QTP: Ways to Launch your application

Ways to Launch your application
Four different ways to launch your application are mentioned below:

1) SystemUtil.Run

SystemUtil.Run ( FileName, Parameters, Path, Operation )
FileName - The name of the file you want to run.
Parameters - If the specified FileName is an executable file, use the Parameters argument to specify any parameters to be passed to the application.
Path - The default directory of the application or file.
Operation - The action to be performed. If this argument is blank (""), the open operation is performed.
The following operations can be specified for the operation argument of the SystemUtil.Run method:
open - Opens the file specified by the FileName parameter. The file can be an executable file, a document file, or a folder. Non-executable files are open in the associated application.
edit - Launches an editor and opens the document for editing. If the FileName argument does not specify an editable document file, the statement fails.
explore - Explores the folder specified by the FileName argument.
find - Initiates a search starting from the specified folder path.
print - Prints the document file specified by the FileName argument. If the specified file is not a printable document file, the statement fails.
Example:SystemUtil.Run "D:/My Music/Breathe.mp3","","D:/My Music/Details","open"

2) InvokeApplication

This command is now mainly used for the backward compatability ie to use with the lower versions(below QTP 6.0) of QTP.

InvokeApplication("Full URL as Parameter")
Example:InvokeApplication "C:/Program Files/Internet Explorer/IEXPLORE.EXE http://www.yahoo.com"

3) VBscript to invoke application

1. Create a "WScript.shell" object.
2. Use the "run" object to launch the application. If the path to your executable contains spaces, use Chr(34) to ensure the path is contained within double quotes.
3. When done, set the shell object to nothing to release it.

Example:
Dim oShellSet oShell = CreateObject ("Wscript.shell")'
Example 1 - run a batch file:oShell.run "F:/jdk1.3.1/demo/jfc/SwingSet2.bat"'
Example 2 - run a Java jar file:oShell.run "java -jar F:/jdk1.3.1/demo/jfc/SwingSet2/SwingSet2.jar"'
Example 3 - launch Internet Explorer:oShell.Run Chr(34) & "C:/Program Files/Internet Explorer/IEXPLORE.EXE" & Chr(34)Set oShell = Nothing

4) Trivial but useful method

If nothing works out you might try this

You can use the Start -> Run dialog of Windows.
1. Add the Windows Start button to the Object Repository using the "Add Objects" button in Object Repository dialog.
2. Open the Run dialog (Start -> Run), and learn the "Open" edit field and the "OK" button into the Object Repository.
3. Switch to the Expert View, and manually add the lines to open the Run dialog.
Example:Window("Window").WinButton("Button").ClickWindow("Window").Type("R")
4. Manually enter the lines to enter the information to launch the application, and click the "OK" button of the Run dialog.

Example:
Dialog("Run").WinEdit("Open:").Type "c:/WINNT/system32/notepad.exe"
Dialog("Run").WinButton("OK").Click