ExplorerPatcher

795 Commits

2 Branches

352 Tags

35 MiB

Tree: 22d9e3c6ac

Commit Graph

Author	SHA1	Message	Date
Valentin Radu	ca8ce137d8	ep_extra: Implemented a loadable module for Windows 7's Alt-Tab As a way to showcase the `ep_extra` loader I wrote in my previous commit, I have developed this module which enables the use of Windows 7's Alt-Tab. Mind you, the implementation might not be complete and 100% ironed out, but rather a functional preview on what it can look like. Grab a copy of `AltTab.dll` from Windows 7 (I have tested against version 6.1.7600.16385) and place it in `C:\Windows`. Then, reload `explorer` with the `ep_extra` loader and this module in `C:\Windows` and when you "alt-tab", you should see the Windows 7 window switcher. This is not a reproduction - it executes the original code from Microsoft's DLL, only slightly patched to work properly in with the updated APIs in the newer Windows versions.	3 years ago
Valentin Radu	1f4b586f03	ep_extra: Implemented an `ep_extra`-based loader ExplorerPatcher includes a mechanism which allows the user to load a single DLL, named `ep_extra.dll` and placed in `C:\Windows` when `explorer.exe` loads. This was long requested by some users who wanted to perform their own code/initializations/hooks when `explorer` started. In the mean time, I thought `ep_extra.dll` would work nicely as a loader for any number of modules. I could've included this functionality in the main ExplorerPatcher code, but I decided to take it up as a challenge instead and offer a robust implementation without changing ExplorerPatcher's main code. Thus, when using this as `ep_extra.dll`, it will also load DLLs that match the `ep_extra_*.dll` pattern. These DLLs must export a function called `setup` which the loader will execute on the thread that is loading the DLLs. Although not currently checked, return 0 from this function if your initialization succeeded, or some error code when it fails. What's up with the assembly and shell codes and weird threads that I create? Well, I realized I kind of did a mistake when coding ExplorerPatcher, in that I should have loaded and executed `ep_extra` on a seprate thread, not in `explorer`'s main thread. But since I said I'd do this challenge without changing EP, this was my solution towards having this `ep_extra` loader do its work, load the other DLLs, if any, and then unload itself from memory safely and (almost) cleanly without disturbing the main application right after it does its job. This way, you can update it seamlessly when `explorer` is running, which is much more convenient than having to kill `explorer`, replace the DLL, and then manually reload `explorer`. I don't know if this is the best way, but it is the way I thought about when realizing that I cannot call `FreeLibrary` simply, since the "next line" (which would have been a "return") is well outside of valid memory at that point. `FreeLibraryAndExitThread` also can't be used since I do not want to exit `explorer`'s main thread which the loader's function is called on.	3 years ago
Valentin Radu	ef3920ebc0	Removed resource.h from ep_generate_release_name	4 years ago

Author

SHA1

Message

Date

Valentin Radu

ca8ce137d8

ep_extra: Implemented a loadable module for Windows 7's Alt-Tab

As a way to showcase the `ep_extra` loader I wrote in my
previous commit, I have developed this module which enables the use of
Windows 7's Alt-Tab. Mind you, the implementation might not be
complete and 100% ironed out, but rather a functional preview on what
it can look like.

Grab a copy of `AltTab.dll` from Windows 7 (I have tested against
version 6.1.7600.16385) and place it in `C:\Windows`. Then, reload
`explorer` with the `ep_extra` loader and this module in `C:\Windows`
and when you "alt-tab", you should see the Windows 7 window switcher.
This is not a reproduction - it executes the original code from
Microsoft's DLL, only slightly patched to work properly in with the
updated APIs in the newer Windows versions.

3 years ago

Valentin Radu

1f4b586f03

ep_extra: Implemented an `ep_extra`-based loader

ExplorerPatcher includes a mechanism which allows the user to load
a single DLL, named `ep_extra.dll` and placed in `C:\Windows` when
`explorer.exe` loads. This was long requested by some users who wanted
to perform their own code/initializations/hooks when `explorer` started.

In the mean time, I thought `ep_extra.dll` would work nicely as a
loader for any number of modules. I could've included this functionality
in the main ExplorerPatcher code, but I decided to take it up as a
challenge instead and offer a robust implementation without changing
ExplorerPatcher's main code.

Thus, when using this as `ep_extra.dll`, it will also load DLLs that
match the `ep_extra_*.dll` pattern. These DLLs must export a function
called `setup` which the loader will execute on the thread that is
loading the DLLs. Although not currently checked, return 0 from this
function if your initialization succeeded, or some error code when it
fails.

What's up with the assembly and shell codes and weird threads that I
create? Well, I realized I kind of did a mistake when coding
ExplorerPatcher, in that I should have loaded and executed `ep_extra`
on a seprate thread, not in `explorer`'s main thread. But since I said
I'd do this challenge without changing EP, this was my solution
towards having this `ep_extra` loader do its work, load the other DLLs,
if any, and then unload itself from memory safely and (almost) cleanly
without disturbing the main application right after it does its job.
This way, you can update it seamlessly when `explorer` is running,
which is much more convenient than having to kill `explorer`, replace
the DLL, and then manually reload `explorer`. I don't know if this is
the best way, but it is the way I thought about when realizing that I
cannot call `FreeLibrary` simply, since the "next line" (which would
have been a "return") is well outside of valid memory at that point.
`FreeLibraryAndExitThread` also can't be used since I do not want to
exit `explorer`'s main thread which the loader's function is called on.

3 years ago

Valentin Radu

ef3920ebc0

Removed resource.h from ep_generate_release_name

4 years ago

1 Commits (22d9e3c6acc333da4fad74591395b847b89863ed)