NAME
Win32::CtrlGUI::Window - an OO interface for controlling Win32 GUI windows
SYNOPSIS
use Win32::CtrlGUI
my $window = Win32::CtrlGUI::wait_for_window(qr/Notepad/);
$window->send_keys("!fx");
DESCRIPTION
Win32::CtrlGUI::Window
objects represent GUI windows, and are used to interact with those windows.
GLOBALS
$Win32::CtrlGUI::Window::sendkey_activate
I couldn't think of any reason that anyone would not want to activate the window before sending it keys (especially given the way this OO front-end works), but if you do find yourself in that situation, change this to 0.
$Win32::CtrlGUI::Window::sendkey_intvl
This global parameter specifies the default interval between keystrokes when executing a send_keys
. The value is specified in milliseconds. The send_keys
method also takes an optional parameter that will override this value. The default value is 0.
METHODS
_new
This method is titled _new
because it would rarely get called by user-level code. It takes a passed window handle and returns a Win32::CtrlGUI::Window
object.
handle
This method returns the window's handle. Rarely used because the numification operator for Win32::CtrlGUI::Window
is overloaded to call it.
text
This method returns the window's text. Rarely used because the stringification operator for Win32::CtrlGUI::Window
is overloaded to call it. Thus, instead of writing print $window->text,"\n";
, one can simply write print $window,"\n";
If you want to print out the handle number, write print $window->handle,"\n"
or print int($window),"\n"
.
If the window no longer exists, the method will return undef;
exists
Calls Win32::Setupsup::WaitForWindowClose
with a timeout of 1ms to determine whether the window still exists or not. Returns true if the Win32::CtrlGUI::Window
object still refers to an existing window, returns false if it does not.
send_keys
The send_keys
method sends keystrokes to the window. The first parameter is the text to send. The second parameter is optional and specifies the interval between sending keystrokes, in milliseconds.
If the window no longer exists, this method will die with the error "Win32::CtrlGUI::Window::send_keys called on non-existent window handle handle."
I found the SendKeys
syntax used by Win32::Setupsup
to be rather unwieldy. I missed the syntax used in WinBatch, so I implemented a conversion routine. At the same time, I extended the syntax a little. I think you'll like the result.
The meta-characters are:
- !
-
Holds the Alt key down for the next character
- ^
-
Holds the Ctrl key down for the next character
- +
-
Holds the Shift key down for the next character
- { and }
-
Used to send special characters, sequences, or for sleeping
The !
, ^
, and +
characters can be combined. For instance, to send a Ctrl-Shift-F7, one uses the sequence ^+{F7}
.
The special characters sendable using the curly braces are:
Alt {ALT}
Backspace {BACKSPACE} or {BS} or {BACK}
Clear {CLEAR}
Delete {DELETE} or {DEL}
Down Arrow {DOWN} or {DN}
End {END}
Enter {ENTER} or {RET}
Escape {ESCAPE} or {ESC}
F1->F12 {F1}->{F12}
Help {HELP}
Home {HOME} or {BEG}
Insert {INSERT} or {INS}
Left Arrow {LEFT}
NumKey 0->9 {NUM0}->{NUM9}
NumKey /*-+ {NUM/} or {NUM*} or {NUM-} or {NUM+}
Page Down {PGDN}
Page Up {PGUP}
Right Arrow {RIGHT}
Space {SPACE} or {SP}
Tab {TAB}
Up Arrow {UP}
! {!}
^ {^}
+ {+}
} {}}
{ {{}
If the character name is followed by a space and an integer, the key will be repeated that many times. For instance, to send 15 down arrows keystrokes, use {DOWN 15}
. To send 5 asterisks, use {* 5}
. This doesn't work for sending multiple number keys (unless you use NUM0 or some such).
Finally, if the contents of the {} block are a number - either integer or floating point, a pause will be inserted at the point. For instance, $window->send_keys("!n{2.5}C:\\Foo.txt{1}{ENTER}")
is equivalent to:
$window->send_keys("!n");
Win32::Sleep(2500);
$window->send_keys("C:\\Foo.txt");
Win32::Sleep(1000);
$window->send_keys("{ENTER}");
Hope you like the work.
enum_child_windows
Returns a list of the window's child windows. They are, of course, Win32::CtrlGUI::Window
objects.
If the window no longer exists, the method will return undef;
has_child
Checks to see whether the window has a child window matching the passed criteria. Same criteria options as found in Win32::CtrlGUI::wait_for_window
. Returns 0 or 1.
If the window no longer exists, the method will return undef;
set_focus
Calls Win32::Setupsup::SetFocus
on the window. See the Win32::Setupsup::SetFocus
documentation for caveats concerning this method.
If the window no longer exists, this method will die with the error "Win32::CtrlGUI::Window::set_focus called on non-existent window handle handle."
get_properties
Calls Win32::Setupsup::GetWindowProperties
on the window. Passes the list of requested properties and returns the list of returned values in the same order.
If the window no longer exists, the method will return undef;
set_properties
Calls Win32::Setupsup::SetWindowProperties
on the window.
If the window no longer exists, this method will die with the error "Win32::CtrlGUI::Window::set_properties called on non-existent window handle handle."