How to Check a Checkbox that Doesn't Show up in Control Analysis Script

Keywords:     checkbox

Question:

OK, here is the simple thing I have to do: When a certain button of an application is pressed, another checkbox has to be marked. Both are located in a child window that can be moved around.
Normally I use the Control Manager to check boxes (have it done exessively), but the checkboxes in this special application have neither names nor IDs nor shortcuts nor can they be identified by the Classnames.
To solve the problem, I modified your Control Analysis script to run through the entire hierarchy of controls to get the actual handles of any control by starting from the main window or any of the 3 (!) IDs the autor of the program invested in a rave of luxury.

But unfortunately the knowledge of the hierarchy does not tell me, which of the about 50 controls is the one I need, and a cCheckBox(handle, -1) turned out 0 on every control, even if the checkbox in question was checked. Any ideas?

Answer:

If you do type ALT-underlined-character does the checkbox hilight?

If you type a minus sign does it clear. If you type a - sign, does that uncheck it, and if you type + sign does that check it?

If you need it unchecked, you don't really need to know the state is in. Rather, you can make sure you set it to unchecked.

On *most* checkboxes, changing the focus to it and then typing a minus sign will clear the checkbox no matter what its state is.

Let's say your checkbox name has an underline character like C (in which case the hotkey ALT-C can take you to the checkbox).

;To toggle the checkbox
SendKey("!c")

After you click on an unknown checkbox you can set it with...

   SendKey("{+}") ; note CURLY braces in middle

and clear it with

   SendKey("-")

Question (cont'd):

I'm just surprised that Microsoft didn't use standard controls in its own application - Schedule+ 7.0 - so that they aren't showing up in the Analysis script. But hopefully I can find the registry setting that indicates whether the SCD file is saved locally or on a server.

There is a hot key that directs the focus directly to the checkbox control and will toggle it, BUT the plus and minus keys do not set and clear it respectively. I don't umderstand why this control is not behaving. I am thinking of checking the registry for the key that this checkbox may set.

Answer:

They seem to make the most non standard products... The big question would be whether Microsoft actually wrote the software in question or if they bought it from some other company early on in the product's history.

M$ is notorious for finding something that they like, buying out the original vendor and then selling the product as their own. Sort of a reverse-cookoo's egg scenario.

Some checkbox looking controls are not true checkboxes.

Some applications update the registry or ini files when you change the control. That would be handy.

Some applications only update the registry or ini files on exit, so then you cannot tell the current state of the control.

Article ID:   W12493

Filename:   Check a Checkbox Not Listed in Controls.txt

File Created: 1999:09:17:14:37:10

Last Updated: 1999:09:17:14:37:10

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How to Check a Checkbox that Doesn't Show up in Control Analysis Script

Question:

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Question (cont'd):

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