How can i have a shell controlled in a form? Like having the MS DOS screen/window within a form?

If you want to have MS-DOS prompt on your form, then it is a huge project to develop. You may search for the DOS emulators written in VB, there are some of them available, just see if they satisfy your needs.

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Thanks for your prompt response! Well, not MSDOS, but a program i use a work that is kinda old school like MSDOS.  It is used to look at customer accounts.  How hard is it to have any type of program embedded in a form?

Embedding some app in your application is not hard, but then you will hardly control the uotput from it. Here is the code from www.allapi.com for embedding some app in your app

Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As Long, ByVal lpWindowName As Long) As Long Private Declare Function GetParent Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long Private Declare Function SetParent Lib "user32" (ByVal hWndChild As Long, ByVal hWndNewParent As Long) As Long Private Declare Function GetWindowThreadProcessId Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, lpdwProcessId As Long) As Long Private Declare Function GetWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wCmd As Long) As Long Private Declare Function LockWindowUpdate Lib "user32" (ByVal hwndLock As Long) As Long Private Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "user32" () As Long Private Declare Function DestroyWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long Private Declare Function TerminateProcess Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hProcess As Long, ByVal uExitCode As Long) As Long Private Declare Function GetCurrentProcess Lib "kernel32" () As Long Private Declare Function Putfocus Lib "user32" Alias "SetFocus" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long Const GW_HWNDNEXT = 2 Dim mWnd As Long Function InstanceToWnd(ByVal target_pid As Long) As Long     Dim test_hwnd As Long, test_pid As Long, test_thread_id As Long     'Find the first window     test_hwnd = FindWindow(ByVal 0&, ByVal 0&)     Do While test_hwnd <> 0         'Check if the window isn't a child         If GetParent(test_hwnd) = 0 Then             'Get the window's thread             test_thread_id = GetWindowThreadProcessId(test_hwnd, test_pid)             If test_pid = target_pid Then                 InstanceToWnd = test_hwnd                 Exit Do             End If         End If         'retrieve the next window         test_hwnd = GetWindow(test_hwnd, GW_HWNDNEXT)     Loop End Function Private Sub Form_Load()     'KPD-Team 1999     'URL: http://www.allapi.net/     'E-Mail: KPDTeam@Allapi.net     Dim Pid As Long     'Lock the window update     LockWindowUpdate GetDesktopWindow     'Execute notepad.Exe     Pid = Shell("c:\windows\notepad.exe", vbNormalFocus)     If Pid = 0 Then MsgBox "Error starting the app"     'retrieve the handle of the window     mWnd = InstanceToWnd(Pid)     'Set the notepad's parent     SetParent mWnd, Me.hwnd     'Put the focus on notepad     Putfocus mWnd     'Unlock windowupdate     LockWindowUpdate False End Sub Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)     'Unload notepad     DestroyWindow mWnd     'End this program     TerminateProcess GetCurrentProcess, 0 End Sub

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Sweet! Thanks!  Is there an explanation why an application like "TELNET" does not not stay "inside" the form like "NOTEPAD" does?  Is there a way to lock where the application is positioned on/in the form? I think i would be using this method for an application like TELNET

Never tried it with telnet, so I am not aware of the problems that can occur. You can set forms position, like with SetWindowPos API

[Edited by Goran on 02-09-2004 at 10:51 PM GMT]

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