I have generally written services as console apps first, with
`Console.WriteLine` injected as a log through the application. Then to
create an installer I just look at the command line options, so my
main() looks like:
if (options.Help) {
// show help
return;
}
if (options.Install) {
InstallTheService(GetTransactedInstaller());
return;
}
if (options.Uninstall) {
UninstallTheService(GetTransactedInstaller());
return;
}
// nothing to action, just spin up the service
Then you need to decide whether you are running in console or as a
service, and swap out the console for a windows log if required.
If you want to access the service once it is installed I would have a
GUI that accesses the service via a socket or RPC or indirectly through
the file system or a database, surfaced via something like a
notification icon, so WinForms or WPF. There are limitations on services
running on the desktop that I believe get stricter the more modern an OS
you are running so I wouldn't even bother trying to surface it directly.
But if you want to be able to run a WinForms app that provides a service
- think SMTP4DEV, is a notify app that spins up a loopback SMTP server -
but with the ability to install that service as a Windows service, you
would just replace the command line option solution above with a button
in the application that runs the service installer, I'm guessing with
options that are controlled in the GUI.
Cheers
Ben Scott
@belfryimages
On 22/07/13 5:34 PM, Tom Rutter wrote:
Does it need to run even when no user is logged in?
If not, then you could just create a gui app as required and add it to
the Windows startup list. Much cleaner and using the features already
built into Windows.
On Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 3:43 PM, <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I have gui that provides extra functionality when required but
installed as service so a reboot doesn’t affect operation.
*From:*[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>
[mailto:[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>] *On Behalf Of *Tom Rutter
*Sent:* Monday, 22 July 2013 3:26 PM
*To:* ozDotNet
*Subject:* Re: Winforms\WIndows Service
Yeh I maintained an app back in the day that did this for
debugging purposes. Just had 2 code paths. Don't really need it
though. I can't think of a reason you would need this off the top
of my head.
On Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 10:13 AM, <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I found some code a while back that allowed me to have an
application that could run as a service or a winform
interface…anyone done this before?
Anthony
