How to launch a desktop shortcut for an application?

[Awesome Programmer]

hey, I would like to know how you can programmatically click on a desktop shortcut for an application like say notepad.

I found a code that lets you create a desktop shortcut. I would like to know how you click on it or execute the shortcut.


Thanks.

[dbannon]

Maybe it would make more sense to run eg notepad directly ?

https://wiki.freepascal.org/Executing_External_Programs

Davo

[marcov]

Execute over shellexecute()

[RayoGlauco]

You can simulate a mouse clic as this example shows. But the previous answers are quite right.

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. uses JwaWinUser
2.  
3. procedure MouseButtonDown(rightbutton: boolean);
4. var
5.   Input: TInput;
6. begin
7.   FillChar(Input, SizeOf(Input), 0);
8.   Input.mi.mouseData := 0;
9.   Input.mi.dx := 0;
10.   Input.mi.dy := 0;
11.   Input.type_ := INPUT_MOUSE;
12.   if rightbutton then
13.     Input.mi.dwFlags := MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN
14.   else
15.     Input.mi.dwFlags := MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN;
16.   SendInput(1, @Input, SizeOf(Input));
17.  
18. procedure MouseButtonUp(rightbutton: boolean);
19. var
20.   Input: TInput;
21. begin
22.   FillChar(Input, SizeOf(Input), 0);
23.   Input.mi.mouseData := 0;
24.   Input.mi.dx := 0;
25.   Input.mi.dy := 0;
26.   Input.type_ := INPUT_MOUSE;
27.   if rightbutton then
28.     Input.mi.dwFlags := MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP
29.   else
30.     Input.mi.dwFlags := MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP;
31.   SendInput(1, @Input, SizeOf(Input));
32. end;        
33.  
34. procedure SendMouseClick(rightbutton: boolean);
35. begin
36.   MouseButtonDown(rightbutton);
37.   sleep(30);
38.   MouseButtonUp(rightbutton);
39. end;    
40.  
41. end;

[Awesome Programmer]

Well, I might not have been more clear with my post... I want my program to be able to execute a desktop shortcut knowing what the name of the shortcut is. I am not trying to run Notepad... that was just an example...

I wrote a program that creates a shortcut for a program on the desktop and I want to execute or "run" that shortcut.

Thank you all for the reply.

[RayoGlauco]

Take a look on this topic:
https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php?topic=1709.0

[Awesome Programmer]

Take a look on this topic:
https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php?topic=1709.0

Thank you for your reply, but that question deals with creating a .ink shortcut. I already have a program that does. I want to be able to LAUNCH that .ink link I created from my program. How do you do that?

[AlexTP]

Did you try this?
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/shellapi/nf-shellapi-shellexecutea