I want to write an application to process certain user actions.
The application will be always transparent and should be click through. So, the window behind will be seen and as the transparent application is click through I should be able to click on the window behind. Only certain user actions(like double click) I want to handle in my transparent application.
Is it possible to achieve this? Any guidelines are appreciated.
You can make fake window click from your app:
[DllImport("user32.dll",CharSet=CharSet.Auto, CallingConvention=CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern void mouse_event(uint dwFlags, uint dx, uint dy, uint cButtons, uint dwExtraInfo);
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN = 0x02;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP = 0x04;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN = 0x08;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP = 0x10;
private void Form_MouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
this.Hide();
Point p = this.PointToScreen(e.Location);
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN , p.X, p.Y, 0, 0);
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, p.X, p.Y, 0, 0);
this.Show();//since this.opacity = 0; form will never be really visible
}
Now on double click you can set what ever you want.
You can make a window that is transparent and click through. However, it's all or nothing. You can't be click through apart from double clicks.
So, to do what you want I believe you will need to use a global mouse hook to handle the double clicks. But that's going to require native code.
In fact, come to think of it, why do you need the transparent click through window at all?
Related
There is a simple application that works in Windows. It has very simple interface: squre window with buttons in fixed coordinates.
I need to write a program that makes use of this application: to launch it and to click one of buttons (let's say invoke a click at (150,200)).
Is there any way to do it in Java or .NET?
The Java based solution is to launch the app. in a Process and use the Robot to interact with it.
The best solution on this thread was by #HFoE but deleted by a moderator. For reference, it basically came down to..
If you want to control another Windows application, use a tool that was built specifically for this such as AutoIt V3.
Since "Don't do it" seems to be considered a valid answer when an alternative is supplied (by general opinion on Meta), I cannot understand why the answer was deleted.
As Hovercraft Full Of Eels if you can - use autoit - it's much easier. If AutoIt is not an option then you will need to use winAPI functions in order to do it.
For example to call mouseclick at coordinates:
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool SetCursorPos(int x, int y);
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool GetCursorPos(ref Point lpPoint);
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
public static extern void mouse_event(int dwFlags, int dx, int dy, int cButtons, int dwExtraInfo);
public void LeftMouseClick(int xpos, int ypos) //Make a click at specified coords and return mouse back
{
Point retPoint = new Point();
GetCursorPos(ref retPoint); // set retPoint as mouse current coords
SetCursorPos(xpos, ypos); //set mouse cursor position
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN, xpos, ypos, 0, 0);
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, xpos, ypos, 0, 0); //click made
SetCursorPos(retPoint.X, retPoint.Y); //return mouse position to coords
}
But be aware, that to make click inside a window it needs to be at front of you - you cannot click to a minimized app for example.
If you want to try - you can find all needed functions(how to run a programm, get needed window by hwnd and so on) at PInvoke
For .Net you can pretty much use AutomationElement which I prefer. There's a bit of learning time, but it shouldn't take much. You can start your app with ProcessStartInfo.
If you have VS2010 Pro or Ultimate you can use the CodedUITests to generate a couple of button pushes.
As #Hovercraft Full Of Eels suggested - Autoit, Python could do the same
Yes - in C#...
Use the Process class to start the process (there are plenty of resources on the web on how to do this.
Wait until the process has started (either just wait for a fixed amount of time which is probably going to be long enough, or you could try and do something fancy like IPC or monitoring for a window being created)
To simulate the click take a look at How to simulate Mouse Click in C#? which uses a P/Invoke call to the mouse_event function.
However note that there are several things that can go wrong with this
Someone might move the window, or place another window on top of that window in the time it takes to launch the application
On a slower PC it may take longer to load the application (this risk can be mitigated by doing things like monitoring open windows and waiting for the expected application window to appear)
In .net you can Process.Start from System.Diagnostics to launch an application, you can even pass parameters, and to simulate mouse events you can use P/Invoke there is already an answer to that on SO here
Here is my working test app to play with clicking in windows.
We just start some app and hope to click it in right place)
It would be nice to have some solution for capturing windows this way =)
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Threading;
namespace ConsoleApplication8
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo(#"C:\Users\Bodia\Documents\visual studio 2010\Projects\ConsoleApplication8\WindowsFormsApplication1\bin\Debug\WindowsFormsApplication1.exe");
startInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Maximized;
Console.WriteLine(1);
var process = Process.Start(startInfo);
Console.WriteLine(2);
Thread.Sleep(400);
Console.WriteLine(3);
LeftMouseClick(1000, 200);
Console.WriteLine(4);
}
static void CursorFun()
{
Point cursorPos = new Point();
GetCursorPos(ref cursorPos);
cursorPos.X += 100;
Thread.Sleep(1000);
SetCursorPos(cursorPos.X, cursorPos.Y);
cursorPos.X += 100;
Thread.Sleep(1000);
SetCursorPos(cursorPos.X, cursorPos.Y);
cursorPos.X += 100;
Thread.Sleep(1000);
SetCursorPos(cursorPos.X, cursorPos.Y);
cursorPos.X += 100;
Thread.Sleep(1000);
SetCursorPos(cursorPos.X, cursorPos.Y);
}
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool SetCursorPos(int x, int y);
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool GetCursorPos(ref Point lpPoint);
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
public static extern void mouse_event(int dwFlags, int dx, int dy, int cButtons, int dwExtraInfo);
public static void LeftMouseClick(int xpos, int ypos) //Make a click at specified coords and return mouse back
{
Point retPoint = new Point();
GetCursorPos(ref retPoint); // set retPoint as mouse current coords
SetCursorPos(xpos, ypos); //set mouse cursor position
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN, xpos, ypos, 0, 0);
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, xpos, ypos, 0, 0); //click made
SetCursorPos(retPoint.X, retPoint.Y); //return mouse position to coords
}
struct Point
{
public int X;
public int Y;
}
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN = 0x02;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP = 0x04;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN = 0x08;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP = 0x10;
}
}
I have an multithreaded application that needs to be able to preform multiple mouse click at the same time.
I have an IntPtr intptr to a process on which i need to send a mouse click to.
I have tried to find this information on the web and there are some examples which i have tried. But I have not got any of them to work.
As I understand the correct way to solv my issue is to use the function
SendMessage(IntPtr hWnd, int Msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam);
hWnd is the IntPtr to the process.
Msg is the wanted action, which I want a left click, int WM_LBUTTONDBLCLK = 0x0203;
IntPtr wParam is of no intrest to this problem ( as I understand)
And the coordinates to the click is in lParam.
I construct lParam like,
Int32 word = MakeLParam(x, y);
private int MakeLParam(int LoWord, int HiWord)
{
return ((HiWord << 16) | (LoWord & 0xffff));
}
But as you might understand, I cant get this to work.
My first question is, the coordinates are they within the window of this process or are
the absolut screen coordinates?
And my second question, what am I doing wrong?
I was trying to simulate mouse clicks in C# just recently, I wrote this little helper class to do the trick:
public static class SimInput
{
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern void mouse_event(uint dwFlags, uint dx, uint dy, uint dwData, UIntPtr dwExtraInfo);
[Flags]
public enum MouseEventFlags : uint
{
Move = 0x0001,
LeftDown = 0x0002,
LeftUp = 0x0004,
RightDown = 0x0008,
RightUp = 0x0010,
MiddleDown = 0x0020,
MiddleUp = 0x0040,
Absolute = 0x8000
}
public static void MouseEvent(MouseEventFlags e, uint x, uint y)
{
mouse_event((uint)e, x, y, 0, UIntPtr.Zero);
}
public static void LeftClick(Point p)
{
LeftClick((double)p.X, (double)p.Y);
}
public static void LeftClick(double x, double y)
{
var scr = Screen.PrimaryScreen.Bounds;
MouseEvent(MouseEventFlags.LeftDown | MouseEventFlags.LeftUp | MouseEventFlags.Move | MouseEventFlags.Absolute,
(uint)Math.Round(x / scr.Width * 65535),
(uint)Math.Round(y / scr.Height * 65535));
}
public static void LeftClick(int x, int y)
{
LeftClick((double)x, (double)y);
}
}
The coordinates are a fraction of 65535, which is a bit odd, but this class will handle that for you.
I'm not 100% sure I understand what you're trying to accomplish. But if you want to simulate mouse input then I'd recommend using the SendInput API.
You can provide an array of inputs to be inserted into the input stream.
See also: PInvoke reference
I don't understand why anyone would want to send multiple mouse clicks simultaneously. If it's to test your GUI, it's the wrong test. No one can physically click something multiple times in the same time space.
But going back to your question, using SendMessage won't help you, because it is basically a blocking call. Even if you tried to use PostMessage, you won't be able to accomplish simultaneous clicks, because the message queue is getting pumped from the UI thread and has messages popped off and handled sequentially.
I used this code to click left button in handle
public static void MouseLeftClick(Point p, int handle = 0)
{
//build coordinates
int coordinates = p.X | (p.Y << 16);
//send left button down
SendMessage(handle, 0x201, 0x1, coordinates);
//send left button up
SendMessage(handle, 0x202, 0x1, coordinates);
}
If you set no handle with calling - then it sends click to Desktop, so coordinates should be for whole screen, if you will set handle, then message will be sent to handle's window and you should set coordinates for window.
How about just using VirtualMouse? I use it in C# and it works great.
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private VirtualMouse vm = new VirtualMouse();
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void MouseClickHere(Point myPoint)
{
vm.ClickIt(myPoint, 150);
}
private void Clicker()
{
MouseClickHere(new Point(250,350));
}
}
I need to send global keystrokes and mouse events to another application, which is coincidentally using using DirectX. (No controls/handles other than the window itself)
For example, I need to hold key X for 2 seconds and then release it...
I need to push Right Click down on coordinates x:600 and y:350, move the mouse 100 pixels down and then release the Right Click.
I also need to push 2 or more keys at once, like X and Y, and stop X after 2 seconds and Y after 2 more seconds.
So basically I would need full control of the input system...
It would also be ideal if I could control the application while maximized or in background. (optionally)
For the skeptics... The teacher made a DirectX application for drawing for our school. I am asked to make an application that draws samples on it, like a train or flower or something... I will be reading images and use the input to set the color and click on the canvas...
There are some possibilities. You may have a look at System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys and you can pInvoke some Win32 functions like SetForegroundWindow(), LockSetForegroundWindow() from gdi32.dll or from user32.dll SetCursorPos() and mouse_event to perform clicks:
Here a snippet for the Mouse events I used a while ago.
/**
* Mouse functions
*/
[DllImport("user32.dll", ExactSpelling=true)]
public static extern long mouse_event(Int32 dwFlags, Int32 dx, Int32 dy, Int32 cButtons, Int32 dwExtraInfo);
[DllImport("user32.dll", ExactSpelling=true)]
public static extern void SetCursorPos(Int32 x, Int32 y);
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_ABSOLUTE = 0x8000;
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN = 0x0002;
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP = 0x0004;
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_MIDDLEDOWN = 0x0020;
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_MIDDLEUP = 0x0040;
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_MOVE = 0x0001;
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN = 0x0008;
public const Int32 MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP = 0x0010;
public static void PerformLeftKlick(Int32 x, Int32 y)
{
SetCursorPos(x, y);
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_ABSOLUTE | MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN, 0, 0, 0, 0);
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_ABSOLUTE | MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, 0, 0, 0, 0);
}
Hope that pushes you in the right direction. A good resource is http://pinvoke.net/
If you want to use a library for C# that will make your work easier then read following link -
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/117657/InputManager-library-Track-user-input-and-simulate
Other than .Net C# you can use other language alternative like in Java where, there is no confusion of direct x or normal input -
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/awt/Robot.html
I have a kind of funny and weird requirement this time. I have my account on Facebook and as you all know it is very popular for playing games. One of the applications that i came across was Click game in which a person has to click as many times as he can in span of 10 seconds. Well, one friend said he created some .Net code in C# that would automate the process of clicking on the button. Is it really possible or is he bluffing? If so, can anybody tell me how? I personally haven't seen him doing it. But he mentions this thing in front of my other friends. Any guidelines would be helpful. With much effort i clicked 92 times in 10 seconds and he said using some C# code he just kept a loop and clicked for 1500 times. Now i feel kind of inferior in front of him :p. Just 92 as against his 1500.
Thanks in advance :)
Even this code doesn't work. I can't see even a single click on my page made to facebook :-
[DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
static extern void mouse_event(uint dwFlags, uint dx, uint dy, uint dwData,int dwExtraInfo);
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN = 0x02;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP = 0x04;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN = 0x08;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP = 0x10;
public void DoMouseClick()
{
int X = Cursor.Position.X;
int Y = Cursor.Position.Y;
for (int x = 0; x < 1000; x++)
{
for (int y = 0; y < 600; y++)
{
mouse_event((uint)MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN | MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN, (uint)x, (uint)y, 0, 0);
}
}
}
Probably it doesn't work because mouse click is sent to OS not facebook.
In .net, you can interact with the page scripts in a WebBrowser control with the InvokeScript API and interact with the page DOM via the Document property.
I've seen what you're talking about, and I, too, know people who have ridiculous numbers in that game. Most likely what they are doing is manipulating the JavaScript call that gets passed back to the server and relaying a fake number.
It is possible, however, to simulate a mouse click in .Net. Here's the code to trigger it:
[DllImport("user32.dll",CharSet=CharSet.Auto, CallingConvention=CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern void mouse_event(long dwFlags, long dx, long dy, long cButtons, long dwExtraInfo);
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN = 0x02;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP = 0x04;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN = 0x08;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP = 0x10;
public void DoMouseClick()
{
int X = Cursor.Position.X;
int Y = Cursor.Position.Y;
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN | MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, X, Y, 0, 0);
}
As you can see, we're getting the X and Y positions from the mouse's current location; however, you can simulate a click anywhere on the screen so long as you know the coordinates.
If you run this code in a loop, and you get the X and Y coordinates of the button you're trying to press (possibly by delaying the click routine for a few seconds after execution so you have time to move your mouse to where the button is), you can accomplish what you're trying to do.
Note that I don't think this is how people are getting such large numbers in the game. Most likely you can edit the JavaScript calls via FireBug or similar developer tool and then send back fake data to the server.
A Test Framework like Selenium could used for such a challenge
How could I programmatically trigger a left-click event on the mouse?
Thanks.
edit: the event is not triggered directly on a button. I'm aiming for the Windows platform.
To perform a mouse click:
[DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern void mouse_event(long dwFlags, long dx, long dy, long cButtons, long dwExtraInfo);
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN = 0x02;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP = 0x04;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN = 0x08;
private const int MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP = 0x10;
public static void DoMouseClick()
{
mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN | MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, 0, 0, 0, 0);
}
To move the cursor where you want:
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool SetCursorPos(int X, int Y);
public static void MoveCursorToPoint(int x, int y)
{
SetCursorPos(x, y);
}
If it's right on a button, you can use
button1.PerformClick();
Otherwise, you can check out this MSDN article which discusses simulating mouse (and keyboard) input.
Additionally, this project may be able to help you out as well. Under the covers, it uses SendInput.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140214230712/http://www.pinvoke.net/default.aspx/user32.sendinput
Use the Win32 API to send input.
Update:
Since I no longer work with Win32 API, I will not update this answer to be correct when the platform changes or websites become unavailable. Since this answer doesn't even conform to Stackoverflow standards (does not contain the answer itself, but rather a link to an external, now defunct resource), there's no point giving it any points or spending any more time on it.
Instead, take a look at this question on Stackoverflow, which I think is a duplicate:
How to simulate Mouse Click in C#?