How Can I Programmatically Determine the Duration of a Locked Workstation in Windows?

Programmatically Determining Windows Workstation Lock Time

Knowing how long a Windows workstation has been locked is valuable in various applications. This article outlines several coding approaches to achieve this.

Method 1: C# and the SessionSwitch Event

A highly effective method uses C#'s SessionSwitch event handler. This event fires when the workstation's session status changes (lock, unlock, etc.). By tracking these events, you can precisely measure lock durations:

Microsoft.Win32.SystemEvents.SessionSwitch += new Microsoft.Win32.SessionSwitchEventHandler(SystemEvents_SessionSwitch);

void SystemEvents_SessionSwitch(object sender, Microsoft.Win32.SessionSwitchEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.Reason == SessionSwitchReason.SessionLock)
    {
        // Record the lock start time.
    }
    else if (e.Reason == SessionSwitchReason.SessionUnlock)
    {
        // Calculate and record the lock duration.
    }
}

Method 2: Windows Service (Recommended)

For a self-contained and reliable solution, a Windows service offers advantages. The service can regularly check the lock status and maintain a log of lock durations. Note that this requires manual service installation and startup.

Further Reading:

• Microsoft Documentation: SessionSwitchEventHandler
• Stack Overflow: Determining Workstation Lock Time

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