In VBScript, I need to retrieve the process id of the currently running script: vbscript, process, id

by: DominicCroninPosted on 2004-07-17 at 10:02:15ID: 11575072

I don't have an answer for you, but I can tell you that in the past I have written a VB class just to be able to write "Private Declare Function GetCurrentProcessId Lib "kernel32.dll" () As Long"

AFAIK, you can't do this in a vbscript, although you could instantiate your VB class from a script, so that's a partial solution, but perhaps you don't want to deploy COM classes on your target machine?

Perhaps the process ID isn't the way to go. Have you thought about perhaps writing a registry key and then testing for it? This is an interesting problem and a solution will be generically useful.

by: shooksmPosted on 2004-07-17 at 20:42:53ID: 11576623

The script is already using the database to flag if it is currently running. The problem is if the script dies about once a month and leaves the flag open. I have no way of determining inside the script if the script is still truly active the next time it runs. I was hoping to get the pid so I could test to see if it has become stale. Unfortionatly, it has to stay a VBScript. Ill have to ask the server admin if I can register a dll.

by: DominicCroninPosted on 2004-07-18 at 06:37:58ID: 11577803

As you say, you can use WMI to get all the processes. Let's say you looped through and found all the cscript processes; there are a few things you could try. Here's a possible direction.

You can get the command line from Win32_process.CommandLine (assuming a recent Windows version). If you can generate some unique identifier for each run of your script, you could pass this as a command line argument. Within the script, you could check that the only running cscript process with the same script name also matches the identifier.

by: shooksmPosted on 2004-07-18 at 06:51:32ID: 11577839

The command line I am using now is pretty unique (the vbscript takes eight arguments) and since my script should only be running one instance of its self at any one moment. I think I can feel pretty safe that the pid related to the command line would be my process. I'll check it out on monday and let you know. Thanks for the suggestions.

by: shooksmPosted on 2004-07-19 at 11:15:48ID: 11585890

Kept on getting errors when referencing the CommandLine property. Looked up the WMI documentation and the CommandLine property is only implemented in Win XP and newer operating systems. This is running on a Win 2000 server so I am out of luck on that one.

by: shooksmPosted on 2004-07-22 at 10:07:49ID: 11614265

Looks like I am rewriting this in another language as I have been searching for the past couple of days with no luck on something that is built into or easily accessable to VBScript solving the problem. Thanks for the help. Hopefully the GetCurrentProcessID API call will help someone else out that is not restricted to just VBScript as I know it would work if I could register DLLs on the server.

by: shaffedmPosted on 2008-06-27 at 13:46:46ID: 21887465

<P>Use the Wshell object Exec method to create a temporary process. You can then use the WshExec.ProcessID to get that process's PID, and from there use WMI to get that process's ParentProcessID. That will be your process's PID. Once that is completed, terminate the process created with WshShell.Exec</P>

by: DanBenwayPosted on 2010-01-11 at 11:10:31ID: 26286222

I'm not entirely sure what the original poster was asking, but this subroutine will return the PID and owner of the currently running VB script.

Option Explicit
Dim str_processID
Dim str_processOwner



Call sub_getPIDAndOwnerInfoForThisScript (str_processID, str_processOwner)

wscript.echo str_processID
wscript.echo str_processOwner

wscript.Quit




'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Sub sub_getPIDAndOwnerInfoForThisScript (str_PID, str_owner)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Dim err_description
Dim err_number
Dim obj_process
Dim col_processList
Dim obj_WMIService
Dim str_commandLine
Dim str_scriptName
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

str_commandLine = "~!@#$%^&*()_+"
str_owner = "~!@#$%^&*()_+"
str_PID =  "~!@#$%^&*()_+"
str_scriptName = WScript.ScriptName

'on error resume Next '(do not halt on errors)
	Set obj_WMIService = GetObject ("winmgmts:\\.\root\cimv2")
'	err_number = err.number
'	err_description = err.description
'on error goto 0 '(halt on errors)

'on error resume Next '(do not halt on errors)
	Set col_processList = obj_WMIService.ExecQuery ("Select * from Win32_Process Where Name = ""WScript.exe"" OR Name = ""CScript.exe"" ")
'	err_number = err.number
'	err_description = err.description
'on error goto 0 '(halt on errors)

For Each obj_process In col_processList
	str_commandLine = obj_process.CommandLine
	If (InStr(1,str_commandLine, str_scriptName, vbTextCompare)<>0) Then
		str_PID	= obj_process.processID
		err_number = obj_process.getOwner(str_owner)
	End If
	str_commandLine = "~!@#$%^&*()_+"
Next

Set obj_WMIService = Nothing
Set col_processList = Nothing
Set obj_process = Nothing

End Sub
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

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In VBScript, I need to retrieve the process id of the currently running script

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