Re: SendInput() : failed to simulate keyboard input

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Chris Tacke, eMVP (ctacke_at_spamfree-opennetcf.org)
Date: 06/23/04 

Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 10:02:54 -0400

Here's a snip from an app I wrote that does exactly what you're trying to
do:

<snip>
DWORD WINAPI CommReadThreadFunc(LPVOID lpParam)
{
 enum { FIRST, SECOND, THIRD } state;
 char ch;
 DWORD dwBytesRead;
 DWORD fdwCommMask;
 TCHAR data[10];

 state = FIRST;
 SetCommMask (hCommPort, EV_RXCHAR);
 while(hCommPort != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
 {
  WaitCommEvent (hCommPort, &fdwCommMask, 0);
  SetCommMask (hCommPort, EV_RXCHAR);

  do {
   SetLastError(ERROR_TIMEOUT);
   if (!ReadFile(hCommPort, &ch, 1, &dwBytesRead, NULL)) {
    if (GetLastError() != ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE)
     RETAILMSG(1, (TEXT("Reading comms port.\r\n")));
    ExitThread(0);
   }
   else if(dwBytesRead > 0) {

    switch (state) {
    case FIRST:
     if (ch == VK_ESCAPE)
      state = SECOND;
     else {
      switch (ch) {
      case VK_RETURN:
       // Process Enter
       if(g_keytomouse)
       {
        mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN, 0, 0, 0, 0);
        mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, 0, 0, 0, 0);
        g_mousedown = FALSE;
       }
       else
       {
        keybd_event(VK_RETURN, 0, 0, 0);
       }
       break;
      case 0x0a:
       // CTRL-ENTER - this begins/ends drag and drop
       if(g_keytomouse)
       {
        g_mousedown = !g_mousedown;
        if(g_mousedown)
        {
         mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTDOWN, 0, 0, 0, 0);
        }
        else
        {
         mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_LEFTUP, 0, 0, 0, 0);
        }
       }
       break;
      case VK_BACK:
       // Process BackSpace
       keybd_event(VK_BACK, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      case VK_TAB:
       // Process Tab
       keybd_event(VK_TAB, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      case VK_SPACE:
       keybd_event(VK_SPACE, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      case ',':
       keybd_event(VK_COMMA, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      case '.':
       keybd_event(VK_DECIMAL, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      case '/':
       keybd_event(VK_SLASH, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      case ';':
       keybd_event(VK_SEMICOLON, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      case ':':
       keybd_event(VK_SHIFT, 0, 0, 0);
       keybd_event(VK_SEMICOLON, 0, 0, 0);
       keybd_event(VK_SHIFT, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);
       break;
      case '-':
       keybd_event(VK_SUBTRACT, 0, 0, 0);
       break;
      default:
       if((ch >= 65) && (ch <= 90)) // cap A - Z
       {
        keybd_event(VK_SHIFT, 0, 0, 0);
        keybd_event(ch, 0, 0, 0);
        keybd_event(VK_SHIFT, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);
       }
       else if((ch >= 97) && (ch <= 122)) // a - z
       {
        keybd_event((ch - 32), 0, 0, 0);
       }
       else if((ch >= 48) && (ch <= 57)) // 0 - 9
       {
        keybd_event(ch, 0, 0, 0);
       }
       else
       {
        RETAILMSG(1, (TEXT("unmapped FIRST key 0x%x\r\n"), ch));
       }
      break;
      }
     }
     break;
    case SECOND:
     if ((ch == VK_LWIN) || (ch == 0x4F))
      state = THIRD;
     else
      state = FIRST;
     break;
    case THIRD:
     if (ch == 0x41)
     {
      if(g_keytomouse)
      {
       mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_MOVE, 0, g_precision * -1, 0, 0);
      }
      else
      {
       keybd_event(VK_UP, 0, 0, 0);
      }
     }
     else if (ch == 0x42)
     {
      if(g_keytomouse)
      {
       mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_MOVE, 0, g_precision, 0, 0);
      }
      else
      {
       keybd_event(VK_DOWN, 0, 0, 0);
      }
     }
     else if (ch == 0x43)
     {
      if(g_keytomouse)
      {
       mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_MOVE, g_precision, 0, 0, 0);
      }
      else
      {
       keybd_event(VK_RIGHT, 0, 0, 0);
      }
     }
     else if (ch == 0x44)
     {
      if(g_keytomouse)
      {
       mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_MOVE, g_precision * -1, 0, 0, 0);
      }
      else
      {
       keybd_event(VK_LEFT, 0, 0, 0);
      }
     }
     else if (ch == 0x50)
     {
      // F1
      keybd_event(VK_LWIN, 0, 0, 0);
      // To give delay.
      WaitForSingleObject(dummy, 100);
      RETAILMSG(1, (TEXT("WIN Key Pressed\r\n")));
      keybd_event(VK_LWIN, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);
     }
     else if (ch == 0x51)
     {
      // F2
      keybd_event(VK_LMENU, 0, 0, 0);
      RETAILMSG(1, (TEXT("Menu Key Pressed\r\n")));
      WaitForSingleObject(dummy, 100);
      keybd_event(VK_LMENU, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);
     }
     else if (ch == 0x52)
     {
      // F3
      keybd_event(VK_LMENU, 0, 0, 0);
      RETAILMSG(1, (TEXT("Task List Key Pressed\r\n")));
      WaitForSingleObject(dummy, 100);
      keybd_event(VK_TAB, 0, 0, 0);
      WaitForSingleObject(dummy, 100);
      keybd_event(VK_LMENU, 0, KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);
     }
     else if (ch == 0x53)
     { //F4
      g_keytomouse = !g_keytomouse;
      g_mousedown = FALSE;
      SetKeyToMouse(g_keytomouse);
     }
     else
     {
      RETAILMSG(1, (TEXT("unmapped THIRD key %i\r\n"), ch));
     }

     state = FIRST;
     break;
    }
   }
   else if ((dwBytesRead == 0) && (GetLastError() == ERROR_TIMEOUT) && (ch
== 0x1b)) {
    // Process ESC
    RETAILMSG(1, (TEXT("Processing ESC\r\n")));
    keybd_event(VK_ESCAPE, 0, 0, 0);
    state = FIRST;
   }

  } while(dwBytesRead == 1);
 }

 return 0;
}
</snip> 

-- 
Chris Tacke, eMVP
Co-Founder and Advisory Board Member
www.OpenNETCF.org
---
---
Principal Partner
OpenNETCF Consulting
www.OpenNETCF.com
"carol" <carol@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:980BEBB4-0922-433F-8098-9AD6E1DE2B2D@microsoft.com...
> Hi, guys
>
> i am doing a program useing EVC++ 4.0 for HP iPaq
>
> i received data from the com port, and i want to input the data like
keyboard input to the foreground window, etc word, notepad.
>
> in my own program, i used SendInput() to convert the com port data to
keyboard input, the return value showed that it has sent successfully, but
the word screen, (the focus is set on it), didn't show up any data.
>
> i also tried keybd_event, same situation happened. :~(
>
> should i do anything more to let my program know where is the active
window? It really confused me, thank you in advance for any suggestion.
>
> :)

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