c# - Show Form from hidden console application -

i have main application runs console application. console application started hidden (processwindowstyle.hidden), testing purposes can run window shown.

within console application can have plugins loaded , executed. 1 of plugins tries open winform dialog. works fine if console application visible, doesn't work more if console hidden.

i have tried:

application.enablevisualstyles(); application.setcompatibletextrenderingdefault(false); application.run(new form()); 

and tried same in new thread.

thread t = new system.threading.thread(start); t.start(); t.join(); 

where start() contains things before. in addition tried showdialog()

application.enablevisualstyles(); application.setcompatibletextrenderingdefault(false); var f = new form(); f.showdialog(); 

none of methods showed window.

in windbg, native callstack includes ntuserwaitmessage():

0:000> k childebp retaddr   0038dd58 7b0d8e08 user32!ntuserwaitmessage+0x15 

and managed callstack includes waitmessage(), fpushmessageloop() , runmessageloop():

0:000> !clrstack os thread id: 0x47c4 (0) esp       eip      0045e560 76bff5be [inlinedcallframe: 0045e560] system.windows.forms.unsafenativemethods.waitmessage() 0045e55c 7b0d8e08 system.windows.forms.application+componentmanager.system.windows.forms.unsafenativemethods.imsocomponentmanager.fpushmessageloop(int32, int32, int32) 0045e5f8 7b0d88f7 system.windows.forms.application+threadcontext.runmessageloopinner(int32, system.windows.forms.applicationcontext) 0045e64c 7b0d8741 system.windows.forms.application+threadcontext.runmessageloop(int32, system.windows.forms.applicationcontext) 0045e67c 7b5ee597 system.windows.forms.application.rundialog(system.windows.forms.form) 0045e690 7b622d98 system.windows.forms.form.showdialog(system.windows.forms.iwin32window) 0045e71c 7b622faf system.windows.forms.form.showdialog() 

how can show winforms form hidden console window?

sscce:

compile windows form application:

public partial class form1 : form {     public form1()     {         initializecomponent();     }      private void button1_click(object sender, eventargs e)     {         var startinfo = new processstartinfo("console.exe");         startinfo.windowstyle = processwindowstyle.hidden;         process.start(startinfo);     } } 

compile console application:

class program {     static void main(string[] args)     {         application.enablevisualstyles();         application.setcompatibletextrenderingdefault(false);         var mainform = new form();         // enable next line make show         // mainform.visible = true;         application.run(mainform);     } } 

using winspector spy found out window available, doesn't have ws_visible style. applying style form made visible , shown in windows task bar.

the solution make form visible before showing it, following worked:

application.enablevisualstyles(); application.setcompatibletextrenderingdefault(false); var f = new form() f.visible = true; application.run(f); 

because in case wanted return value, should call showdialog(). however, calling showdialog() on visible form not allowed, sticked application.run(f) , retrieved result myself:

var answer = configform.dialogresult;