Need command to restart Notepad ++

andrecool-68

In the file shortcuts.xml I wrote this code:

		<Command name="Restart" Ctrl="no" Alt="no" Shift="no" Key="0">Restart.bat</Command>

It runs the Restart.bat file with this code:

taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe
start notepad++.exe

Is there a simpler solution to restart Notepad ++ from the menu “Run”?

dinkumoil

@andrecool-68

IMHO your code is even too simple. The TASKKILL command doesn’t really kill a process, instead it sends a signal to a process requesting to terminate itself. This way an application can show a confirmation dialog when it has unsaved data/documents. Notepad++ behaves exactly like that. Thus the start notepad++ command may fail to start a new instance of Npp if it is set to single-instance-mode.

That’s the code I use for the same purpose (VB Script). It expects as the first command line argument the path to the Npp directory.

Option Explicit


'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Variables declaration
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dim objFSO, objWshShell, objWMIService
Dim colProcesses, objProcess, strInstanceQuery
Dim colEvents, objEvent, strEventQuery, intInterval
Dim strNppDirPath, strNppExeName, strNppExePath


'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Variables initialization
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Set objFSO        = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objWshShell   = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\.\root\cimv2" )

strNppExeName     = "notepad++.exe"
intInterval       = 1


'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Request termination of running Npp, wait for its termination and restart it
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If WScript.Arguments.Count > 0 Then
  strNppDirPath = WScript.Arguments(0)
  strNppExePath = objFSO.BuildPath(strNppDirPath, strNppExeName)

  If objFSO.FileExists(strNppExePath) Then
    strInstanceQuery = "SELECT * FROM Win32_Process" & _
                       " WHERE ExecutablePath = '" & EscapeForWMI(strNppExePath) & "'"

    strEventQuery    = "SELECT * FROM __InstanceOperationEvent" & _
                       " WITHIN " & intInterval & _
                       " WHERE TargetInstance ISA 'Win32_Process'" & _
                       " AND TargetInstance.ExecutablePath = '" & EscapeForWMI(strNppExePath) & "'"

    Set colProcesses = objWMIService.ExecQuery(strInstanceQuery)

    For Each objProcess In colProcesses
      objWshShell.Run "taskkill /im " & Quote(strNppExeName), 0, False

      Set colEvents = objWMIService.ExecNotificationQuery(strEventQuery)

      Do
        Set objEvent = colEvents.NextEvent()

        Select Case objEvent.Path_.Class
          Case "__InstanceDeletionEvent" Exit Do
        End Select
      Loop

      objWshShell.Run Quote(strNppExePath), 1, False

      Exit For
    Next
  End If
End If




'===============================================================================
' Surround a string with double quotes
'===============================================================================

Function Quote(ByRef strString)
  Quote = """" & strString & """"
End Function


'===============================================================================
' Escape special chars of string for using it with WMI
'===============================================================================

Function EscapeForWMI(ByRef strAString)
  EscapeForWMI = Replace(strAString, "\", "\\")
End Function

This is the required entry for shortcuts.xml:

<Command name="Restart" Ctrl="no" Alt="no" Shift="no" Key="0">wscript.exe /nologo "<Path-To-Restart-Script>" "$(NPP_DIRECTORY)"</Command>

Meta Chuh

@dinkumoil

The TASKKILL command doesn’t really kill a process, instead it sends a signal to a process requesting to terminate itself.

not quite. with the /f switch in taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe, the process will be terminated non graceful and immediately.
but your script is cool.

@andrecool-68

you can put it directly into shortcut.xml, without an extra batch file:

<Command name="Restart" Ctrl="no" Alt="no" Shift="no" Key="0">cmd /c taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe && "FULL_PATH_TO_YOUR\notepad++.exe"</Command>

dinkumoil

@Meta-Chuh said:

with the /f switch in taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe, the process will be terminated non graceful and immediately.

You are right. I assumed that nobody wants to loose his unsaved documents, but there may be cases.

andrecool-68

@Meta-Chuh
And how is such a combination of two code variants … does it violate the laws of criminal law?

<Command name="Restart" Ctrl="no" Alt="no" Shift="no" Key="0">cmd /c taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe && start notepad++.exe</Command>

dinkumoil

@andrecool-68

You have to escape the & characters to be compliant with the XML syntax:

<Command name="Restart" Ctrl="no" Alt="no" Shift="no" Key="0">cmd /c taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe &amp;&amp; start notepad++.exe</Command>

But why do you want to do that? It is not necessary to explicitly launch cmd.exe since taskkill is a console command, hence cmd.exe is started automatically. Or, to be exact, taskkill is started and attached to a new console.

EDIT: Forget what I wrote above, you want to start Npp after terminating the running instance, thus you need to call cmd.exe.

andrecool-68

@dinkumoil I just want to get the most minimal code.

dinkumoil

@andrecool-68

Ah, now I understand your point, you erased the FULL_PATH_TO_YOUR\ part of @Meta-Chuh 's code.

Well, I would say you are lucky that it works without the full path to Npp. I guess currently Npp sets its own path as the current path when it executes the command. But I would not rely on that, maybe this behaviour changes in the future.

Over the years I got used to ALWAYS use fully qualified and quoted paths. This makes your scripts error proof and thus your life much more easy.

andrecool-68

@dinkumoil I always use the portable version of Notepad ++, and try not to write full paths.

dinkumoil

@andrecool-68

You can use the Npp environment variable $(NPP_DIRECTORY).

andrecool-68

@dinkumoil said:

@andrecool-68

You can use the Npp environment variable $(NPP_DIRECTORY).

This is the most suitable way.

rinku singh

try

@echo off

taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe
“C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe”

cls

andrecool-68

@gurikbal-singh said:

try

@echo off

taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe
“C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe”

cls

I tried to get rid of it … and you offer me to return to this?

Meta Chuh

@andrecool-68

I tried to get rid of it … and you offer me to return to this?

the translator of @gurikbal-singh is on holiday 😁

Meta Chuh

@andrecool-68

by the way:

And how is such a combination of two code variants … does it violate the laws of criminal law?
<Command name="Restart" Ctrl="no" Alt="no" Shift="no" Key="0">cmd /c taskkill /f /im notepad++.exe && start notepad++.exe</Command>

lol, no, everything is legal 😉

your version is correct, mine was wrong, as it keeps the cmd window open.
i just have forgotten the start command while typing, sorry 🙏

Ekopalypse

Just for completeness, there is also the $(NPP_FULL_FILE_PATH) variable.

andrecool-68

@Ekopalypse said:

Just for completeness, there is also the $(NPP_FULL_FILE_PATH) variable.

Please show me an example of your solution code.

Ekopalypse

@andrecool-68

I don’t have one, it was in response to your response about using $(NPP_DIRECTORY),
which would mean you need to concatenate directory and executable wheres $(NPP_FULL_FILE_PATH) is already the complete path.
Did I misunderstood something?

andrecool-68

@Ekopalypse I understood))