Sg.ProcessWatcher

Overview

Sg.ProcessWatcher is a lightweight Windows system tray application that monitors and manages processes on your system. It provides a graphical interface for managing blocked processes and runs silently in the system tray.

Features

• System tray integration with custom icon
• Graphical user interface for managing blocked processes
• Real-time process monitoring and termination
• Persistent storage of blocked process list
• Single instance enforcement
• Automatic process termination for blocked processes
• Logging functionality for monitoring and debugging
• Low CPU and memory footprint
• Windows native look and feel

User Interface

• System tray icon for quick access
• List view showing blocked processes
• Add/Remove buttons for process management
• Right-click tray menu for quick exit

Technical Details

• Written in C++17
• Uses Win32 API for native Windows integration
• CMake-based build system
• Multithreaded design for responsive UI
• Resource-efficient implementation
• Includes custom application icon

File Structure

• blocked_processes.txt: Stores the list of processes to block
• process_watcher.log: Contains application logs with timestamps
• sg.ico: Application icon file

Build Requirements

• CMake 3.10 or higher
• C++17 compatible compiler (MSVC recommended)
• Windows SDK
• Visual Studio (recommended) or other compatible IDE

Building the Project

# Create build directory
mkdir build
cd build

# Generate build files
cmake ..

# Build the project
cmake --build . --config Release

Usage

1. Launch the application
2. The app will appear in the system tray with a custom icon
3. Click the tray icon to show/hide the main window
4. Use the main window to:
   • View currently blocked processes
   • Add new processes to block
   • Remove processes from the block list
5. Right-click the tray icon to access the context menu

Notes

• The application automatically ensures only one instance is running
• Requires appropriate permissions to terminate processes
• Blocked processes are stored persistently between sessions
• Logs are written to process_watcher.log for troubleshooting

Implementation Details

• Uses Windows API for process monitoring and termination
• Implements a separate monitoring thread for process checking
• Utilizes Windows common controls for the user interface
• Includes system tray integration with custom icon support
• Implements proper cleanup and resource management

Security Considerations

• Requires appropriate Windows permissions to terminate processes
• Exercise caution when adding system-critical processes to the block list
• Logging functionality helps track any unauthorized termination attempts