feat(startt): hello 'startt' default open tool
startt solves a long-standing Windows poor design/quirk: when you do
• cmd.exe /c start …
• Explorer “Open with” or protocol handler
• PowerShell Start-Process
or anything that calls ShellExecuteEx under the covers (even with SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS + WaitForInputIdle), the PID you get back is unusable for apps like Chrome. You can’t reliably find its window handle (HWND) or true process ID for automation, testing, or demos.
This initial proof of concept implementation of startt:
- Launches your file/URL/command via
ShellExecuteExW(SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS) - Blocks until the new process is idle (
WaitForInputIdle) - Snapshots all child processes (
Toolhelp32Snapshot) to catch helpers - Enumerates top-level windows (
EnumWindows) and filters by PID or child-PID - Matches on executable name and creation time for robustness
- Centers, flashes, and optionally shakes the found window for visual confirmation
- Restores minimized windows if needed, and reports both parent and child PIDs
- Reports both parent and child PIDs
- Ranks remaining candidates by process creation time, selecting the most recent
- Filters candidates by:
- PID match (parent or any child PID)
- Executable name contains the target command/document name
Because it uses only Win32 APIs (OpenProcess,GetProcessImageFileNameW,GetProcessTimes,EnumWindows, etc.), it works for any “start”-style invocation—making it perfect for scripts, CI jobs, or demo tooling where you need to programmatically find and manipulate the window/app you just opened.
See also:
- A protocol‐handler for launching & controlling Chrome via CDP https://crates.io/crates/debugchrome-cdp-rs
- "How to get HWND of window opened by ShellExecuteEx?," StackOverflow
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3269390/how-to-get-hwnd-of-window-opened-by-shellexecuteex-hprocess - PowerBasic forum thread on finding a shelled window handle
https://forum.powerbasic.com/forum/user-to-user-discussions/powerbasic-for-windows/13933-finding-the-handle-of-a-shelled-window
startt solves the problem of finding the hwnd and process id of a command or url that is launched by cmd.exe /c start, explorer , start-process, or anything that calls shellexecuteex under the covers.
its rough around the edges and not intended for any purpose but demonstration. it shakes the 1st found window; tested with chrome, vscode, mpv, msedge, cmd.
--dave horner 5/25
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