on screen keyboard

[shpigi]

Hello.
I am trying to make an on-screen keyboard.
The idea is:
The user has the keyboard on screen.
When a key on the screen keyboard is pressed - the appropriate key press is sent to the control in focus as if it came from the real keyboard.
This MUST happen without the focus change that usually happens when another control on the screen is pressed.

so, the question is: how do I have my on screen virtual keyboard acknoladge a mouse click by not receiving the focus, yet sending the right keypress to the control who had the focus?

If you have win2000 you can see this sort of application under accessories\accesibility\on-screen keyboard.

Thanks.
-----------------

[Joacim Andersson]

Well you could use a timer and make a call to GetActiveWindow to store the active window handle. Then when the user click on one of your buttons call SetActiveWindow to restore the other window. When this is done you could just use SendKeys to send the key stroke.

[alex_read]

Use the getactivewindow API call as Joacim mentioned explained here

Sample code 4 virtual heyboard here

Hope this helps!
Alex Read

The GetActiveWindow function retrieves the window handle to the active window associated with the thread that calls the function.

[gwdash]

Use getforegoundwindow and setforegroundwindow for all programs

[shpigi]

Thanks.
Your answers were very helpful in getting things working.
some unfilled wishes:

A. I wish the focus didn't change back and forth. It causes the form which receives the key input to flash with every virtual keystroke, Plus some controls have lostFocus events that I'd rather didn't happen.

B. I wish I didn't have to use polling to get the active window. Is there another way to get the previously active window handle (without adding code to ever window in the application)?

C. The GetActiveWindow function only works for windows in my own appllication. What about using the virtual keyboard on other running applications (this is something I might be able to do without..)

Again - thanks for pointing in the right direction.
(Though without some more wish filling, I won't be getting very far with this)

------

[gwdash]

for other applications use the GetForegroundWindow to get it and SetForegroundWindow to set it.

[shpigi]

Thanks gwdash.

Now I get your point.
Wish C is filled.

How about A and B. Anyone?

[Joacim Andersson]

You could use SetWindowPos to always show your window on top of all other windows. Even when it's not having the focus.

[kedaman]

You could use GetForegroundWindow as well, just have a property that doesn't accept if the foreground window is your window.

Property Get LastWindow()
static wnd as long
 if getforegroundwindow<>Yourform.hwnd then wnd=GetForegroundWindow 
 lastwindow=wnd
end property