Keystroke Logging

[Andy_Hollywood]

I am trying to write a program that will sit inthe system tray and log peoples keystrokes to a text file. It has to run in the background. Is there an easy way to determine which keys a user has pressed, and if so how would i go about writing such a piece of code?

Cheers in Advance

Andy

[VirtuallyVB]

Visual Studio had a working sample in C++ relating to "HOOKS" which can log keystrokes and mouse input. Shockingly, the actual sample compiled and functioned as documented (highly unusual for my experience with microsoft advanced concepts).

I am unfamiliar if Java can do this without making a native call to such a method as that produced in C++. Perhaps the reflective classes may help, but I am guessing.

Bring the correct tool to the task; I believe it is C/C++ in this case.

[Dillinger4]

Yeah that's a hard one. I looked and looked but i see nothing in Java that would enable you to trap non predifined keystrokes.

There is a KeyStroke class and a KeyMap interface. But all they enable you to do is assocate actions with particular events through a KeyMap class.


If you figure it out clue us in

[Dillinger4]

Someone else ask the same quesiton and i think this would
put you on the right track. It envolves a hook as VirtuallyVB pointed out.


http://161.58.186.97/showthread.php?s=&threadid=81490

[billrogers]

would a hook really be the correct term? I think really want you need is to make an the api calls in c to get windows message pump to have it pump the keystrokes to your app as well as whatever app has focus. I have done this in c,not that tough, now in java that can be a whole new monster, I think you will have to look at Jini to make calls to a native thing like this.

[Dillinger4]

I finally found the answer to this one after wanting to do the samething myself. But if i left somthing out please forgive me it's
2:56 in the morning.

What you want to use is the KeyEvent class which is a subclass of InputEvent: Take a look......

                        java.lang.Object 
                                  |
                                  |
                     java.util.EventObject
                                  |
                                  |
                     java.awt.AWTEvent
                                  |
                                  |
                   java.awt.event (Abstract)
                                  |
                                  |
                     InputEvent (Abstract)
                                  |
                                  |
                  __________________
                        |                     |
                        |                     |
                   KeyEvent     MouseEvent

yes yes i know i left out a host of other classes but....

Here is a short description of the KeyEvent class.

"This event is generated when the user presses or releases a key, or does bolth (ie types a character) These situations are characterized by the following constants in the KeyEvent class"

public static int KEY_PRESSED
public static int KEY_RELEASED
public static int KEY_TYPED

The last one is what you want.

"This event is delivered when a character has been typed on the keyboard ie.... a key has been pressed (KEY_PRESSED) and then released (KEY_RELEASED) to signify typing a character.

There are two methods that are defined in the KeyEvent class.....

int getkeyCode()

For KEY_PRESSED or KEY_RELEASED events, this method can be used to get the integer key-code associated with the key. The key codes are defined as constants in the KeyEvent.

char getKeyChar()

For KEY_TYPED events, the method can be used to get the Unicode character theat results from hitting a key.

If you want you can also (which i think is cool) log the time the user pressed the key. By using the getWhen() method inherited from the parent class InputEvent.

[Dillinger4]

Hey Vert what do you think?