Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Code Project
  1. Home
  2. General Programming
  3. C#
  4. Minimizing a Console App to the NotifyIcon area of the taskbar

Minimizing a Console App to the NotifyIcon area of the taskbar

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved C#
csharptutorialquestionlearning
9 Posts 2 Posters 0 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • M Offline
    M Offline
    mdavis93
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    I'm creating a console based app and want to set it so when minimized, it'll go to the notify icon area of the taskbar so that it can run in the background and not take up valuable space on the taskbar. I have been trying for about a week to figure this out.. to no avail. I am still learning C#.. but love what I have accomplished. Anyone here willing to show me how to do this? Also, if possible, set the icon and name of the Console that comes up insead of having the standard "Windows/.../.../cmd.exe" and icon -- I want to be able to set the name and icon of the Console (again, if possible). I have the icon to use already - for the minimized notifyicon image and for the console icon - but I do not know how to set it. I have set the "Windows Icon" for the program already, but once the program is ran.. you don't see the icon in the app.:~

    Y 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • M mdavis93

      I'm creating a console based app and want to set it so when minimized, it'll go to the notify icon area of the taskbar so that it can run in the background and not take up valuable space on the taskbar. I have been trying for about a week to figure this out.. to no avail. I am still learning C#.. but love what I have accomplished. Anyone here willing to show me how to do this? Also, if possible, set the icon and name of the Console that comes up insead of having the standard "Windows/.../.../cmd.exe" and icon -- I want to be able to set the name and icon of the Console (again, if possible). I have the icon to use already - for the minimized notifyicon image and for the console icon - but I do not know how to set it. I have set the "Windows Icon" for the program already, but once the program is ran.. you don't see the icon in the app.:~

      Y Offline
      Y Offline
      yoaz
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      You should try the NotifyIcon class. E.g.

      NotifyIcon ni = new NotifyIcon();
      ni.Icon = new System.Drawing.Icon(your icon path)
      ni.Visible = true;

      Note that in a console application, you need to reference the drawing dll and the windows dll yourself. mdavis93 wrote: and not take up valuable space on the taskbar. for this i think you need your work to be done in a separate, windowless thread.:) there are no facts, only interpretations

      M 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • Y yoaz

        You should try the NotifyIcon class. E.g.

        NotifyIcon ni = new NotifyIcon();
        ni.Icon = new System.Drawing.Icon(your icon path)
        ni.Visible = true;

        Note that in a console application, you need to reference the drawing dll and the windows dll yourself. mdavis93 wrote: and not take up valuable space on the taskbar. for this i think you need your work to be done in a separate, windowless thread.:) there are no facts, only interpretations

        M Offline
        M Offline
        mdavis93
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        When the application is minimized, how can I remove it from the taskbar.. so the icon in the NotifyIcon is the only thing showing that the program is running... and then how do I open the console back up? Also.. What would be the correct syntax to close the Icon? Here's the start of my "Main" section:

        public static void Main (string[] args)
        {
        NotifyIcon ni = new NotifyIcon();
        ni.Icon = new System.Drawing.Icon("C:/Icon.ico");
        ni.Visible = true;
        // Irc server to connect
        if ( Disconnecting )
        {
        ni.Dispose();
        ni.Visible = false;
        writer.Close();
        stream.Close();
        irc.Close();
        stream.Close();
        }

        Thanks for the help.. it's greatly valued!

        Y 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • M mdavis93

          When the application is minimized, how can I remove it from the taskbar.. so the icon in the NotifyIcon is the only thing showing that the program is running... and then how do I open the console back up? Also.. What would be the correct syntax to close the Icon? Here's the start of my "Main" section:

          public static void Main (string[] args)
          {
          NotifyIcon ni = new NotifyIcon();
          ni.Icon = new System.Drawing.Icon("C:/Icon.ico");
          ni.Visible = true;
          // Irc server to connect
          if ( Disconnecting )
          {
          ni.Dispose();
          ni.Visible = false;
          writer.Close();
          stream.Close();
          irc.Close();
          stream.Close();
          }

          Thanks for the help.. it's greatly valued!

          Y Offline
          Y Offline
          yoaz
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          mdavis93 wrote: When the application is minimized, how can I remove it from the taskbar.. so the icon in the NotifyIcon is the only thing showing that the program is running why do you need a console in the first place? if you need it only on certain occasions during your runs, maybe it's a good idea to start a new console in a new, independant, thread each time you need a console, and then close this thread, and the console with it, when they are not needed anymore. This shouldn't have any effect on your notify icon running in your main thread. there are no facts, only interpretations

          M 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • Y yoaz

            mdavis93 wrote: When the application is minimized, how can I remove it from the taskbar.. so the icon in the NotifyIcon is the only thing showing that the program is running why do you need a console in the first place? if you need it only on certain occasions during your runs, maybe it's a good idea to start a new console in a new, independant, thread each time you need a console, and then close this thread, and the console with it, when they are not needed anymore. This shouldn't have any effect on your notify icon running in your main thread. there are no facts, only interpretations

            M Offline
            M Offline
            mdavis93
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            The program I am writing is an EggDrop for a chatroom. This Bot logs all activity in each room it's in. When started all I want to show is the notify icon. When the user wants to see the console, they would double click on the notify icon to show the console, and either minimize or close the console to close the console, but the bot would keep running - you can only close it by giving the command in a room, or right-clicking the notify icon and choosing "Close Bot." I just don't know how to accomplish this.

            Y 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • M mdavis93

              The program I am writing is an EggDrop for a chatroom. This Bot logs all activity in each room it's in. When started all I want to show is the notify icon. When the user wants to see the console, they would double click on the notify icon to show the console, and either minimize or close the console to close the console, but the bot would keep running - you can only close it by giving the command in a room, or right-clicking the notify icon and choosing "Close Bot." I just don't know how to accomplish this.

              Y Offline
              Y Offline
              yoaz
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              mdavis93 wrote: When the user wants to see the console, they would double click on the notify icon to show the console, and either minimize or close the console to close the console I think whenever the user dbl clicks on the icon, u should start a new thread, which would activate the console. when this thread closes, the console would disappear, and when you close the console the thread should terminate also. It seems you want the console to be windowless (background) when minimized. As far as I know, this is impossible with the console class, and furthermore you cannot inherit it to add this functionality, because it is sealed. A question: why do you need the console? can't you simply use a windows form of some sort? there are no facts, only interpretations

              M 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • Y yoaz

                mdavis93 wrote: When the user wants to see the console, they would double click on the notify icon to show the console, and either minimize or close the console to close the console I think whenever the user dbl clicks on the icon, u should start a new thread, which would activate the console. when this thread closes, the console would disappear, and when you close the console the thread should terminate also. It seems you want the console to be windowless (background) when minimized. As far as I know, this is impossible with the console class, and furthermore you cannot inherit it to add this functionality, because it is sealed. A question: why do you need the console? can't you simply use a windows form of some sort? there are no facts, only interpretations

                M Offline
                M Offline
                mdavis93
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                Actually.. I would love to make it a Windows Form App.. I could add a heck of a lot more features that I had to scrap because console doesn't support it.. I just don't know how to do it.. I tried using Windows Form App.. and having a RichTextBox display all relevant information to the user, but the program would freeze on me. I know extreamly little about network programming. From what I can gather, the program "freezes" because it's in an infinity loop waiting for the next line of text to be recieved from the IRC room. I would love to learn how to convert my bot from console to Form App..

                Y 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • M mdavis93

                  Actually.. I would love to make it a Windows Form App.. I could add a heck of a lot more features that I had to scrap because console doesn't support it.. I just don't know how to do it.. I tried using Windows Form App.. and having a RichTextBox display all relevant information to the user, but the program would freeze on me. I know extreamly little about network programming. From what I can gather, the program "freezes" because it's in an infinity loop waiting for the next line of text to be recieved from the IRC room. I would love to learn how to convert my bot from console to Form App..

                  Y Offline
                  Y Offline
                  yoaz
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  what u need to learn is threading and tcp/ip. there are a lot of articles here. This is a simple short introduction. there are no facts, only interpretations

                  M 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • Y yoaz

                    what u need to learn is threading and tcp/ip. there are a lot of articles here. This is a simple short introduction. there are no facts, only interpretations

                    M Offline
                    M Offline
                    mdavis93
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    heaps of thanks for that link. I threaded the "Bot" segment of the app separate from the Forms thread.. Probably not the cleanest.. but it works. My question is.. when the user exits the program, how can I ensure that all connections and what-not are closed and disposed of properly, and not have anything lingering around, until the system realizes that it's not used?

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    Reply
                    • Reply as topic
                    Log in to reply
                    • Oldest to Newest
                    • Newest to Oldest
                    • Most Votes


                    • Login

                    • Don't have an account? Register

                    • Login or register to search.
                    • First post
                      Last post
                    0
                    • Categories
                    • Recent
                    • Tags
                    • Popular
                    • World
                    • Users
                    • Groups