Programmatically press a button on another application (C, Windows)

Question

I\'m trying to use the following code to press a button on my other application:

HWND ButtonHandle;
if( (wnd = FindWindow(0, \"Do you want to save?\")) )
{   
           


        

Answer 1

maybe this can help: http://www.cplusplus.com/forum/beginner/8806/

Answer 2

//Send digit 4 to the already opened calc.exe

HWND windowHandle;

windowHandle = FindWindowA(NULL,"Calculator");

if(windowHandle != 0)
   ret = EnumChildWindows(windowHandle,GetButtonHandle,0);

BOOL CALLBACK GetButtonHandle(HWND handle, LPARAM)
{
char label[100];
int size = GetWindowTextA(handle,label,sizeof(label));

if(strcmp(label,"4") == 0)
{
PostMessage(handle ,WM_LBUTTONDOWN,(WPARAM)0x0001,0);
PostMessage(handle ,WM_LBUTTONUP,(WPARAM)0x0001,0);

PostMessage(handle ,WM_LBUTTONDOWN,(WPARAM)0x0001,0);
PostMessage(handle ,WM_LBUTTONUP,(WPARAM)0x0001,0);

return false;
}
return true;
}

Answer 3

SendMessage(btnHandle, WM_LBUTTONDOWN, 0, 0);
SendMessage(btnHandle, WM_LBUTTONUP, 0, 0);
SendMessage(btnHandle, WM_LBUTTONDOWN, 0, 0);
SendMessage(btnHandle, WM_LBUTTONUP, 0, 0);

You have to send a button click twice. Not sure why (maybe the first click only activates the window of the button), but I'm using this code for a long time and it always worked for me.

Answer 4

See the following solution, also you can use

SendMessage(ButtonHandle, WM_LBUTTONDOWN, 0, 0);
SendMessage(ButtonHandle, WM_LBUTTONUP, 0, 0);

Or

SendMessage(ButtonHandle, BM_CLICK, 0, 0);

HWND buttonHandle = 0;

BOOL CALLBACK GetButtonHandle(HWND handle, LPARAM)
{
 char label[100];
 int size = GetWindowTextA(handle,label,sizeof(label));
 if(strcmp(label,"&Save") == 0)
 {
  buttonHandle = handle;
  return false;
 }
 return true;
}
void main()
{
 HWND windowHandle = FindWindowA(NULL,"Do you want to Save?");
 if(windowHandle != 0)
 {
  BOOL ret = EnumChildWindows(windowHandle,GetButtonHandle,0);

  if(buttonHandle != 0)
  {
   LRESULT res = SendMessage(buttonHandle,BM_CLICK,0,0);
   //SendMessage(buttonHandle,WM_LBUTTONDOWN,0,0); 
   //SendMessage(buttonHandle,WM_LBUTTONUP,0,0);
  }

 }



}

Note: Getting sure from the window text,button text (check if there is space at the end of the window title)

Answer 5

1. Are you sure that "SaveButton" class name is valid? Do you get the button handle?
2. Try to send messages to ButtonHandle window (directly to the button).

Update: I believe this should work,

SendMessage(ButtonHandle, BM_CLICK, 0, 0);

Answer 6

Microsoft is now pushing Active Accessibility (MSAA) for UI Automation, (It has been renamed a number of times over the years) see

• UI Automation and Microsoft Active Accessibility
• Using UI Automation for Automated Testing
• UI Automation Clients for Managed Code

Sorry I don’t have any simple code to get you started. As “SendMessage()” does not seem to be working for you, I don’t know of another option apart from “UI Automation”

I am assuming you have check with Spy++ (installed with MsDev) that you message are being send to the correct button etc – and that the button is a standard windows buttons. My first instant would say use “SendMessage()" or "PostMessage()” but given the numbers of answers about “SendMessage()” and the fact it is not working for you. I expect someone is going on…