How do programs send simulated keystrokes?

[Chubigans]

hey guys. i've been working a lot with AutoIT, making some huge macros, but I'm thinking how nice it would be to build these kinds of things in a non-scripted environment. Using a C-based language or something.

I've never done any windows programming, but I suppose that's how these programs work? They can move the mouse, send simulated keystrokes, find the names of windows and windows components of windows, and find pixel values at various points in the window

So, what technology do these guys employ?

[zuperxtreme]

Shazam! http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cpp/se...p_Article.aspx

The core functionality of sending keys in CSendKeys revolves around the usage of the keybd_event() Win32 API function.

The keybd_event() produces a keystroke, however the keyboard driver's interrupt handles the calls to this function, which means we can send almost any key combination with less limitations.

In brief, it allows you to send a virtual key, defined in winuser.h as VK_XXX, and a flag which denotes a KeyDown, KeyUp or state to tell if the VKey is an extended key or not.

Normal characters are translated into virtual keys using the VkKeyScan() which takes a CHAR and returns a WORD denoting a VK.

When you send a key, it will be depressed until you send it again with the KEYEVENTF_KEYUP flag.

[Agent 008]

You are working under Windows, I assume?

To work with a window, you first need to find a window's handle. There are Windows API functions to do that, say, through window title etc. Keep in mind that in Windows, everything is a window - buttons, controls are all windows too.

Once you have a handle of a window, you can send events to that window. Basically, that's how a window knows that a user has pressed a button - it listens for events, and the OS sends it the event if it occurs. You will be generating such events manually.

You can also paint on these windows, get their pixel values, even cut them (to get, say, a window in the shape of a circle).

At least that's how it worked in the past, I don't think much has changed though. Last I did something like that was about 5 years ago.

[Chubigans]

Thanks both of you for your informative replies. I'm going to do some basic windows programming of my own!