There's no API, but you can pass parameters via the "autoexec" section in dosbox.conf, or create a batch that you call via "autoexec" and which then runs in DOSBox.

Thanks for the reply.

I was testing DosBox last night. Do you know whether DosBox can be launched completely invisibly? I know I can use the "-noconsole" option to hide that screen. But how about the main DosBox screen? Can that too be hidden easily?

Thanks.

Robert

I don't think it's possible to hide the main DOSBox screen because you need a reply about what happens within DOSBox.

Remember, DosGamesOnlyBox.

set sdl_videodriver=dummy

Thanks. But I tried to find sdl_videodriver documented, and I couldn't find it. Where does one set that parameter?

in environment variables

Which environment variables? Windows?

Let me be more specific in my question. You said I should set the following:

set sdl_videodriver=dummy

Do I set this in the DosBox configuration file or is this a Windows environment variable? Specificially, where do I set this?

Thank you.

windows, but why not try both yourself to see which one worked instead of posting here a few times.
This option would have given you the answer much faster.

I'm a software developer. Of course I tried both before posting here. I also tried various launch methods within my code. None of them allowed me to launch DosBox fully hidden.

However, because of your last specific post, I realized that I had been using upper case for the environment variable. Usually in Windows, case doesn't matter. Anyway, I just tried it using lower case and it works now.

Thanks for your help.

ah yes, I had to repair dosbox in the past as well as we upcased the value by default as well when updating the emulated environment. was one game that wanted a lowcase value

I am currently working on a dos game menu system, that runs with ScummVM, DosBox and DosBox using Windows 3.11. I am writing it in Visual Studio 2011, below is the method I use to start DosBox. This code starts DosBox without the console been shown, it also hides the form when DosBox is started, and reshows the form when DosBox terminates. I hope this helps.

Public Declare Function apiFindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal strClass As String, ByVal lpWindow As String) As Long
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 Function IsProcessRunning(ByVal ProcessName As String) As Boolean
Dim WMIServicesObject As Object, WMIServicesItems As Object
IsProcessRunning = False
WMIServicesObject = GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\cimv2")
WMIServicesItems = WMIServicesObject.InstancesOf("Win32_Process")
For Each WMIServicesProcess As Object In WMIServicesItems
If (Trim(LCase(WMIServicesProcess.Caption)) = Trim(LCase(ProcessName))) Then IsProcessRunning = True
Next WMIServicesProcess
WMIServicesObject = Nothing
WMIServicesItems = Nothing
End Function

Public Sub StartGame()
Dim DosBoxParameters as string = "-noconsole -conf game.conf"
Dim DosboxExecutable as string = "c:\program files (x86)\dosbox\dosbox.exe"
Me.hide()
ShellExecute(apiFindWindow("OPUSAPP", "0"), "open", DosBoxExecutable, DosBoxParameters, Mid(DosBoxExecutable, 1, InStrRev(DosBoxExecutable, "\")), 0)
Do
Loop Until (IsProcessRunning(Mid(DosBoxExecutable, InStrRev(DosBoxExecutable, "\") + 1)) = False)
Me.Show()
End Sub