How to auto-restart an application?

[sqrt(-1)]

Hi all,

sometimes, my application (EXE) requires to be restarted (for example because user has edited some settings which requires the application to be restarted).

Is there some WINAPI method or other that allows an exe to restart itselt?

Thanks

[GerdW]

Hi i,

to answer your question as you wrote it:

Have the EXE call a batch file, then exit the EXE.

The batch file will wait some time (aka "until the EXE has exited"), then it simply calls the EXE again…

my application (EXE) requires to be restarted

Why do you think it's a good idea to exit a program and start it over? Why not have a "main" loop which simply iterates one more time?

(One reason to restart your EXE: you don't clean up in your code as much as you should do. By restarting the EXE you get fresh and clean references all over… :D)

[Blokk]

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@sqrt(-1) wrote:

Hi all,

sometimes, my application (EXE) requires to be restarted (for example because user has edited some settings which requires the application to be restarted).

Is there some WINAPI method or other that allows an exe to restart itselt?

Thanks

---

I agree with GerdW. Likely you use some input parameters BEFORE a while loop so that is why you cannot update these values during runtime?

If so, you should refactor your application. If you programmed a proper state machine, you could have an "Update inputs from GUI" state. No need to restart your EXE...

[sqrt(-1)]

Hi GerdW,

The application restarting is required and I cannot use a sort of "launcher" or "main loop" because my application is modular and it is based on packed libraries. If user updates some of these modules (packed libraries), the only way for changes to take effect (which means to replace these packed libraries in memory) is to close the EXE and restart it.

[Blokk]

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@sqrt(-1) wrote:

Hi GerdW,

The application restarting is required and I cannot use a sort of "launcher" or "main loop" because my application is modular and it is based on packed libraries. If user updates some of these modules (packed libraries), the only way for changes to take effect (which means to replace these packed libraries in memory) is to close the EXE and restart it.

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Hmm, I never worked with packed LV libs, but I wonder if it is possible to load/unload them dynamically during runtime of your main application?

I have found this link, however I have no idea if this helps you...

https://forums.ni.com/t5/forums/v3_1/forumtopicpage/board-id/170/thread-id/556130/page/1

[sqrt(-1)]

Thanck Blokk but ,unfortunalely, it doesn't help me.

My application already loads and lunches packed libraries dinamically. If a packed library is in memory (because it has been already loaded) and a newer version of it is loded, LabVIEW or the run time engine doesn't replace the oldest packed library with the newest one. So, application restart is required.

[Yamaeda]

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@sqrt(-1) wrote:

Hi GerdW,

The application restarting is required and I cannot use a sort of "launcher" or "main loop" because my application is modular and it is based on packed libraries. If user updates some of these modules (packed libraries), the only way for changes to take effect (which means to replace these packed libraries in memory) is to close the EXE and restart it.

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You should be able to use a Launcher VI which'll sit in the background and relaunch as needed. Start your current program through Call VI or VI server. It should be easy enough to test. 🙂

/Y

[Steeb · Accepted solution]

Hi, 

The simplest way to restart an application on windows is to use the command line.

You can use System Exec.vi in labview to pass a command to the command line.

You can pass a Multiple command to close and open again your application.

For example

"taskkill /IM Application.exe && Application.exe"

obviusly you must specify the path of your application

Steeb

National Instruments AE

[Steeb]

Please mark the post as resolved.

Steeb

NI AE

[gkrn]

Hi,

I would like to know whether the given info is ok to restart the same application. I placed this code in boolean value change event.

I gone thru many posts related to restart the same application from labview, I found this as accepted one. But this didnt work out for me. Pls do comment where I made a mistake.

Thanks