How do I send a string from one instance of my Delphi program to another?

Question

What is the best and easiest way to send a string from one instance of my program to another instance of my program? The receiving program has to execute a procedure, using the received string as a parameter.

I started reading about DDE but I got confused. What other options do I have, and what is the easiest way to implement this?

Answer 1

Use named Pipes, but I would recommend Russell Libby's named Pipe components. There is a TPipeClient and TPipeServer component.

As of (2013-10-04) Francoise Piette and [email protected] updated this source code to compile with Delphi 7 to XE5 (earlier versions may compile however untested) and put it here: http://www.overbyte.be/frame_index.html?redirTo=/blog_source_code.html

These 2 components make using named pipes incredibly easy, and named pipes are great for inter-process communication (IPC).

His website is here. Look for "Pipes.zip". The description from the source is: // Description : Set of client and server named pipe components for Delphi, as // well a console pipe redirection component.

Also, Russell helped me out on Experts-Exchange with using an older version of this component to work in a console app to send/receive messages over named pipes. This may help as a guide in getting you up and running with using his components. Please note, that in a VCL app or service, you don't need to write your own message loop as I did in this console app.

program CmdClient;
{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}

uses
  Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Pipes;

type
  TPipeEventHandler =  class(TObject)
  public
     procedure  OnPipeSent(Sender: TObject; Pipe: HPIPE; Size: DWORD);
  end;

procedure TPipeEventHandler.OnPipeSent(Sender: TObject; Pipe: HPIPE; Size: DWORD);
begin
  WriteLn('On Pipe Sent has executed!');
end;

var
  lpMsg:         TMsg;
  WideChars:     Array [0..255] of WideChar;
  myString:      String;
  iLength:       Integer;
  pcHandler:     TPipeClient;
  peHandler:     TPipeEventHandler;

begin

  // Create message queue for application
  PeekMessage(lpMsg, 0, WM_USER, WM_USER, PM_NOREMOVE);

  // Create client pipe handler
  pcHandler:=TPipeClient.CreateUnowned;
  // Resource protection
  try
     // Create event handler
     peHandler:=TPipeEventHandler.Create;
     // Resource protection
     try
        // Setup clien pipe
        pcHandler.PipeName:='myNamedPipe';
        pcHandler.ServerName:='.';
        pcHandler.OnPipeSent:=peHandler.OnPipeSent;
        // Resource protection
        try
           // Connect
           if pcHandler.Connect(5000) then
           begin
              // Dispatch messages for pipe client
              while PeekMessage(lpMsg, 0, 0, 0, PM_REMOVE) do DispatchMessage(lpMsg);
              // Setup for send
              myString:='the message I am sending';
              iLength:=Length(myString) + 1;
              StringToWideChar(myString, wideChars, iLength);
              // Send pipe message
              if pcHandler.Write(wideChars, iLength * 2) then
              begin
                 // Flush the pipe buffers
                 pcHandler.FlushPipeBuffers;
                 // Get the message
                 if GetMessage(lpMsg, pcHandler.WindowHandle, 0, 0) then DispatchMessage(lpMsg);
              end;
           end
           else
              // Failed to connect
              WriteLn('Failed to connect to ', pcHandler.PipeName);
        finally
           // Show complete
           Write('Complete...');
           // Delay
           ReadLn;
        end;
     finally
        // Disconnect event handler
        pcHandler.OnPipeSent:=nil;
        // Free event handler
        peHandler.Free;
     end;
  finally
     // Free pipe client
     pcHandler.Free;
  end;

end.

Answer 2

I use named pipes for this, it was the easiest one I found. I'll post the code when I get home from work.

Here's an article on how to use it in delphi: http://www.delphi3000.com/articles/article_2918.asp?SK=

There's a million solutions to this by the way, all of them seem to be annoying. Pipes is the best one I've found so far.

Here's the code, sorry about the delay. You should check out the Pipe library mentioned by Mick too. The thing I've done here was a pretty quick experiment. Please note that it was made in Delphi 2009.

unit PetriW.Pipes;

interface

uses
  Windows,
  Classes,
  Forms,
  SyncObjs,
  SysUtils
  ;

type
  TPBPipeServerReceivedDataEvent = procedure(AData: string) of object;

  TPBPipeServer = class
  private
    type
      TPBPipeServerThread = class(TThread)
      private
        FServer: TPBPipeServer;
      protected
      public
        procedure Execute; override;

        property  Server: TPBPipeServer read FServer;
      end;
  private
    FOnReceivedData: TPBPipeServerReceivedDataEvent;
    FPath: string;
    FPipeHandle: THandle;
    FShutdownEvent: TEvent;
    FThread: TPBPipeServerThread;
  protected
  public
    constructor Create(APath: string);
    destructor Destroy; override;

    property  Path: string read FPath;

    property  OnReceivedData: TPBPipeServerReceivedDataEvent read FOnReceivedData write FOnReceivedData;
  end;

  TPBPipeClient = class
  private
    FPath: string;
  protected
  public
    constructor Create(APath: string);
    destructor Destroy; override;

    property  Path: string read FPath;

    procedure SendData(AData: string); overload;
    class procedure SendData(APath, AData: string); overload;
  end;

implementation

const
  PIPE_MESSAGE_SIZE = $20000;

{ TPipeServer }

constructor TPBPipeServer.Create(APath: string);
begin
  FPath := APath;

  FShutdownEvent := TEvent.Create(nil, True, False, '');

  FPipeHandle := CreateNamedPipe(
    PWideChar(FPath),
    PIPE_ACCESS_DUPLEX or FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED,
    PIPE_TYPE_MESSAGE or PIPE_READMODE_MESSAGE or PIPE_WAIT,
    PIPE_UNLIMITED_INSTANCES,
    SizeOf(Integer),
    PIPE_MESSAGE_SIZE,
    NMPWAIT_USE_DEFAULT_WAIT,
    nil
  );

  if FPipeHandle = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE then
    RaiseLastOSError;

  FThread := TPBPipeServerThread.Create(true);
  FThread.FreeOnTerminate := false;
  FThread.FServer := self;
  FThread.Resume;
end;

destructor TPBPipeServer.Destroy;
begin
  FShutdownEvent.SetEvent;
  FreeAndNil(FThread);
  CloseHandle(FPipeHandle);
  FreeAndNil(FShutdownEvent);

  inherited;
end;

{ TPipeServer.TPipeServerThread }

procedure TPBPipeServer.TPBPipeServerThread.Execute;
var
  ConnectEvent, ReadEvent: TEvent;
  events: THandleObjectArray;
  opconnect, opread: TOverlapped;
  Signal: THandleObject;
  buffer: TBytes;
  bytesRead, error: Cardinal;
begin
  inherited;

  //SetThreadName('TPBPipeServer.TPBPipeServerThread');

  ConnectEvent := TEvent.Create(nil, False, False, '');
  try
    setlength(events, 2);
    events[1] := Server.FShutdownEvent;

    FillMemory(@opconnect, SizeOf(TOverlapped), 0);
    opconnect.hEvent := ConnectEvent.Handle;

    while not Terminated do
    begin
      ConnectNamedPipe(Server.FPipeHandle, @opconnect);

      events[0] := ConnectEvent;
      THandleObject.WaitForMultiple(events, INFINITE, False, Signal);
      if Signal = ConnectEvent then
      try
        // successful connect!
        ReadEvent := TEvent.Create(nil, True, False, '');
        try
          FillMemory(@opread, SizeOf(TOverlapped), 0);
          opread.hEvent := ReadEvent.Handle;
          setlength(buffer, PIPE_MESSAGE_SIZE);

          if not ReadFile(Server.FPipeHandle, buffer[0], PIPE_MESSAGE_SIZE, bytesRead, @opread) then
          begin
            error := GetLastError;
            if error = ERROR_IO_PENDING then
            begin
              if not GetOverlappedResult(Server.FPipeHandle, opread, bytesRead, True) then
                error := GetLastError
              else
                error := ERROR_SUCCESS;
            end;
            if error = ERROR_BROKEN_PIPE then
              // ignore, but discard data
              bytesRead := 0
            else if error = ERROR_SUCCESS then
              // ignore
            else
              RaiseLastOSError(error);
          end;

          if (bytesRead > 0) and Assigned(Server.OnReceivedData) then
            Server.OnReceivedData(TEncoding.Unicode.GetString(buffer, 0, bytesRead));

          // Set result to 1
          PInteger(@buffer[0])^ := 1;
          if not WriteFile(Server.FPipeHandle, buffer[0], SizeOf(Integer), bytesRead, @opread) then
          begin
            error := GetLastError;
            if error = ERROR_IO_PENDING then
            begin
              if not GetOverlappedResult(Server.FPipeHandle, opread, bytesRead, True) then
                error := GetLastError
              else
                error := ERROR_SUCCESS;
            end;
            if error = ERROR_BROKEN_PIPE then
              // ignore
            else if error = ERROR_SUCCESS then
              // ignore
            else
              RaiseLastOSError(error);
          end;
        finally
          FreeAndNil(ReadEvent);
        end;
      finally
        DisconnectNamedPipe(Server.FPipeHandle);
      end
      else if Signal = Server.FShutdownEvent then
      begin
        // server is shutting down!
        Terminate;
      end;
    end;
  finally
    FreeAndNil(ConnectEvent);
  end;
end;

{ TPBPipeClient }

constructor TPBPipeClient.Create(APath: string);
begin
  FPath := APath;
end;

destructor TPBPipeClient.Destroy;
begin

  inherited;
end;

class procedure TPBPipeClient.SendData(APath, AData: string);
var
  bytesRead: Cardinal;
  success: Integer;
begin
  if not CallNamedPipe(PWideChar(APath), PWideChar(AData), length(AData) * SizeOf(Char), @success, SizeOf(Integer), bytesRead, NMPWAIT_USE_DEFAULT_WAIT) then
    RaiseLastOSError;
end;

procedure TPBPipeClient.SendData(AData: string);
var
  bytesRead: Cardinal;
  success: boolean;
begin
  if not CallNamedPipe(PWideChar(FPath), PWideChar(AData), length(AData) * SizeOf(Char), @success, SizeOf(Integer), bytesRead, NMPWAIT_USE_DEFAULT_WAIT) then
    RaiseLastOSError;
end;

end.

Here's how I send something:

TPBPipeClient.SendData('\\.\pipe\pipe server E5DE3B9655BE4885ABD5C90196EF0EC5', 'HELLO');

Here's how I read something:

procedure TfoMain.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  PipeServer := TPBPipeServer.Create('\\.\pipe\pipe server E5DE3B9655BE4885ABD5C90196EF0EC5');
  PipeServer.OnReceivedData := PipeDataReceived;
end;

procedure TfoMain.PipeDataReceived(AData: string);
begin
  if AData = 'HELLO' then
    // do something, but note that you're not in the main thread, you're in the pipe server thread
end;

Answer 3

For very short messages, WM_COPYDATA is probably the easiest. Other than that, there is PetriW's suggestion of named pipes, or sockets.

Answer 4

See JclAppInstances in the JCL.