topic Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7 in ArcObjects SDK Questions

Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

DavidKroll — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:24:49 GMT

I have a Delphi application that calls ShellExecute on a .mxd file. It works fine in XP, but when trying to run on Win 7, ArcMap throws the error "Could not find file C:\users\username\My Documents\filename.mxd.mxd". I'm not passing the filename with 2 .mxd's at the end. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,

David

Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

RichardWatson — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:35:13 GMT

Since your file name has spaces in it, did you put quotes around it?

Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

DavidKroll — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:23:59 GMT

I'm using a variable in the ShellExecute, so there's not an actual filename.

ShellExecute(Handle, 'open', PChar(FileNameVariable), nil, nil, SW_SHOWNORMAL) ;

Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

RichardWatson — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:40:01 GMT

So the obvious question is what is the contents of FileNameVariable?

If you literally type that into the Windows Start menu Run command does it work?

Try a file path which does not have spaces in it.

Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

DavidKroll — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:00:34 GMT

Typing it in at the command prompt didn't work, so I moved the file to a path with no spaces and it works. Just amazes me how this works in XP but not 7. Oh well.

Thank you for your help!

Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

RichardWatson — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:06:28 GMT

It should work from ShellExecute as well. If the filename has spaces in it then you need to protect it by enclosing it in quotes.

In C#:

string fileName = @"""c:\file path\file name with spaces.mxd""";

It has been too long since I have written Pascal:(

Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

MichaelRobb — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:18:20 GMT

wow, shell... old school
windows 7 structures program files differently as well as user folders... (x86 for starters)
so USERNAME is going to be a different path...
As richard states, should work, try throwing the MXD is a simple folder path to test.

Re: Using ShellExecute to open .mxd - Win 7

JoeMadrigal — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 13:43:37 GMT

This works for me using the process class instead. I do not include the ".mxd" in my mapName variable.

System.Diagnostics.Process arcmap = new System.Diagnostics.Process();

arcmap.StartInfo.FileName = arcmappath + "\\arcmap.exe";
arcmap.StartInfo.Arguments = path + mapName;

arcmap.Start();