Visual Pinball & VPA.exe

[Red Menace]

I'm running Visual Pinball using VPA.exe in my Gameex emulator command line to help launch the game. That all works fine but the VPA doesn't close when I exit the pinball game. I'm ending up with multiple instances of the program running and putting little icons in my system tray. After a while this eats into my available memory.

Is there a command line I could use to exit VPA with my pinball game?

Cheers.

[bkenobi]

There is a way to use the advanced emulator config to watch more than one process. I think I remember seeing a way to kill processes in there as well, but I could be wrong. It's been a while since I've used that file, so I'll let someone else fill in the details.

If nothing else, you can use 'taskkill' to terminate the offending process. I've never used VP, so I don't know if this is required or if you have something wrong with your setup.

[jombee]

I'm running Visual Pinball using VPA.exe in my Gameex emulator command line to help launch the game. That all works fine but the VPA doesn't close when I exit the pinball game. I'm ending up with multiple instances of the program running and putting little icons in my system tray. After a while this eats into my available memory.

Is there a command line I could use to exit VPA with my pinball game?

Cheers.

As far as I know this has always happened with me too.

It has never really been a concern of mine because I've got a powerful CPU and a ton of memory in my cab.

[Red Menace]

Instructions can be given when you exit a game so there must be a command line that can be written.

I experimented, but as I don't know what I'm doing I failed miserably.

[fRequEnCy]

Instructions can be given when you exit a game so there must be a command line that can be written.

I experimented, but as I don't know what I'm doing I failed miserably.

I would do as bkenobi suggested and use an advanced config.

• Run Setup Wizard
  
• Click Next
  
• Choose Custom as the mode
  
• Click Next
  
• Check Emulator Setup
  
• Click Next
  
• Click Next till you reach page 3
  
• click on the ... button in the Advanced Config setting
  
• Click on Process Wait tab
  
• Triple click on the empty space under where it says Process
  
• Select the exe to include (in your case VPA.exe)
  
• Click File and Save as (choose a name for your file)
  
• Now choose that file in Setup Wizard with the drop down box
  

This will now add that file for GameEx to watch to wait to exit or close on exit.

The other option would be to just add this to the launch after section:

taskkill /f /im VPA.exe

[se_lees]

Seriously, I don't know why this wasn't cinched up ages ago when the emulator was included in the list. VPLauncher and VPMan do all this just fine, as well as sort tables by name, rather than rom name, including support files, so I imagine it can't be that difficult.

[Red Menace]

Thanks fRequEnCy, that did the trick.

Intrerestingly the VPA icons still display in my system tray but when I move the mouse to close them they all instantly disappear.

[fRequEnCy]

Thanks fRequEnCy, that did the trick.

Intrerestingly the VPA icons still display in my system tray but when I move the mouse to close them they all instantly disappear.

Good deal! Yeah. As far as icon issue, it has to do with AutoIt itself. I'm creating a new loader soon that will not have the system tray icon so that will be eliminated. By VPA.exe are you referring to the vpauto.exe found in the GameEx directory?

[bkenobi]

Any program that loads a system tray icon will leave that icon when you kill the app ungracefully (task manager, taskkill, etc). There is no way to get around this AFAIK other than having the app NOT add the icon in the first place. This is really a Windows issue rather than specific to this program.

[Red Menace]

By VPA.exe are you referring to the vpauto.exe found in the GameEx directory?

No, I think the program is called visual pinball assistant. I came across it in these forums somewhere and the file is VPA.exe, though I searched just then for the thread and couldn't find it.

I don't use vpauto because it wouldn't launch vpinmame properly for some pinball tables. Any table that had a video game or graphics in the score window, such as Doctor Who or Creature from the Black Lagoon would load without a visible score. For whatever reason VPA seemed to fix the problem.

Any program that loads a system tray icon will leave that icon when you kill the app ungracefully (task manager, taskkill, etc). There is no way to get around this AFAIK other than having the app NOT add the icon in the first place. This is really a Windows issue rather than specific to this program.

The icon doesn't bother me, as it isn't using any system resources and closing it is a matter of moving the mouse in the general direction of the tray. I just mention it as a point of interest. Thanks for the explanation.

[bkenobi]

Yup, it's just kinda silly. I know.

[headkaze]

Any program that loads a system tray icon will leave that icon when you kill the app ungracefully (task manager, taskkill, etc). There is no way to get around this AFAIK other than having the app NOT add the icon in the first place. This is really a Windows issue rather than specific to this program.

You can use a util like this to send a WM_CLOSE message which should close most apps gracefully.