Read the URL of the Browser

Question

hi friends I am trying to create a win application. Which will run in the background(System Tray). I enter 2 parameters 1.url(www.google.com) 2.value(1) If the user opens the browser with url www.google.com?value=1 Then the application should give Pop-up message indicating this url has been opened with its link. My problem is how to Check if browser is opened and if opened has this url been opened? Any suggestions to this topic will be highly appreciated.

nithin eate · Answer

Hi Menon I am also looking for the same functionality. Can you provide me a code which is ideal and works fine.. Thank you in advance. Nithin

Sam Hobbs · Answer

Yes it could be used for malicious purposes or other bad things but look at it this way. There is not a way to add scripts to be executed to pages for doing things that the client user wants done. It is possible to put a WebBrowser control in a form and then pages that are browsed to in it can be processed but then many of the features of IE either is not available or must be re-created. Also some web sites do a post-back to open links and then the only way to get (scrape) the information is to monitor the opening of browser windows. So it is entirely possible that there is a very valid reason to monitor browser windows. I hope I am not giving someone with malicious intent a way to justify the need for doing what is requested here but it is difficult to know.

Ibrahim Ersoy · Answer

Forgive me if im so suspective and gone too farwhy are you trying to build this application? What is your purpose? I smell bad things coming from the kitchen

Sam Hobbs · Answer

I think it is incorrect to say that there is not something available. Perhaps I don't understaned the requirement but I think there is a solution. Vinayak please create a new thread (question) and describe your requirements. In the new thread tell us if this must work for many browsers such as IE and Firefox and others or if you need it for just IE. I think I can help you with IE but please create a new thread. Then in the new thread when your question is answered please check the checkbox indicating you have an answer.

Vinayak · Answer

Hi Menon & Satish I'm also trying to achieve a similar thing. Given an URL I need to find out which browser window was launched with that URL. Then I will find out the position coordinates (and details of the monitor if User has got multiple monitors). I will then return this information to the caller. The idea is to allow user to save their current configuration so that next time user can restore all the browser windows at the same location as before. It looks like you have managed to find out which browser window is running with a given URL. You mentioned using Microsoft internal library. Please share your solution with me if you can. Thanks Vinayak

Menon · Answer

Hi Satish Thanks alot. I will definitely try your code. I have found something else. That also works. That is the Microsoft Internal Library. Using that i have managed to get my requirement done. I am looking forward now if it is posssible for Mozilla also. I know its bit too much. But just try. Again Thanks Regards

Sateesh Arveti · Answer

Hi Manon there is no builtin functions to implement ur requirement.The solutionwhat i feel is create a threading's timer and check all processes which is having processname as iexplore and get handle for textbox(addressbar) to get its content for every second.i am pasting a sample code here.pleasehave a look at it. #region Main class Program { public static Timer t = null; static void Main(string[] args) { System.Threading.TimerCallback timerDelegate = new System.Threading.TimerCallback(CheckAllProcesses); t = new System.Threading.Timer(timerDelegate null 0 1000); timerDelegate.Invoke(new object()); } #region WIN32 API [DllImport(user32.dll EntryPoint = SendMessage)] private static extern int SendMessage(IntPtr hwnd int msg int wParam StringBuilder sb); [DllImport(user32.dll EntryPoint = FindWindow)] private static extern IntPtr FindWindow(string _ClassName string _WindowName); [DllImport(user32.dll EntryPoint = FindWindowEx)] private static extern IntPtr FindWindowEx(IntPtr _Parent int _ChildAfter string _ClassName string _WindowName); public const int WM_GETTEXTLENGTH = 0x000E; public const int WM_GETTEXT = 0x000D; #endregion private static void CheckAllProcesses(object temp) { int length = 100; foreach (Process p in Process.GetProcesses()) { if (p.ProcessName == iexplore) { IntPtr worker = FindWindowEx(p.MainWindowHandle 0 WorkerW null); IntPtr toolbar = FindWindowEx(worker 0 rebarwindow32 null); IntPtr comboboxex = FindWindowEx(toolbar 0 comboboxex32 null); IntPtr combo = FindWindowEx(comboboxex 0 ComboBox null); IntPtr edit = FindWindowEx(combo 0 Edit null); StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(length + 1); SendMessage(edit WM_GETTEXT length + 1 sb); if (sb.ToString().ToLower().IndexOf(google.com) != -1) { Console.WriteLine(sb.ToString()); if (sb.ToString().IndexOf(?) != -1) { string parm = sb.ToString().Substring(sb.ToString().IndexOf(?) + 1); Console.WriteLine(parm); } } } } Console.ReadLine(); } } #endregion