       'The Caption on the window

'Set the caption of the application form
strWindowName = "Form's Caption Here"

'Get the handle of the application if it is open
hwndFound = FindWindow(vbNullString, strWindowName)

If hwndFound Then
     'Set the function return
     MultiInst = SINGLE_INSTANCE_OPEN
     MsgBox "A instance of the application is already open." & _
         vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
         "Only one open instance allowed.", vbOKOnly + _
         vbExclamation, "App Name"

     'If application minimized, restore, show it on top
     If IsIconic(hwndFound) Then
          ShowWindow hwndFound, SW_RESTORE
          'Show the window infront of all other windows
          SetForegroundWindow hwndFound
     Else
          'Bring the application top most on the screen
          SetForegroundWindow hwndFound
    End If
ElseIf hwndFound = 0 Then
    'Set the function return so it will continue loading
    MultiInst = OPEN_APPLICATION
End If
End Function

Comments

  1. 09 May 2003 at 13:10

    hmmm, that is true, the advantage of the method shown here is the fact that FindWindow will give you the hWnd value for the other instance meaning that through subclassing you can send a message to the previous instance - very useful when the user opens a file and there is already an instance running.

  2. 14 Nov 2002 at 04:58

    Put this line in the subroutine where you program starts.


       'If application is already running then get out of here
       If App.PrevInstance = True Then End


  3. 01 Jan 1999 at 00:00

    This thread is for discussions of Prevent multiple VB application instances.

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