How to get a sub-process' return code

Question

What is the method of getting the return value from spawning a sub-process within windows? It looks like ShellExecute() is simpler to use than is CreateProce

Answer 1

Here is a complete code based in http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms682512%28v=vs.85%29.aspx and the solution of hmjd:

#include 
#include 

int main()
{
  const size_t stringSize = 1000;
  STARTUPINFO si;
  PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
  DWORD exit_code;
  char commandLine[stringSize] = "C:\\myDir\\someExecutable.exe param1 param2";
  WCHAR wCommandLine[stringSize];
  mbstowcs (wCommandLine, commandLine, stringSize);

  ZeroMemory( &si, sizeof(si) );
  si.cb = sizeof(si);
  ZeroMemory( &pi, sizeof(pi) );

  // Start the child process. 
  if( !CreateProcess( NULL,   // No module name (use command line)
      wCommandLine,   // Command line
      NULL,           // Process handle not inheritable
      NULL,           // Thread handle not inheritable
      FALSE,          // Set handle inheritance to FALSE
      0,              // No creation flags
      NULL,           // Use parent's environment block
      NULL,           // Use parent's starting directory 
      &si,            // Pointer to STARTUPINFO structure
      &pi )           // Pointer to PROCESS_INFORMATION structure
  ) 
  {
      printf("CreateProcess failed (%d).\n", GetLastError() );
      return -1;
  }

  // Wait until child process exits.
  WaitForSingleObject( pi.hProcess, INFINITE );

  GetExitCodeProcess(pi.hProcess, &exit_code);

  printf("the execution of: \"%s\"\nreturns: %d\n", commandLine, exit_code);

  // Close process and thread handles. 
  CloseHandle( pi.hProcess );
  CloseHandle( pi.hThread );
  return 0;
}

(runs as VS2005 console application in windows XP)