Windows services - Converting between key and display names

We've demonstrated how to check the status of Windows services and how to control them. One element missing from those functions was a way to convert between key and display names of Windows services.

That's right, a Windows service has two names. The long name you see in the Control Panel is the display name of the service. The internal shorter name of the serivce is called the key name. Most functions require that you use the key name of a service, so here's a function to convert a display name to a key name.

uses WinSvc;

//-------------------------------------
// Get the service key name that is
// associated with a specified
// service's display name
// ie: 'Browser' is the key name for
// 'Computer Browser'
//
// sMachine:
// machine name, ie: \SERVER
// empty = local machine
//

// sService
// service display name,
// ie: 'Computer Browser'
//
function ServiceGetKeyName(
sMachine,
sServiceDispName : string ) : string;
var
//
// service control
// manager handle
schm : SC_Handle;

//
// max key name len
nMaxNameLen : integer;

//
// temp. string
psServiceName : PChar;
begin
Result := '';

// expect a service key
// name shorter than 255
// characters
nMaxNameLen := 255;

// connect to the service
// control manager
schm := OpenSCManager(
PChar(sMachine),
Nil,
SC_MANAGER_CONNECT);

// if successful...
if(schm > 0)then
begin
psServiceName :=
StrAlloc(nMaxNameLen+1);

if(nil <> psServiceName)then
begin
if( GetServiceKeyName(
schm,
PChar(sServiceDispName),
psServiceName,
nMaxNameLen ) )then
begin
psServiceName
[nMaxNameLen] := #0;

Result :=
StrPas( psServiceName );
end;

StrDispose(psServiceName);
end;

// close service control
// manager handle
CloseServiceHandle(schm);
end;
end;
Delphi code. Download disp2key

For example, "ServiceGetKeyName( '', 'Computer Browser' )" will return "Browser", "browser" being the key name that you can pass to Windows services related functions. Of course, you may also have a need to convert a key name to a display name:

uses WinSvc;

//-------------------------------------
// Get the service display name that is
// associated with a specified
// service's display name
// ie: 'Computer Browser' is the
// display name for 'Browser'
//
// sMachine:
// machine name, ie: \SERVER
// empty = local machine
//
// sService
// service key name,
// ie: 'Browser'
//
function ServiceGetDisplayName(
sMachine,
sServiceKeyName : string ) : string;
var
//
// service control
// manager handle
schm : SC_Handle;

//
// max display name len
nMaxNameLen : integer;

//
// temp. string
psServiceName : PChar;
begin
Result := '';

// expect a service display
// name shorter than 255
// characters
nMaxNameLen := 255;

// connect to the service
// control manager
schm := OpenSCManager(
PChar(sMachine),
Nil,
SC_MANAGER_CONNECT);

// if successful...
if(schm > 0)then
begin
psServiceName :=
StrAlloc(nMaxNameLen+1);

if(nil <> psServiceName)then
begin
if( GetServiceDisplayName(
schm,
PChar(sServiceKeyName),
psServiceName,
nMaxNameLen ) )then
begin
psServiceName
[nMaxNameLen] := #0;

Result :=
StrPas( psServiceName );
end;

StrDispose(psServiceName);
end;

// close service control
// manager handle
CloseServiceHandle(schm);
end;
end;
Delphi code. Download key2disp