send message problem

[westconn1]

i am doing a small project that i would like to send a string from a list box and an option "enter" to the next top window, similar to the program in http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=316373.

my problems are, when i try to get the hwnd for the target program several have a zreo value, ones that i get a value for do not get the value for the textbox or other control where i want the message to go (i have been using apispy to check the correct value).

if i hard code the hwnd for the control i can send message, but it is not correct

i have an array of list boxes wish to send the listbox text to the control that has focus on the applicaton then return to select another item.

Private Const WM_COPY = &H301
Private Const WM_PASTE = &H302
Private Const WM_SETTEXT As Long = &HC
 
 
Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA"_
 (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long,_
 lparam As Any) As Long
Private Declare Function GetActiveWindow Lib "user32" () As Long
 
 
 
Private Sub List1_Click(index As Integer)
Dim newtext As String
newtext = List1(index).Text
Debug.Print Me.hwnd
 
Me.Hide
wind = GetActiveWindow
Debug.Print wind
Me.Show
 
 ' hwind for text box on program i was trying to paste to, detected by apispy
'wind = 329952 
 SendMessage wind, WM_SETTEXT, 0&, List1(index).Text
 
List1(index).SetFocus
End Sub

[ice_531]

Hello westconn,

First off, let me just say that window handles change ( they are not normally static ) so you setting wind to 329952 might not work unless when you found the window you used classname AND window caption to make sure it's getting the correct handle every time.

I can't tell if you did from the code you've posted thus far.

Let me know if i am not understanding you

[RobDog888]

Usually its best to use the FindWindow and FindWindowEx APIs to drill down
the window structure to your target window. You can't hard code handles
either because they are dynamic and can change during window state
changes (min/max/normal) and instance runs of the third party program.

HTH

[RobDog888]

Doh! Sorry Ice, I'm typing to slooow because I'm getting a cold.
Guess I'll go to bed now.

later.

[westconn1]

i realise that the handle changes, and just put that in to test what happen when i did the sendmessage, as i said it did not produce the right message, but at least it went to the right place.

i am trying to detect which application i want to send to using getactive window.

but when that does return a value other than zero, it is not for the control with focus.

[westconn1]

i got the getactive window code from an example posted by tec-nico in the thread i mentioned before


rgds peter

[Tec-Nico]

Did you try Manavo's code?
Option Explicit

Private Declare Function AttachThreadInput Lib "user32" (ByVal idAttach As Long, _
ByVal idAttachTo As Long, _
ByVal fAttach As Long) _
As Long
Private Declare Function GetForegroundWindow Lib "user32" () As Long
Private Declare Function GetFocus Lib "user32" () As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowThreadProcessId Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
lpdwProcessId As Long) _
As Long
Private Declare Function GetCurrentThreadId Lib "kernel32" () As Long

Private Const WM_COPY = &H301
Private Const WM_PASTE = &H302

Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lparam As Any) As Long

Public Sub Paste(ByVal hwnd As Long)
SendMessage hwnd, WM_PASTE, 0&, ByVal 0&
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
Dim hFore As Long, hFocus As Long

hFocus = GetFocus

If hFocus = 0 Then
hFore = GetForegroundWindow()
Call AttachThreadInput(GetWindowThreadProcessId(hFore, 0&), GetCurrentThreadId, True)
hFocus = GetFocus
Call AttachThreadInput(GetWindowThreadProcessId(hFore, 0&), GetCurrentThreadId, False)
End If
Paste hFocus
Me.Caption = hFocus

End Sub

[westconn1]

tec-nico,

i set up the code you posted, without the timer, so that when i select the list item it runs the code, the results were very erratic, if i kept just clicking the list box item i got the results from debug.print pasted from the immediate window

hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8737640              '460454 application vbide
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8738953               'nothing pasted, ide was 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8739593                 'running so it wouldn't
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8740156 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8741328 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8742046 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8742640 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8743265 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8744015 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8744656 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8745265 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8745890 
hwnd   460454   gettickcount  8746484 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8773218                        '67388 application
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8773796                  'word document
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8774312                         ' nothing pasted 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8774828 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8775890 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8776359 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8777312 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8777734 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8778203 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8779125 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8780000 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8780890 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8781328 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8782062 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8782890 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8783734 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8784171 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8784625 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8785093 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8785531 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8786406 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8786843 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8787281 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8787750 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8788750 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8789296 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8789843 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8790453 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8791031 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8791734 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8792312 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8792906 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8793515 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8794046 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8794593 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8795156 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  8795687 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8796703 
hwnd   67388   gettickcount  8797203 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9059625         '1246594 application, previous
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9060109                   'exe of this program,
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9060921                   'pasted to textbox when 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9061500                   'hwnd not 0
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9062468 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9063437 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9064015 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9065062 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9065890 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9066562 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9067015 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9067421 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9067953 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9068515 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9069046 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9069625 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9070203 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9070765 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9071203 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9071671 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9072171 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9072625 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9073093 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9074046 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9074578 
hwnd   0   gettickcount  9075109 
hwnd   1246594   gettickcount  9076281

here is the code i am using

Public Sub Paste(ByVal hwnd As Long)
SendMessage hwnd, WM_PASTE, 0&, ByVal 0&
Debug.Print "hwnd  "; hwnd; "  gettickcount "; GetTickCount
 
End Sub
 
Private Function gethwnd()
Dim hFore As Long, hFocus As Long
 
hFocus = GetFocus
 
If hFocus = 0 Then
hFore = GetForegroundWindow()
Call AttachThreadInput(GetWindowThreadProcessId(hFore, 0&), GetCurrentThreadId, True)
hFocus = GetFocus
Call AttachThreadInput(GetWindowThreadProcessId(hFore, 0&), GetCurrentThreadId, False)
End If
Paste hFocus
Me.Caption = hFocus
End Function
 
Private Sub List1_Click(index As Integer)
Dim newtext As String
newtext = List1(index).Text
Clipboard.Clear
Clipboard.SetText List1(index).Text
Me.Hide
gethwnd
Me.Show
List1(index).SetFocus
End Sub

this program will be very useful to me if can get it to work properly, but also i am trying to learn a lot more about api calls and just to make them work.

thanks for your help peter

edit: anyone, how do you make the quote boxs have sroll bar to reduce size??

figured that out now...........

[westconn1]

i am still floundering on this problem is anyone able to offer any further suggestions or alternatives





peter

[Tec-Nico]

Don't get desperate... I have been trying to make it work as well. So sooner or later I might find a solution.

[manavo11]

Hey Tec

This seems to work

Me.Hide
[b]DoEvents[/b]
gethwnd
Me.Show

It doesn't have time to hide your application and set focus to the notepad or whatever application you expect to have focus. I think

[westconn1]

Hey Tec

This seems to work

visual basic code:Me.Hide
DoEvents
gethwnd
Me.Show



It doesn't have time to hide your application and set focus to the notepad or whatever application you expect to have focus. I think

Thanks manavo, this cretainly fixes the reliability problem for using to notepad or to my copiled vb program.
if MS word or a different project vbide window nothing pastes, but i will compile this now and test a lot more.

thanks again

[Tec-Nico]

Hey Manavo! I owe you one

[manavo11]

Thanks manavo, this cretainly fixes the reliability problem for using to notepad or to my copiled vb program.
if MS word or a different project vbide window nothing pastes, but i will compile this now and test a lot more.

thanks again

You're welcome

Actually I just tried Word and I couldn't get it to work either... Weird though, I expected it would

Hey Manavo! I owe you one

[westconn1]

hahaha

the program i mainly wanted to use this with (which isn't on my computer) doesn't get the paste, like Word, can i try to sendmessage the listbox text, instead of using sendmessage paste, (bypass the clipboard) and what would be the sendmessage command to do it.

p.

[manavo11]

Well, the other option would be to use the WM_SETTEXT although that would cause all the data in that textbox (if it is a simple textbox or richtextbox at least) to be lost... I'll have to see if there is another way. SendKeys somes to mind although I don't think it's the best way...

[Dmitri K]

Your sendmessage declaration is wrong, that's why it doesn't work, but the syntax is right.

If you're using WM_, you must change sendmessage declaration. Last parameter (lParam as any) must be ByVal lParam As String.

The modified sendmessage is often refered to as SendMessageByString

Original sendmessage:
Public Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long

Modified sendmessage:
Public Declare Function SendMessageByString Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As String) As Long

[westconn1]

dmitri

Modified sendmessage:
Public Declare Function SendMessageByString Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As String) As Long

i changed my program to use the modified send message,

it still pastes fine into notepad, but nothing pastes to msword

thanks peter

[Dmitri K]

Hmm, maybe wm_settext doesn't work with msword.

As far as I can think right now, keyb_event is your only option, but someone may know a way.

Post the code if not a problem. I'll tinker with it.

[manavo11]

Hmm, maybe wm_settext doesn't work with msword.

As far as I can think right now, keyb_event is your only option, but someone may know a way.

Post the code if not a problem. I'll tinker with it.

Problem is you need the window to be active

[westconn1]

dmitri, the code is the same as i posted earlier, with 2 changes
1 change to sendmessagebystring
2 set the form to hide during the paste process


as i am starting the process by clicking a listbox item, so i don't know if a k_board event would help.

i initially wrote this for a specific program, but now i would like it to work with as any as possible including visual basic ide.

thanks p.

[Dmitri K]

Hmm, well this is the only way I found this to work.

newtext = "test"
SetForegroundWindow wind 'wind is your msword handle
For x = 1 To Len(newtext)
  vk = VkKeyScan(Asc(Mid(newtext, x, 1))) And &HFF
  keybd_event vk, 0, 0, 0
  keybd_event vk, 0, 2, 0
Next x

[westconn1]

thanks to all for help on this

i finally found why it didn't work

the sendmessage of any type sent to MsWord and some other programs set the window text (that is the caption). in word it doesn't show at all, but in vb6 you could actually see caption of the code window reset.

i now have the program working exact how i wanted, no api at all, just using sendkeys

rgds pete