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Control the Controls
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Normally checkboxes, buttons, texts and so on are child-windows of the main application (parent window). The Control manager analysis script shows children and grand-children. But what to do, if the hierarchy of controls goes deeper than 2 layers?
I wrote a little tool to paddle up and down the control-hierarchy like you do with directories normally. The handle, Name, ID, and Class of every control is shown.
Note that the handle is only of temporary use, it will be altered with the next start of the tested application.
When the special branch you examine stops, this will be shown by a sign (||).
Additionally you can test (uses cPostMessage) the control by a numeric command (uses cPostMessage). Try:
16 :This deletes the button 18 : This closes the application 49 : This changes the font 77 : This shows the help 123: Gives a popup "Help" 245: PUSHES the buttonBe careful with 8, 10, 11, 108, 109, 110. They make the button unable to receive any more commands. Also, you should consider that sending unexpected commands to controls can cause your programs to hang. Try it at your own risk :-)
I do not too much about this (API?) commands. Maybe one of the experts can add some hints.
Perhaps this is useful for anybody to understand the control structure of Windows applications, as it was to me.
Best wishes from Germany,
Hannes
;This script allows to dig into the hierarchy of windows, subwindows, controls, etc.
;The user can send a specific order to any of the controls. Here is what I found out with the
;example of notepadīs "Open"-dialogbox. If you test one of the buttons, you can, for
;example, send a
;16 : This deletes the button
;18 : This closes the application
;49 : This changes the font
;77 : This shows the help
;123 : Gives a popup "Help"
;245 : PUSHES the button
;
;Be careful with 8, 10, 11, 108, 109, 110. They make the button unable to receive any more
;commands. Also, you should consider that sending unexpected commands to controls can cause your
;programs to hang. Try it at your own risk :-)
;Best wishes from Germany, Hannes Frischat, frischat@dynamic.fkp.uni-hannover.de
AddExtender("wwctl34I.dll")
parents=WinItemize()
DoneList = ""
H = 1 ;layer of the hierarchy
appname = ""
WHILE appname == ""
appname=AskItemList("Choose an application (layer %H%)",parents,@tab,@sorted,@single)
ENDWHILE
H = H + 1 ;handle of parent window
phwnd = DLLhwnd(appname)
EndHandleList = phwnd ;optionally, once you found the interesting
;control, you can monitor its position in
;the hierarchy with that.
psize=strlen(appname) ;this is a very useful trick I took from
xxx=strreplace(appname," ","?") ;an answer by Mike Murphy (mmurphy@shl.com)
Message("Length of applicationīs name) = %psize%",xxx)
While 1
GOSUB GetTheChilds
GOSUB ShowTheChilds ; and ask
GOSUB TestIt
GOSUB DecideNext
ENDWHILE
:GetTheChilds ;uses H,phwnd,EndHandleList,appname
;Message("EndHandleList", EndHandlelist) ;for Debugging
TempHandlelist = "" ;this lists the handles of the childs
firstchildhandle = cWndInfo(phwnd, 8)
IF firstchildhandle != 0
childhandle = firstchildhandle
n = 1
WHILE childhandle != 0
TempHandlelist = ItemInsert(childhandle, n, TempHandlelist,@tab)
;Message("", TempHandlelist) ;for Debugging
childhandle = cWndInfo(childhandle, 6)
n = n+1
ENDWHILE
ENDIF
;Message("TempHandleList", TempHandleList) ;for Debugging
drop(firstchildhandle,n,childhandle)
RETURN
:ShowTheChilds ;uses TempHandleList
ShowList = ""
m = ItemCount(TempHandlelist, @tab) ;creation of ShowList
For n = 1 to m
hwnd = ItemExtract(n, TempHandleList, @tab)
Name = cWndInfo(hwnd, 0)
Name=strreplace(Name," ","?")
ID = cWndInfo(hwnd, 1)
Class= cWndInfo(hwnd, 2)
NextChild = cWndInfo(hwnd, 8)
IF NextChild == 0
NextChar = " ||"
ELSE
NextChar = ""
ENDIF
IF ItemLocate(hwnd, DoneList, @tab) != 0
DoneChar = " T"
ELSE
DoneChar = ""
ENDIF
Item = StrCat(hwnd, " NAME:", Name, " ID:", ID, " CLASS:", Class, NextChar, DoneChar)
ShowList = ItemInsert(Item, n, ShowList, @tab)
NEXT
IF H > 2 THEN ShowList = strcat("[..]", @tab, ShowList)
Item = ""
WHILE Item == ""
Item = AskItemList("Layer %H% of %appname%", ShowList,@tab,@unsorted,@single)
ENDWHILE
drop(hwnd,Name,ID,Class,Nextchild,NextChar,DoneChar,ShowList)
RETURN
:TestIt ;uses Item, DoneList,
IF Item != "[..]"
goahead = @FALSE
While goahead != @TRUE
q = AskYesNo("","You chose %@CRLF%%Item%%@CRLF%%@CRLF%Test it with a numeric command?")
THwnd = ItemExtract(1, Item, " ")
IF q == @YES
l = Askline("", "Number to test", "245")
IF IsInt(l) == @FALSE
Message("", "You cheat! Wasnīt a number!")
ELSE
GOSUB PostItbreak
DoneList = ItemInsert(THwnd, -1, DoneList, @tab)
ENDIF
ELSE
goahead = @TRUE
ENDIF
ENDWHILE
ENDIF
drop(goahead)
RETURN
:DecideNext ;uses Item,EndHandleList,Phwnd,H
IF Item == "[..]"
EndHandleList=ItemRemove(H, EndHandleList, @tab)
;Message("EndHandleList", EndHandleList)
H = H - 1
Phwnd = cWndInfo(Phwnd, 3)
ELSE
Phwnd = ItemExtract(1, Item, " ")
EndHandleList = ItemInsert(Phwnd, -1, EndHandleList, @tab)
;Message("EndHandleList", EndHandleList)
H = H + 1
ENDIF
;Message(H, EndHandleList) ; for debugging
drop(Item)
RETURN
:PostItBreak ; uses l, Item
WinActivate(appname)
Pause("Test of %Item%", "Do test with %l%?") ;optional
i = cPostMessage(THwnd, l,0,0)
Pause("Test of %Item%","PostMessage %l%%@CRLF%Answer %i%")
drop(i)
RETURN
Article ID: W12520
Filename: Control the Controls.txt
File Created: 2001:03:02:14:39:22
Last Updated: 2001:03:02:14:39:22