Is there a way to call an external .EXE from within a VB6 .EXE ?

The EXE is a completely separate entity from the compiled VB6 object.

Look at the "Shell" Command.

John..

Have a look at the "Shell" topic in your VB help file.

HTH,
Bryan
____________________________________________________________
New Vision Software                   "When the going gets weird,"
Bryan Stafford                      "the weird turn pro."
alpine_don'tsendspam@mvps.org     Hunter S. Thompson - 
Microsoft MVP-Visual Basic     Fear and Loathing in LasVegas

U can use Windows API, then u can wait for the process to end:
Attribute VB_Name = "mExecAndWait"
Option Explicit
Option Base 1

' Win32ProcessAPI.bas - VB6
' CBS RIH FJNG feb 1999
'  Feb 2001 - MJNG ShellAndWait and ShellExecuteAndWait
'   Function ShellExecuteAndWait
'               (ByVal veOperation As ENUM_SHELLOPERATION, ByVal vsFile As
String, ByVal vsParameters As String, ByVal vsDirectory As String, Optional
WindowStyle As VbAppWinStyle = vbMinimizedFocus) As Boolean
'    Function ShellAndWait
'                (PathName, Optional WindowStyle As VbAppWinStyle =
vbMinimizedFocus) As Boolean

Public Enum ENUM_SHELLOPERATION
   esoOpen
   esoExplore
   esoPrint
   esofind
   esoProperties
End Enum

Public Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ShellExecuteA"
(ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpOperation As String, ByVal lpFile As String,
ByVal lpParameters As String, ByVal lpDirectory As String, ByVal nShowCmd As
Long) As Long

Public Declare Function ShellExecuteEx Lib "shell32.dll" Alias
"ShellExecuteExA" (ByRef shellInfo As SHELLEXECUTEINFO) As Long

Private Type SHELLEXECUTEINFO
        cbSize As Long
        fMask As Long
        hwnd As Long
        lpVerb As String
        lpFile As String
        lpParameters As String
        lpDirectory As String
        nShow As Long
        hInstApp As Long
        '  Optional fields
        lpIDList As Long
        lpClass As String
        hkeyClass As Long
        dwHotKey As Long
        hIcon As Long
        hProcess As Long
End Type


Private Const SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS = &H40
Private Const SEE_MASK_FLAG_DDEWAIT = &H100

Private Const INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE = -1
Private Declare Function CloseHandle Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hObject As Long)
As Long

Private Const SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED = 5
Private Const SE_ERR_ASSOCINCOMPLETE = 27
Private Const SE_ERR_DDEBUSY = 30
Private Const SE_ERR_DDEFAIL = 29
Private Const SE_ERR_DDETIMEOUT = 28
Private Const SE_ERR_DLLNOTFOUND = 32
Private Const SE_ERR_FNF = 2
Private Const SE_ERR_NOASSOC = 31
Private Const SE_ERR_OOM = 8
Private Const SE_ERR_PNF = 3
Private Const SE_ERR_SHARE = 26

Private Const SW_HIDE = 0
Private Const SW_RESTORE = 9
Private Const SW_SHOW = 5
Private Const SW_SHOWDEFAULT = 10
Private Const SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED = 3
Private Const SW_SHOWMINIMIZED = 2
Private Const SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE = 7
Private Const SW_SHOWNA = 8
Private Const SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE = 4
Private Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1


Private Declare Function GetProcessTimes Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hProcess As
Long, lpCreationTime As FILETIME, lpExitTime As FILETIME, lpKernelTime As
FILETIME, lpUserTime As FILETIME) As Long
Private Type FILETIME
  dwLowDateTime As Long
  dwHighDateTime As Long
End Type

Private Declare Function GetProcessVersion Lib "kernel32" (ByVal ProcessId
As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function OpenProcess Lib "kernel32" (ByVal dwDesiredAccess
As Long, ByVal bInheritHandle As Long, ByVal dwProcessId As Long) As Long

Private Const PROCESS_TERMINATE = &H1
Private Const PROCESS_CREATE_THREAD = &H2
Private Const PROCESS_SET_SESSIONID = &H4
Private Const PROCESS_VM_OPERATION = &H8
Private Const PROCESS_VM_READ = &H10
Private Const PROCESS_VM_WRITE = &H20
Private Const PROCESS_DUP_HANDLE = &H40
Private Const PROCESS_CREATE_PROCESS = &H80
Private Const PROCESS_SET_QUOTA = &H100
Private Const PROCESS_SET_INFORMATION = &H200
Private Const PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION = &H400

Private Declare Function WaitForSingleObject Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hHandle
As Long, ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long) As Long

Private Const INFINITE = &HFFFFFFFF ' dwMilliseconds TimeOut value
Private Const STATUS_WAIT_0 = &H0
Private Const STATUS_ABANDONED_WAIT_0 = &H80
Private Const STATUS_USER_APC = &HC0
Private Const STATUS_TIMEOUT = &H102
Private Const STATUS_PENDING = &H103

Private Const WAIT_FAILED = &HFFFFFFFF
Private Const WAIT_OBJECT_0 = ((STATUS_WAIT_0) + 0)

Private Const WAIT_ABANDONED = ((STATUS_ABANDONED_WAIT_0) + 0)
Private Const WAIT_ABANDONED_0 = ((STATUS_ABANDONED_WAIT_0) + 0)

Private Const WAIT_TIMEOUT = STATUS_TIMEOUT
Private Const WAIT_IO_COMPLETION = STATUS_USER_APC
Private Const STILL_ACTIVE = STATUS_PENDING


Public Function ShellAndWait(PathName, Optional WindowStyle As VbAppWinStyle
= vbMinimizedFocus) As Boolean
Dim nPID As Long ' Win32 ProcessID
   nPID = Shell(PathName, WindowStyle)
   Call WaitProcess(nPID, True)
   ShellAndWait = (nPID <> 0)
End Function

Public Function ShellExecuteAndWait(ByVal veOperation As
ENUM_SHELLOPERATION, ByVal vsFile As String, ByVal vsParameters As String,
ByVal vsDirectory As String, Optional WindowStyle As VbAppWinStyle =
vbMinimizedFocus) As Boolean
Dim nHandle As Long ' Win32 ProcessHandle
Dim si As SHELLEXECUTEINFO
Dim sOp As String
Dim nResult As Long
Dim nShowCmd As Long
   Select Case veOperation
     Case esoExplore: sOp = "Explore"
     Case esoOpen: sOp = "Open"
     Case esoPrint: sOp = "Print"
     Case esofind: sOp = "Find"
     Case esoProperties: sOp = "Properties"
   End Select
   With si
   .cbSize = Len(si)
   .fMask = SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS
   .nShow = WindowStyle2SW(WindowStyle)
   .lpFile = vsFile
   .lpParameters = vsParameters
   .lpVerb = sOp
   End With
   nResult = ShellExecuteEx(si)
   nHandle = si.hProcess
   Call WaitProcess(0, nHandle, True)
   ShellExecuteAndWait = (nResult > 32)
End Function


Private Function WaitProcess( _
         ByRef rnPID As Long, _
         ByRef rnHandle As Long, _
         Optional Wait As Boolean = False) As Boolean
' Return True when process was created
Const C_WaitRefreshInterval = 800 ' msec
Dim hP As Long ' Win32 ProcessHandle

   WaitProcess = False

   If rnHandle = 0 Then
      hP = OpenProcess(PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION, 0, rnPID)
   Else
      hP = rnHandle
   End If

   On Error GoTo Finally
   If hP <> 0 Then
      WaitProcess = True
      While Wait
      ' Wait with timeout in msec (INFINITE, 0 = no wait)
         Select Case WaitForSingleObject(hP, C_WaitRefreshInterval)
          Case WAIT_OBJECT_0
          ' process is terminated
            Wait = False
          Case WAIT_TIMEOUT
          ' run windows messageloop to refresh screen paints (if any)
            DoEvents
          Case Else  ' WAIT_FAILED
            Wait = False
         End Select
      Wend
   Else
      hP = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE
   End If

Finally:
   CloseHandle hP

End Function

Private Function WindowStyle2SW(ByVal vnWS As VbAppWinStyle) As Long
   Select Case vnWS
    Case vbHide: WindowStyle2SW = SW_HIDE
    Case vbMaximizedFocus: WindowStyle2SW = SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED
    Case vbMinimizedFocus: WindowStyle2SW = SW_SHOWMINIMIZED
    Case vbMinimizedNoFocus: WindowStyle2SW = SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE
    Case vbNormalFocus: WindowStyle2SW = SW_SHOWNORMAL
    Case vbNormalNoFocus: WindowStyle2SW = SW_SHOWNA
   End Select
End Function


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