Way to monitor API calls of programs?

[bbranded]

Hello, Beyond monitoring registry, file system, etc access with process monitor, and window messages with the likes of something like Winspector, is there a piece of software that can watch API calls of processes? Thanks, Matt

[Garth J Lancaster]

I was tempted to say .. 'look at Detours' qv http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/detours/[^], but that doesnt help you in a C# environment AND I think you'd still have to know what API calls you were going to watch ahead of time .. so Im sorry, this is a waste of a post - I hope someone else has useful info for you .. 'g'

[bbranded]

That's very interesting, and brings up the point that the senior dev at my work said... detour/redirect the APIs. I think that process monitor actually attaches a debugger to each process, this isn't enough? What about analyzing the call stack (like process explorer), but in an on going logging manner? Thanks, Matt [ud] eyyy yo[^]

modified on Friday, March 20, 2009 8:21 PM

[Garth J Lancaster]

bbranded wrote:

What about analyzing the call stack (like process explorer), but in an on going logging manner?

ok, I could see this being used for exploratory purposes/during development, but, 'on going' ... surely it would be very expensive cpu-wise ? Interesting issue though .. does tickle something in the reccesses of my deep/gutter like brain .. something about someone with an instrumentation API for C# - but it wasnt making him/them any money so I think it got canned .. lets see... well, it wasnt this http://tracetool.sourceforge.net/[^] I was thinking of, but it may give you ideas ... 'g'

[bbranded]

I don't mean "on going," like on going, but more like how you'd use process monitor. Process explorer's call stack thing is very small, and simple. I'm looking to passively observe, and am looking for a piece of software, although an API is cool too. I'm not particularly looking for a debugger, as I can't debug software I may need to monitor (I work at a hedge fund, and am a net and sys admin, but I do code in C#). Are you speaking of fastice, or whatever that debugger is? Thanks for the replies! Matt

[Garth J Lancaster]

bbranded wrote:

Are you speaking of fastice, or whatever that debugger is?

no, there was an instrumentation api/product out there - cant find it now :-( 'g'