- improve serial port names & descriptions using WMI

 - add context menu showing current serial ports

Console/Program.cs

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Threading;
+using System.Management;
 using shared;
 
 namespace TestConsole
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ static void Main(string[] args)
 
                 if (!Enumerable.SequenceEqual(older_ports, newer_ports))
                 {
-                    Console.Write(Serial.GetDiff(older_ports, newer_ports));
+                    Console.Write(Serial.FormatDiff(older_ports, newer_ports));
                 }
 
                 older_ports = newer_ports;

Console/TestConsole.csproj

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
   <ItemGroup>
     <Reference Include="System" />
     <Reference Include="System.Core" />
+    <Reference Include="System.Management" />
     <Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
     <Reference Include="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" />
     <Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />

README.md

@@ -1 +1,10 @@
-SerialPop is a tiny C# system tray app that shows pop-ups when serial ports are connected or disconnected to/from the machine.
+SerialPop is a tiny C# system tray app that shows pop-ups when serial ports are connected or disconnected to/from the machine.
+
+USAGE:
+1) Run SerialPop.exe, it will appear in your system tray
+1.1) It's a good idea to configure the taskbar to always show it
+1.2) Another good idea would be to have it run during startup
+
+2) Whenever a serial port appears or disappears you'll get a toast notification with the details
+
+3) Right-click on the taskbar icons to see all the currently connected serial ports

SerialPop/CustomApplicationContext.cs

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ private void InitializeContext()
             components = new System.ComponentModel.Container();
             notifyIcon = new NotifyIcon(components)
                              {
-                                 //ContextMenuStrip = new ContextMenuStrip(),
+                                 ContextMenuStrip = new ContextMenuStrip(),
                                  Icon = new Icon(IconFileName),
                                  Text = DefaultTooltip,
                                  Visible = true

SerialPop/Program.cs

@@ -3,33 +3,98 @@
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Linq;
 using shared;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 
 namespace SerialPop
 {
     static class Program
     {
+
+        static void UpdateContextMenu(ContextMenuStrip strip, IOrderedEnumerable<string> newer_ports)
+        {
+            strip.Close();
+            strip.Items.Clear();
+            foreach (string new_port in newer_ports)
+            {
+                strip.Items.Add(new_port);
+            }
+        }
+
+        static void InvokeUpdateContextMenu(NotifyIcon notifyIcon, IOrderedEnumerable<string> newer_ports)
+        {
+            if (notifyIcon.ContextMenuStrip.InvokeRequired)
+            {
+                // invoke the update on the UI thread
+                notifyIcon.ContextMenuStrip.Invoke((MethodInvoker)delegate
+                {
+                    UpdateContextMenu(notifyIcon.ContextMenuStrip, newer_ports);
+                });
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                UpdateContextMenu(notifyIcon.ContextMenuStrip, newer_ports);
+            }
+        }
+
         static void PollLoop(object argument)
         {
             NotifyIcon notifyIcon = (NotifyIcon)argument;
 
-            IOrderedEnumerable<string> older_ports = Serial.GetSortedSerialPortNames();
-            IOrderedEnumerable<string> newer_ports = older_ports;
+            // GetSortedSerialPortNames() can throw, so initialization has to be trivial
+            IOrderedEnumerable<string> older_ports = null;
+            IOrderedEnumerable<string> newer_ports = null;
 
-            while (true)
+
+            // loop until you get one good WMI query, then initialize everything
+            while (older_ports == null)
             {
+                try
+                {
+                    newer_ports = Serial.GetSortedSerialPortNames();
+                    older_ports = newer_ports;
+
+                    InvokeUpdateContextMenu(notifyIcon, newer_ports);
+                }
+                catch (WMIException e)
+                {
+                    notifyIcon.ShowBalloonTip(5000,
+                            "SerialPop ERROR:",
+                            e.Message,
+                            ToolTipIcon.Error);
+                }
                 Thread.Sleep(1000);
+            }
 
-                newer_ports = Serial.GetSortedSerialPortNames();
+            while (true)
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    newer_ports = Serial.GetSortedSerialPortNames();
+
+                    if (!Enumerable.SequenceEqual(older_ports, newer_ports))
+                    {
+                        // the tooltip is limited to 64 characters :(
+                        //notifyIcon.Text = Serial.FormatPortSummary(newer_ports).Substring(0, 63);
+
+                        InvokeUpdateContextMenu(notifyIcon, newer_ports);
 
-                if (!Enumerable.SequenceEqual(older_ports, newer_ports))
+                        notifyIcon.ShowBalloonTip(5000,
+                            "Serial ports changed:",
+                            Serial.FormatDiff(older_ports, newer_ports),
+                            ToolTipIcon.Info);
+                    }
+
+                    older_ports = newer_ports;
+                }
+                catch (WMIException e)
                 {
                     notifyIcon.ShowBalloonTip(5000,
-                        "Serial ports changed:",
-                        Serial.GetDiff(older_ports, newer_ports),
-                        ToolTipIcon.Info);
+                            "SerialPop ERROR:",
+                            e.Message,
+                            ToolTipIcon.Error);
                 }
 
-                older_ports = newer_ports;
+                Thread.Sleep(1000);
             }
         }
 

shared/serial.cs

@@ -1,27 +1,75 @@
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Text;
-using System.IO.Ports;
+using System.Management;
+using System.Collections;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 
 namespace shared
 {
+    public class WMIException: System.Exception
+    {
+        public WMIException()
+        { }
+
+        public WMIException(string message)
+            : base(message)
+        { }
+
+        public WMIException(string message, System.Exception inner)
+            : base(message, inner)
+        { }
+
+    }
+
+
     public class Serial
     {
+        // may throw WMIException
         public static IOrderedEnumerable<string> GetSortedSerialPortNames()
         {
-            return SerialPort.GetPortNames().OrderBy(t => t); // returns COM1, COM5, etc.
+            List<string> portNames = new List<string>();
+
+            try
+            {
+                ManagementObjectSearcher searcher =
+                    new ManagementObjectSearcher("root\\CIMV2",
+                    "SELECT Caption FROM Win32_PnPEntity where ConfigManagerErrorCode = 0 and PNPClass=\"Ports\"");
+
+                foreach (ManagementObject queryObj in searcher.Get())
+                {
+                    portNames.Add((string)queryObj["Caption"]);
+                }
+            }
+            catch (ManagementException e)
+            {
+                throw new WMIException("ERROR while querying WMI: " + e.Message);
+            }
+
+            return portNames.OrderBy(t => t);
 
         }
 
-        public static string GetDiff(IOrderedEnumerable<string> old, IOrderedEnumerable<string> newer)
+        public static string FormatPortSummary(IOrderedEnumerable<string> currentPorts)
+        {
+            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+            foreach (string port in currentPorts)
+            {
+                sb.AppendLine(port);
+            }
+
+            return sb.ToString();
+        }
+
+        public static string FormatDiff(IOrderedEnumerable<string> old, IOrderedEnumerable<string> newer)
         {
             StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
-             foreach (string s in old.Except(newer))
+            foreach (string s in old.Except(newer))
             {
                 // removed devices
                 sb.AppendFormat(" - {0}\n", s);
             }
 
-             foreach (string s in newer.Except(old))
+            foreach (string s in newer.Except(old))
             {
                 // new devices
                 sb.AppendFormat(" + {0}\n", s);

shared/shared.csproj

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
   <ItemGroup>
     <Reference Include="System" />
     <Reference Include="System.Core" />
+    <Reference Include="System.Management" />
     <Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
     <Reference Include="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" />
     <Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />