Using the shell command with netsh

General
1

Hello. I am trying to automate the process of connecting manually to the WiFi network before running my XOJO application on a windows 11 PC. It connects to a micro controller via WiFi.
I have searched and found some useful information in the forum. Thanks to those that have shared their code.
The problem that I first encountered is that the WiFi list needs to be refreshed or the netsh command will return an error more often than not. I thought that there would be an easy way to refresh the list from the shell command but I was wrong.
The only way I have found is this shell command
‘explorer.exe ms-availablenetworks’. it works every time, but opens the WiFi networks connection dialog. It’s not a deal breaker but it does require human intervention to close by just clicking anywhere off of the dialog box.
I am wondering if anyone has done this in a more elegant manner that would share it.
Thanks again.

This is the code I have in the opening event for the window.

Var sh As New Shell
var cmd As  String
cmd= "explorer.exe ms-availablenetworks:"
sh.Execute (cmd)
do
  App.DoEvents(25)
Loop Until Not sh.IsRunning

cmd = "netsh wlan connect ssid=swp_1 name=swp_1"
sh.Execute (cmd)
do
  App.DoEvents(25)
Loop Until Not sh.IsRunning

if sh.ExitCode = 0 then
  sh.Close
  Dim screenWidth As Integer = DesktopDisplay.DisplayAt(0).Width
  Dim screenHeight As Integer = DesktopDisplay.DisplayAt(0).Height
  
  me.Left = 20
  me.Top = screenHeight - 400
  
  tmrConnTimeout.RunMode = Timer.RunModes.Single
  dim devAdd as String = "http://" + devIP + "/?|19|"
  WebConn.Disconnect
  WebConn.Send("GET", devAdd)
else 
  MessageBox(sh.Result)
  sh.close
  Quit
end If
2

All of that App.DoEvents is accomplishing nothing and will very likely cause you problems. Your Shell.Execute code is already waiting until the tool completes so you don’t need it at all.

3

Thanks, I see that now. I have also discovered that the shell command that opens the wifi connections dialog needs a little time to build the list, so I added a timer for 1 second and now it works.

code in window opening event

Var sh As New Shell
var cmd As  String
cmd= "explorer.exe ms-availablenetworks:"
'cmd = "netsh wlan show networks"
sh.Execute (cmd)
sh.close
tmrStart.RunMode = Timer.RunModes.Single

code in the timer action

Var sh As New Shell
var cmd As  String
cmd = "netsh wlan connect ssid=swp_1 name=swp_1"
sh.Execute (cmd)

if sh.ExitCode = 0 then
  sh.Close
  Dim screenWidth As Integer = DesktopDisplay.DisplayAt(0).Width
  Dim screenHeight As Integer = DesktopDisplay.DisplayAt(0).Height
  
  WndSwitchPanel1.Left = 20
  WndSwitchPanel1.Top = screenHeight - 400
  
  dim devAdd as String = "http://" + devIP + "/?|19|"
  tmrConnTimeout.RunMode = Timer.RunModes.Single
  WebConn.Disconnect
  WebConn.Send("GET", devAdd)
else 
  MessageBox(sh.Result)
  sh.close
  Quit
end If
4

Much better! Well done. Timers are exactly the way to “wait” before doing something; although it’s better to think of it as scheduling something to happen. Using a Timer like this allows the rest of your application to remain responsive.

Generally speaking, App.DoEvents only belongs in console applications. It can and will cause unpredictable bugs in GUI apps - so if you find yourself reaching for it again, think twice and ask the forum for advice. :grin:

5

I appreciate the advice. I just basically copied it from another thread. I really didn’t understand what it did until I read more about it. Still learning after all these years.

1 Like
6

Actually I am going about this the wrong way. I think.
I am doing this to add some digital monitoring and control to my old analog boat. The Ethernet portion has been up and running for several years. Now I need to add a couple of wireless controllers for less critical operations.
The reason that WiFi won’t connect automatically is that there are both Ethernet and WiFi controllers on this system and neither connect to the internet.
I am going to try bridging the connections. It works on paper. I hope that solves this issue for me. I will give it a try later this week.
It is amazing how quickly one forgets how things work when you walk away for an extended period.
Thanks