We Keep Coding

UIAutomation throws AccessViolationException on Windows 11

The issue:
We have an application written in C# that uses UIAutomation to get the current text (either selected or the word behind the carret) in other applications (Word, OpenOffice, Notepad, etc.).
All is working great on Windows 10, even up to 21H2, last update check done today.
But we had several clients informing us that the application is closing abruptly on Windows 11.
After some debugging I've seen some System.AccessViolationException thrown when trying to use the TextPatternRange.GetText() method:
System.AccessViolationException: 'Attempted to read or write protected memory. This is often an indication that other memory is corrupt.'
What we've tried so far:
Setting uiaccess=true in manifest and signing the app : as mentionned here https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsdesktop/en-US/350ceab8-436b-4ef1-8512-3fee4b470c0a/problem-with-manifest-and-uiaccess-set-to-true?forum=windowsgeneraldevelopmentissues => no changes (app is in C:\Program Files\
In addition to the above, I did try to set the level to "requireAdministrator" in the manifest, no changes either
As I've seen that it may come from a bug in Windows 11 (https://forum.emclient.com/t/emclient-9-0-1317-0-up-to-9-0-1361-0-password-correction-crashes-the-app/79904), I tried to install the 22H2 Preview release, still no changes.
Reproductible example
In order to be able to isolate the issue (and check it was not something else in our app that was causing the exception) I quickly made the following test (based on : How to get selected text of currently focused window? validated answer)
private void btnRefresh_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
var p = Process.GetProcessesByName("notepad").FirstOrDefault();
var root = AutomationElement.FromHandle(p.MainWindowHandle);
var documentControl = new
PropertyCondition(AutomationElement.ControlTypeProperty,
ControlType.Document);
var textPatternAvailable = new PropertyCondition(AutomationElement.IsTextPatternAvailableProperty, true);
var findControl = new AndCondition(documentControl, textPatternAvailable);
var targetDocument = root.FindFirst(TreeScope.Descendants, findControl);
var textPattern = targetDocument.GetCurrentPattern(TextPattern.Pattern) as TextPattern;
string text = "";
foreach (var selection in textPattern.GetSelection())
{
text += selection.GetText(255);
Console.WriteLine($"Selection: \"{selection.GetText(255)}\"");
}
lblFocusedProcess.Content = p.ProcessName;
lblSelectedText.Content = text;
}
When pressing a button, this method is called and the results displayed in labels.
The method uses UIAutomation to get the notepad process and extract the selected text.
This works well in Windows 10 with latest update, crashes immediately on Windows 11 with the AccessViolationException.
On Windows 10 it works even without the uiaccess=true setting in the manifest.
Questions/Next steps
Do anyone know/has a clue about what can cause this?
Is Windows 11 way more regarding towards UIAutomation?
On my side I'll probably open an issue by Microsoft.
And one track we might follow is getting an EV and sign the app itself and the installer as it'll also enhance the installation process, removing the big red warnings. But as this is an app distributed for free we had not done it as it was working without it.
I'll also continue testing with the reproductible code and update this question should anything new appear.

I posted the same question on MSDN forums and got this answer:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/915789/uiautomation-throws-accessviolationexception-on-wi.html
Using IUIautomation instead of System.Windows.Automation works on Windows 11.
So I'm marking this as solved but if anyone has another idea or knows what happens you're welcome to comment!

Unity Android: NoClassDefFoundError: Can't create Notifications

Edit
I found out, that the requirements for showing a notification consist of setting a content-title, a context-text and a small icon. The last of which I do not do. Unfortunately, I don't know, how to provide a small icon especially in unity.
Original Question
I'm currently trying to show a notification from a unity-instance via android. I want to show the notification, when the user enters a specific gps-area. Thus, the script should run, when the app is paused. That's why I want to use the android-functionality.
With this code, I currently try to show the notification manually:
public void createNotification(){
NotificationManagerCompat nManager = NotificationManagerCompat.from(curContext);
NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(curContext, CHANNEL_ID)
.setContentTitle("Stuff")
.setContentText("MoreStuff")
.setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_DEFAULT);
nManager.notify(1551, builder.build());
}
The context is stored in a static variable and is set, when calling the method.
The function is called in C# with:
PluginInstance.Call("createNotification");
The PluginInstance works, the function can be called, but I get the error:
AndroidJavaException: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Failed resolution of: Landroidx/core/app/NotificationManagerCompat

I found the solution for my problem: I used the Unity Android Jar-Resolver in which I provided the *Dependencies.xml (Where the * presents the Name of my project). In the *Dependenices.xml I specified: <androidPackage spec="androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.1.0"> and run through the steps, provided in the Tutorial of the Resolver.
Afterwards, multiple dependencies appeared in my /Assets/Plugin/Android-Folder, which were successfully transferred to the app, when building it.

How to self-register a standalone desktop C# WPF app (distributed as an exe) for local toast notifications?

We have a desktop Windows app (written in WFP/C#) that we distribute as a single .exe file with no installer (it bundles all its dependencies via a Fody/Costura plugin).
We would like to integrate a local Action Center toast functionality where the app can display a toast and respond to it when it's clicked.
Displaying the toast is straightforward and can be done by using the Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp.Notifications nuget package. However, in order to actually receive proper notifications when the toast is clicked in the Action Center (as opposed to the balloon tip) we need to register with notification platform.
The guide on how to do this seems to be focused on apps with an installer (e.g. Wix): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/design/shell/tiles-and-notifications/send-local-toast-desktop?fbclid=IwAR2AoHRKI88VNGRG-pTUytwhkMuovWT4bEr0RoXEayWpWsoGlghtZeq4Mo4#step-4-register-with-notification-platform
The specific task we're trying to achieve is, from the documentation:
If you're using classic Win32 (or if you support both), you have to declare your Application User Model ID (AUMID) and toast activator CLSID (the GUID from step #3) on your app's shortcut in Start.
How can we do it without writing an installer? We would like our app to do this registration on first run.
Note: the app already has provisions for elevating itself through UAC if needed by restarting itself in Administrator context.
Additional references: WPF native windows 10 toasts
[Update]
I managed to follow the instructions in https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/design/shell/tiles-and-notifications/send-local-toast-desktop
and https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/enable-desktop-toast-with-appusermodelid to put together what should have been a working solution, but in the end, clicking on toasts in the Action Center does not trigger OnActivated() in my NotificationActivatior.
Salient points:
Sending notification
var toast = new ToastNotification(toastXml);
DesktopNotificationManagerCompat.CreateToastNotifier().Show(toast);
Registration:
string shortcutPath = Path.Combine(
Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.Programs),
"Toasty.lnk");
DesktopNotificationManagerCompat.RegisterAumidAndComServer
<MyNotificationActivator>(AppName);
DesktopNotificationManagerCompat.RegisterActivator
<MyNotificationActivator>();
if (!File.Exists(shortcutPath))
{
ShortcutManager.RegisterAppForNotifications(
shortcutPath,
Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location,
null,
AppName,
ActivationId);
}
Creating a shortcut
public static void RegisterAppForNotifications(
string shortcutPath,
string appExecutablePath,
string arguments,
string appName,
string activatorId)
{
var shellLinkClass = new ShellLinkCoClass();
IShellLinkW shellLink = (IShellLinkW)shellLinkClass;
shellLink.SetPath(appExecutablePath);
IPropertyStore propertyStore = (IPropertyStore)shellLinkClass;
IPersistFile persistFile = (IPersistFile)shellLinkClass;
if (arguments != null)
{
shellLink.SetArguments(arguments);
}
// https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/properties/props-system-appusermodel-id
propertyStore.SetValue(
new PropertyKey("9F4C2855-9F79-4B39-A8D0-E1D42DE1D5F3", 5),
new PROPVARIANT(appName));
// https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/properties/props-system-appusermodel-toastactivatorclsid
propertyStore.SetValue(
new PropertyKey("9F4C2855-9F79-4B39-A8D0-E1D42DE1D5F3", 26),
new PROPVARIANT(new Guid(activatorId)));
propertyStore.Commit();
persistFile.Save(shortcutPath, true);
}
[Update]
Finally got it to work - not sure what was wrong before, but the final version seems to be okay. Full code: https://gist.github.com/davidair/c4ea207bf6eece4ef08b97ab29a3036f

I have the same problem with my project now.
Managed to find this repository - https://github.com/felixrieseberg/electron-windows-interactive-notifications
Here's C++ implementation for installing shortcut (InteractiveNotifications file, InstallShortcut method). I guess the problem is how we set the value to PropertyStore, string GUID is not suitable for some reason. Still, I wasn't able to solve the problem for now.
UPDATED: Finally, was able to install shortcut from code! Check my example at Github. https://github.com/romayavorskyi/WpfNotificationTest (still a lot of hardcode, but it should give you the general idea). And you were right, shortcut path matters. It seems shortcut should be in the ProgramData folder for correct work.

The new Input System doesn't trigger anything anymore

This post is shamelessly a copy/paste from my post on the Unity Forums : https://forum.unity.com/threads/input-system-doesnt-trigger-anything-anymore.717386/, but Stack Overflow seems more active
TL;DR : InputSystem worked some days ago, don't trigger anything anymore, halp.
I tried the new Input System some days ago, and that's really neat ! I did a lot of stuff, trying to understand the best way to use it, and, in the end, I had a character jumping and moving everywhere, that was cool ! Then, I merged my code in our develop branch and went to bed.
Today, I want to continue my code, but my character doesn't move anymore, Actions are not triggered (even if inputs are detected in debugger) and I really don't know why. Either the code merge overwrote some important settings (I know what you're thinking and yes, the "Active Input Handling" is set on "Both" and I tried only running the preview) or I did something important during my little tests and I didn't realize.
So I decided to try to reproduce my steps on a fresh new project, maybe you guys can help me figure what do I do wrong ?
1/ Create a new 2D project (via the Hub)
2/ Install the latest Package (version 0.9.0)
3/ Click Yes on that message prompt to activate the new Input management in the settings
4/ Restart Unity Editor since it didn't restart even if the message said it would and check the project settings (yes, it's on "Both", and yes, my Scripting Runtime Version is 4.0)
5/ Create a new GameObject and add a PlayerInput on it
6/ Click on "Open Input Settings" and create an "InputSettings" asset
7/ Click on "Create Actions..." to create my ActionMap asset
8/ Create a "TestAction" on my "Player" ActionMap and set it to the key "t"
9/ Create a new Script "TestScript" that contains a OnTestAction() method (that only logs "test") and enables the test map/action (just to be sure) :
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.InputSystem;
using UnityEngine.InputSystem.PlayerInput;
public class TestScript : MonoBehaviour
{
void Start()
{
InputActionMap playerActionMap = GetComponent<PlayerInput>().actions.GetActionMap("Player");
playerActionMap.Enable();
playerActionMap.GetAction("TestAction").Enable(); //Just to be sure
}
public void OnTestAction()
{
Debug.Log("test");
}
}
10/ Pressing "Play" and spamming "T" like a madman to try to display a debug (note that, in the debugger, a User is created, my "t" presses are detected, my TestAction exists and is mapped on the "t" key but no debug is displayed
It's probably a silly problem, but it's driving me crazy, what do I do wrong ? It's even more infuriating that it worked some days ago !
Additional information :
- Switching the Input Management from "Both" to "New Input System (preview) does nothing
- Checking in Update() is my action is enabled returns "True" every frame
- Checking in Update() is my action is triggered returns "False" every frame
- Using action.started/triggered/performed does nothing (I tried also switching to UnityEvent or C# events for this) :
public class TestScript : MonoBehaviour
{
InputAction a;
void Start()
{
InputActionMap playerActionMap = GetComponent<PlayerInput>().actions.GetActionMap("Player");
playerActionMap.Enable();
a = playerActionMap.GetAction("TestAction");
a.Enable(); //Just to be sure
a.started += OnTriggeredTestAction;
a.performed += OnTriggeredTestAction;
a.canceled += OnTriggeredTestAction;
}
public void OnTestAction()
{
Debug.Log("test");
}
public void OnTriggeredTestAction(InputAction.CallbackContext ctx)
{
Debug.Log("test triggered");
}
}
Injecting directly the InputActionReference of my TestAction and using it does nothing
Forcing "Default Control Scheme" and "Default Action Map" does nothing
Using BroadcastMessage or UnityEvents doesn't work

You probably tried to import a new input system package for multiple input devices compatibility. These types of errors are due to conflict between old and new input system packages and are probably resolved in the latest updates.
To resolve this issue, Go to Edit -> Project Settings->Player->Under Other Settings under Configuration is the option Active Input Handling. Select Both. Unity will restart. Now your problem should be solved. You will be able to use old input system packages and the new ones also simultaneously.

Check for rogue users in the input debugger
I was having very similar symptoms (Input System would randomly just stop sending callbacks). When I opened up the input debugger, it was registering the key presses, but the callbacks were never being called in my script.
Restarting Unity didn't help.
Rebooting didn't help.
I also discovered in the input debugger that there were 2 "users" in the input system and (by process of disabling Game Objects in the scene one at a time) discovered that I had accidentally attached another copy of my Input Action Asset to a different Game Object in the scene and that Unity was registering this other object as a 2nd player or "user", which was assigned all the input action bindings I was trying to capture.
The rogue Action Asset was essentially intercepting the actions, preventing the callbacks from being called on the intended script. I don't know if that's your particular issue, but maybe it will help someone else who (like me) has spent hours pouring through forums, looking for a solution to this elusive problem.
An easy way to tell if you have the same problem is to open the input debugger and see if the desired actions are actually mapped to the user of interest.
Screen clip of input debugger:
For me, there was an unexpected User #1 and only one of the users (not the intended one) actually had keys bound to the desired actions

Posting just incase others run into this issue, as this solved my problem. Make sure to call Enable() for it to start routing events.
//Create a and set the reference
private InputControls _inputMapping;
private void Awake() => _inputMapping = new InputControls();
//Route and Un-route events
private void OnEnable() => _inputMapping.Enable();
private void OnDisable() => _inputMapping.Disable();

I don't know if this will work for you but it worked for me and I was having the same issue.
I had created 2 control schemes. Mobile and Pc. Mobile required touch screen and PC required keyboard and Mouse. Doing this made my Mobile input event stop firing. So adding the Gamepad to my Mobile Control scheme allowed the events to fire again.
TLDR. Check your control scheme make sure it allows for the inputs your binding to.

I had a similar problem, reproduced with exactly the steps described in the question.
In my case, I forgot to set control schemes.
The problem was fixed after adding them.
To do so:
Open your Input Action Asset.
Select a control scheme, in the upper left corner. (say, Keyboard) (if you haven't added a control scheme to begin with, your problem may be different than mine)
Go Right Click > Edit Control Scheme.
EditControlScehme Screen Img
Click on the plus sign to add a control scheme to the list.
Add control scheme to the list Screen Img
Select the control scheme you want to add. (in this case, Keyboard)
Select control scheme Screen Img
Should look like this:
Added control scheme Screen Img
You're all set. Save everything and the problem should be fixed.
Play your game and it should work.

As of at least Unity 2020.1.2 and Input System 1.0.0 the input system will randomly stop working correctly. The only fix I'm aware of is restarting Unity.

Failed to perform action on hidden control exception

I am trying to create a UI test in VS 2010 using IE 9 in IE 8 compatibilty mode however when trying to record an action recording many of the steps fail. Then when I manually code in the missing steps and try to fill in a log in form with a username and password I get an exception that says I have failed to perform an action on hidden control.
The UI Test code:
public void Recordedmethod()
{
BrowserWindow uILogInWindowsInternetWindow = this.UILogInWindowsInternetWindow;
HtmlHyperlink uILogInHyperlink = this.UILogInWindowsInternetWindow.UIHomePageDocument.UILogInHyperlink;
HtmlEdit uIUsernameEdit = this.UILogInWindowsInternetWindow.UILogInDocument1.UIUsernameEdit;
HtmlEdit uIPasswordEdit = this.UILogInWindowsInternetWindow.UILogInDocument1.UIPasswordEdit;
#endregion
// Go to web page 'http://localhost:15856/WebSite1/'
uILogInWindowsInternetWindow.NavigateToUrl(new System.Uri(this.RecordedMethodParams.UILogInWindowsInternetWindowUrl));
// Set flag to allow play back to continue if non-essential actions fail. (For example, if a mouse hover action fails.)
Playback.PlaybackSettings.ContinueOnError = true;
// Mouse hover 'Log In' link at (1, 1)
Mouse.Click(uILogInHyperlink);
// Reset flag to ensure that play back stops if there is an error.
Playback.PlaybackSettings.ContinueOnError = false;
// Type 'test' in 'Username:' text box
uIUsernameEdit.Text = this.RecordedMethodParams.UIUsernameEditText;
// The following element is no longer available: IE web control; Process Id [6320], window handle [3168166]
// Type '********' in 'Password:' text box
uIPasswordEdit.Password = this.RecordedMethodParams.UIPasswordEditPassword;
// The following element is no longer available: IE web control; Process Id [6320], window handle [3168166]
}

This is an issue linked to an Internet Explorer patch that was released in September.
KB2870699
This affects VS2010 and VS2012.
Microsoft released a patch that corrects the issue for VS2012 (and I've confirmed that it fixed the issue for me).
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudioalm/archive/2013/09/17/coded-ui-mtm-issues-on-internet-explorer-with-kb2870699.aspx
Currently the only workaround for VS2010 is to uninstall the patch (KB2870699); however, as with any sort of security patch you'll want to consider carefully whether pulling it is safe to do given your situation.
EDIT: This was not a fun bug for me to deal with. I had just upgraded to VS2012 from VS2010 and all of a sudden I found none of my previously functioning CodedUI tests working. I assumed it was an issue with VS2012 and after banging my head against the wall for the better part of a day I found out it was an issue with a patch. It was just my luck that I upgraded to 2012 at the same time the patch had been installed on my system. Good times!

There is actually an updated for VS 2012 to fix this issue
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudioalm/archive/2013/09/17/coded-ui-mtm-issues-on-internet-explorer-with-kb2870699.aspx
Hope this helps!

I was having the same problem with my coded ui test. It's an issue with VS-2012 i guess, i tried every update (installing/uninstalling them and everything..) nothing worked.
I tried VS-2013 Ultimate and it worked.

You can use exception handling to capture the error while still not having the test failed.
The test is failing because at the time it performs click action, the control is hidden.
try
{
//your code goes here
}
catch(FailedToPerformActionOnHiddenControlException e)
{
Console.WriteLine(e.Message);
}