INTERFACE BETWEEN A CONTROL PROCESS AND A TARGET PROCESS

Abstract: Indirect access and control of a target computer process from a control computer process in a multitasking computer operating system environment is described. The control process contains a dynamic linked library (DLL) file. A hook filter function is then inserted into the target process using one of the operating system commands. This forcibly maps the control process DLL into the target process memory space. The hook filter function monitors all messages from the operating system which enter the target process via its message queue. The control process places necessary arguments and data in the DLL and sends a message to the hook filter function requesting an operation within the target process. The hook filter function recognizes the message as being from the control process and that the arguments and data are in the DLL. Data may also be passed from the target process via the DLL to the control process.

Description: Interface Between a Control Process and a Target Process Technical Field The present invention relates to a method of indirectly accessing and controlling one process from another within a multitasking computer operating system environment. Background Art In older 16-bit personal computer operating system environments such as Windows 3.1 ® available from Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, all running programs— known as processes— share a single virtual address space. Any process can read from and write to memory belonging to any other process, even memory used by the operating system. If a first process inadvertently overwrites data being used by another running second process, the second process could well become unstable and crash. With the advent of 32-bit personal computer operating systems, more virtual address space is available and a more robust environment may be created which avoids this problem. In some 32-bit computer system operating environments such as Windows 95 ® , Windows 98 ® , and Windows NT ® , all available from Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, each process is assigned a unique process address space, typically, 4-GB. Such a process address space contains the executable code and data necessary for the process, that is, the code for the EXE and DLL files and their required data. In addition to an address space, a process also owns certain resources such as files, dynamic memory allocations, and threads. Within a given process, when pointers are used to reference memory, the pointer value refers to a memory address in that process's own assigned memory space. It is not possible for one process to create a pointer which references memory assigned to another process. As a result, the system is stable and robust, and less likely to crash due to memory conflicts. However, it is also very difficult for one process to interact with and affect another. For example, when a user is prompted for an input by a dialog box, the text from the user is typically stored in an edit control. An edit control is simply a window used to store free-form text input by a user. Within a process, accessing a given edit control is almost trivial. Simply obtaining the handle (or name) of a given edit control window allows access via the operating system's control window messages. However, the most common such control window messages do not work across process boundaries in a 32-bit system with separate virtual address spaces for each process. This is because use of control windows messages typically requires that some message argument parameters be in the form of a memory address of a required data structure. As described above, however, memory addresses are only meaningful within a given process. Thus, user text within an edit control of one process is not available to another process. To enable a speech recognition system to control a target process when both are running in an advanced 32-bit windowing computer, it is easy if the target application is written with features of the controlling speech recognition system in mind. However, for a speech recognition system to control a target process that is not thus speech-enabled requires utilizing whichever suite of characteristics the target process exhibits in relation to the operating system. These characteristics often make sophisticated control by a speech recognition system, at best, very difficult. Summary of the Invention A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method for interfacing between a control process and a target process in a multitasking computer operating system environment. The method includes the steps of : a. establishing a region of shared memory between the control process and the target process; b. generating a request with the control process for a desired operation by the target process and storing arguments and data for the request in the region of shared memory; c. communicating the request for the desired operation to the target process; and d. effecting execution of the desired operation by the target process. In another embodiment, the method includes: a. establishing a region of shared memory between the control process and the target process; b. hooking an executable link module into an address space of the target process; c. generating a request for a desired operation by the target process and storing arguments and data for the request in the shared memory; d. posting a private message from the control process to the target process notifying the executable link module of the request; e. receiving the private message in the executable link module; f. executing the requested action in the target process; and g. sending a private message acknowledgment from the executable link module to the control process. In such an embodiment, the step of receiving may further include retrieving arguments and data for the request from the shared memory. In addition, or alternatively, the step of sending may further include writing new data from the target process into the shared memory. In such an embodiment, the step of sending may further include retrieving the new data by the control process from the shared memory. A preferred embodiment is also directed to an interface system used between a control process and a target process in a multitasking computer operating system environment. Such a system comprises: a. a region of shared memory that is established between the control process and the target process; b. a request generator which generates a request from the control process for a desired operation by the target process and stores arguments and data for the request in the region of shared memory; c. a request communicator which communicates the request for the desired operation to the target process; and d. a request receiver which effects execution by the target process of the desired operation. Another preferred embodiment includes an interface system used between a control process and a target process in a multitasking computer operating system environment. Such a system comprises: a. a region of shared memory that is established between the control process and the target process; b. an executable link module hooked into an address space of the target process; c. a request generator which generates a request for a desired operation by the target process and stores arguments and data for the request in the shared memory; d. a request communicator which communicates the request for the desired operation to the executable link module; e. receiving the private message in the executable link module; f. means for executing the requested action in the target process; and g. a message acknowledger within the executable link module which sends a message acknowledging receipt and accomplishment of the request by the target process to the control process. Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates the logical flow associated with a preferred embodiment. Fig. 2 illustrates the inter-relationships of various functional blocks within the operating system environment according to a preferred embodiment. Fig. 3 illustrates computer process arrangements in which a preferred embodiment may be employed. Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments A preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figs. 1-3, includes a technique for an originating control process 24 having generally a non-keyboard input 32, to exchange detailed information with and send commands from a command output block 31 to a separate target process 27. Such techniques are useful, for instance, where the control process 24 is an automatic speech recognition engine 33 having a speech input 34, and running in a 32-bit operating system environment 21, such as Windows NT ® , and the target process 27 is a non-speech aware application, such as an e-mail program, running separately in the same operating system environment 21. It may be desirable for the speech recognition control process 24 to obtain access to and control various forms of data in another target process 27 ranging from simple text to more complex data structures such as in a database file. A preferred embodiment may be advantageously employed in various operating system environments 21, including, for instance, Windows NT ® , Windows 95 ® , Windows 98 ® , X for Windows, and UNIX. A preferred embodiment involves inserting a hook filter function 26 (also known as a callback function) into the target process 27, and creating a pointer 29b from the hook filter function 26 to an executable link module in shared system memory, such as a dynamic linked library (DLL) file 25. A hook filter function 26 is a program mechanism which can intercept events in a process message queue 28 such as messages, keystrokes, and mouse actions before they reach the target process 27. To operate between separate processes, the filter function invoked by the hook filter function 26 is placed within a DLL 25. The DLL 25 then allows inter-process communication and control via shared memory within the DLL 25. Thus, the shared memory 25 is common to the operating system 21 and accessible to both the control process 24 via pointer 29a, and the target process 27 via pointer 29b. This technique allows for very efficient transfer of information between the control process 24 and the target process 27. In addition, the control process 24 may obtain access to information from the target process 27 which is not usually available via inter process communication (IPC), such as user input text in the edit control of a dialog box of a target process 27. It also allows text from the control process 24, e.g.,the text output from an automatic speech recognition program, to be passed, via the shared memory in the DLL 25, to an edit control in the target process 27 which treats the text as if it were provided by the user from a keyboard. Such inter-process text passing to a target process edit control may be considered a short term or an immediately obtainable advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. More prolonged or longer term usefulness may also be realized. For example, the hook filter function 26 may be employed for ongoing monitoring of the operation of the target process 27 for the occurrence of target process events which are of interest to the control process 24. Such interesting events may include, for example, opening a menu, making a menu selection, or opening a dialog box within the target process 27. A preferred embodiment may start with the control process 24 installing a WH_GETMESSAGE hook filter function 26 in the target process 27, step 11 in Fig. 1. The hook filter function 26 is installed by calling SetWindoiυsHookEx as follows: HHOOK hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_GETMESSAGE, GetMsgProc, hinstDll, TargetThreadName); The first parameter, WH_GETMESSAGE, indicates the type of hook filter function 26 to install. WH_GETMESSAGE is a hook filter function 26 called when the GetMessage or the PeekMessage function is about to return a message to the target process 27. The hook filter function 26 will receive a pointer 29b to a message structure within the shared memory of the DLL 25 which contains the actual message. The second parameter, GetMsgProc, identifies the address of a function in the shared memory of the DLL 25 that the operating system 21 should call whenever a window in the target process 27 is about to process a message in its message queue 28. The third parameter, hinstDll, identifies the DLL 25 that contains the GetMsgProc function. In Windows NT, a DLL's hinstDll value identifies the 32-bit virtual memory address where the DLL 25 is mapped into the address space 22 of the control process 24. Since the memory address space of the DLL 25 will be shared by both the control process 24 and the target process 27, it may be considered accessible to each process via a pointer, 29a and 29b respectively. The fourth parameter, TargetThreadName, identifies the thread to hook in the target process 27. A value of NULL may be passed for the fourth parameter to instruct the operating system 21 to hook all threads in the system. When GetMessage or PeekMessage is about to return a message to the target process 27 from the message queue 28, the operating system 21 checks whether a WH_GETMESSAGE hook 26 is installed on that thread in the target process 27, and whether the DLL 25 containing the GetMsgProc function is mapped into the address space 23 of the target process 27. If the DLL 25 has not been mapped, the operating system 21 forces the DLL 25 to be mapped into the address space 23 of the target process 27 via pointer 29b and increments a lock count on the mapping of the DLL 25 in the target process 27. The operating system 21 looks at the hinstDll of the DLL 25 as it applies to the target process 27 and checks to see whether the hinstDll of the DLL 25 is at the same location as it applies to the control process 24. If the hinstDlls are the same, the memory address of the GetMsgProc function is also the same in the two process address spaces. In such a case, the operating system 21 can simply call the GetMsgProc function in the address space 22 of the control process 24. If the hinstDlls are different, the operating system 21 must determine the virtual memory address of the GetMsgProc function in the address space 23 of the target process 27 according to the following formula: GetMsgProcTarget = hinstDHTarget + (GetMsgProcControl - hinstDUControl) Subtracting hinstDUControl from GetMsgProcControl results in the offset in bytes for the GetMsgProc function. Adding this offset to hinstDHTarget gives the location of the GetMsgProc function as it applies to the mapping of the DLL 25 in the address space 23 of the target process 27. The operating system 21 increments a lock count on the mapping of the DLL 25 in the address space 23 of the target process 27, and also calls the GetMsgProc function in the address space 23 of the target process 27. When GetMsgProc returns, the operating system 21 decrements a lock count on the mapping of the DLL 25 in the target process 27. Injecting or mapping the DLL 25 containing the hook filter function 26 maps the whole DLL 25 into the target process 27, not just the hook filter function 26. Any and all functions contained in the DLL 25 now exist and can be called from threads running in the context of the target process 27. For instance, to subclass a window created by a thread in the target process 27, the WH_GETMESSAGE hook 26 is set on the thread that created the window, and then, when the GetMsgProc function is called, call SetWindozυLong to subclass the window. Of course, the subclass procedure must be in the same DLL 25 as the GetMsgProc function. The hook filter function 26 examines messages in the message queue 28 coming into the target process 27 for messages from the control process 24. Thereafter, the control process 24, in step 12, may generate a request for action or information from the target process 27 and via the pointer 29a place in the shared memory of the DLL 25 a description of the type of operation requested and any arguments necessary. Then, in step 13, a message is sent from the control process 24 to the target process 27 notifying the hook filter function 26 of the request from the control function 24. This message includes an index pointer, 29b in Fig. 2, to the shared memory location in the DLL 25 where the required information and arguments are available. The hook filter function 26 in the target process 27, in step 14, receives the message in the address space 23 of the target process 27, recognizes the message as a command from the control process 24, and uses the index pointer 29 to obtain the necessary information and arguments from the shared memory of the DLL 25, step 15. The target process 27, in step 16, then makes calls to the operating system 21 accessing the pertinent window to perform the required operation. As a result of this sequence, the control process 24 enjoys the same level of access within the target process 27 as does the target process 27 itself. The control process 24 may thereafter perform any actions within the target process 27 which the target process 27 itself could do. Thus, the message may direct the target process 27 to, for example, move the insertion point, or retrieve text or data from an edit control in the target process 27 and, optionally as in step 17, write the data to the shared memory of the DLL 25. After the control process 24 has sent its initial message to the hook filter function 26, it waits for notification from the target process 27 that it has accomplished the directed operation. This notification, according to step 18 of Fig. 1, may be accomplished in various manners such as by posting a message in the message queue of the control process 24, or by changing the state of an event object which managed by the operating system 21 and monitored by the control process 24. Any text or data from the target process 27 may be posted to the shared memory of the DLL where it may be retrieved by the control process 24, step 19 of Fig. 1. If the control process 24 no longer requires the use of the hook filter function 26, the hook filter function 26 may be removed from the target process 27 by the control process 24. This may be accomplished by use of the UnhookWindoiυsHookEx function.

Claims: What is claimed is: 1. A method for interfacing between a control process and a target process in a multitasking computer operating system environment, the method comprising: a. establishing a region of shared memory between the control process and the target process; b. generating a request with the control process for a desired operation by the target process and storing arguments and data for the request in the region of shared memory; c. communicating the request for the desired operation to the target process; and d. effecting execution of the desired operation by the target process. 2. A method for interfacing between a control process and a target process in a multitasking computer operating system environment, the method comprising: a. establishing a region of shared memory between the control process and the target process; b. hooking an executable link module into an address space of the target process; c. generating a request for a desired operation by the target process and storing arguments and data for the request in the shared memory; d. posting a private message from the control process to the target process notifying the executable link module of the request; e. receiving the private message in the executable link module; f. executing the requested action in the target process; and g. sending a private message acknowledgment from the executable link module to the control process. 3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the step of receiving further includes retrieving arguments and data for the request from the shared memory. 4. A method as in claim 2, wherein the step of sending further includes writing new data from the target process into the shared memory. 5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the step of sending further includes retrieving the new data by the control process from the shared memory. 6. An interface system used between a control process and a target process in a multitasking computer operating system environment, the system comprising: a. a region of shared memory that is established between the control process and the target process; b. a request generator which generates a request from the control process for a desired operation by the target process and stores arguments and data for the request in the region of shared memory; c. a request communicator which communicates the request for the desired operation to the target process; and d. a request receiver which effects execution by the target process of the desired operation. 7. An interface system used between a control process and a target process in a multitasking computer operating system environment, the system comprising: a. a region of shared memory that is established between the control process and the target process; b. an executable link module hooked into an address space of the target process; c. a request generator which generates a request for a desired operation by the target process and stores arguments and data for the request in the shared memory; d. a request communicator which communicates the request for the desired operation to the executable link module; e. receiving the private message in the executable link module; f. means for executing the requested action in the target process; and g. a message acknowledger within the executable link module which sends a message acknowledging receipt and accomplishment of the request by the target process to the control process. |96358]

Inventors: BUNCE ERIK, DINGER TOM, BUNCE, ERIK, DINGER, TOM
Applicants: BUNCE ERIK, LERNOUT & HAUSPIE SPEECHPROD, BUNCE, ERIK, LERNOUT & HAUSPIE SPEECH PRODUCTS N.V.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: G06F9
IPC codes: G06F9