[Node.js][Powershell] Stop process

Intro

• [Node.js][TypeScript][Windows] Play with child process

This time, I will try close Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and PDF(with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC) files what are opened by "child_process".

Environments

• Node.js ver.16.5.0
• TypeScript ver.4.3.5
• Powershell ver.7.1.3
• ESLint ver.7.30.0

Avoid ESlint error in webpack.config.js

After adding ESLint, I have gotten an error in webpack.config.js.
Because it uses "require".

But because it is a config file, so I want to ignore from ESLint checking in VSCode.
To do that, I added settings.json of VSCode.

1. Open command palette by Ctrl + Shift + P
2. Type 「Preferences」
3. Click「Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)」
4. add "ignorePattern"

...
    "eslint.options": {
        "ignorePattern": "webpack.config.js",
    }
}

• Disable ESLint for webpack.config.js file on Visual Studio Code - Stack Overflow

Close by ChildProcess.kill (Failed)

I can use "ChildProcess.kill" to stop process like below.

import { execFile } from "child_process";
export async function execute(): Promise<void> {
    const execProcess = execFile('powershell', ['C:/Users/example/OneDrive/Documents/sample.pptx'], (error, stdout) => {
        console.log(`execFile stdout: ${stdout} error: ${error}`); 
    });
    setTimeout(() => {
        console.log('Stop');
        execProcess.kill('SIGKILL');
    }, 10000);
}

• Child process | Node.js v16.5.0 documentation

But after 10 seconds, the file has still opened.
Of cource even if I change the waiting time, the result won't be changed.

Stop process

I can stop the process by a Powershell command.

Stop Excel

Stop-Process -Name EXCEL

Stop Powerpoint

Stop-Process -Name POWERPNT

Stop Acrobat

Stop-Process -Name AcroRd32

So I can close the processes by "ChildProcess.execFile".

...
    setTimeout(() => {
        console.log('Stop');
        execFile('powershell', ['Stop-Process', '-Name', 'POWERPNT']);
    }, 10000);
}

One problem is they close execution files.
Sometimes, I want to close only one pptx file, not the execution file.

Close specific files (Excel, PowerPoint)

I can close specific Excel or PowerPoint files like below.

Close Excel file

$xls = [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::GetActiveObject("Excel.Application")
$xls.DisplayAlerts = $false
$xls.Workbooks | %{if($_.Name -imatch "sample.xlsx"){$_.Close()}}

Close PowerPoint file

$ppt = [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::GetActiveObject("PowerPoint.Application")
$ppt.DisplayAlerts = $false
$ppt.Presentations | %{if($_.Name -imatch "sample.pptx"){$_.Close()}}

• Close specific Excel file using Powershell - Stack Overflow

I can execute them by "ChildProcess.execFile".
But because I don't want to write them directly in Node.js code, so I create PowerShell scripts.

sample.ps1

[string]$fileName = "$args.pptx";
$ppt = [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::GetActiveObject("PowerPoint.Application")
$ppt.DisplayAlerts = $false
$ppt.Presentations | %{if($_.Name -imatch $fileName){$_.Close()}}

I set the file name as a command-line argument.

• How to pass command-line arguments to a PowerShell ps1 file - Stack Overflow

Execute ps1 files

I can't "sample.ps1" like "./sample.ps1" on PowerShell for Security policies.

• about Execution Policies - PowerShell | Microsoft Docs

So I execute like below.

powershell -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -File ./pssample.ps1 sample

Because AcroRd32.exe doesn't has close command, so maybe I shall try Acrobat SDK.