Communicate with Applet XPickList

[Guest dholowck]

Hello.

I'm working on a project to automate the screen of an internet wizard. However, the combo boxes and lists I am using are apparently Java Applet XPickList coded. The list items are not stored in the souce code but generated from a back database. I was hoping that AutoIt could communicate with these objects but it doesn't.

I am using all the Control Commands. I identified the object IDs however I cannot get the combobox to drop down, can't select and item, can't retreive the text for an item, or any other manipulation.

I really need to know if there is something I am missing. Or if there are other functions better suited for talking to these opjects.

Thanks for any help.

Dan

[seandisanti]

Hello.

I'm working on a project to automate the screen of an internet wizard. However, the combo boxes and lists I am using are apparently Java Applet XPickList coded. The list items are not stored in the souce code but generated from a back database. I was hoping that AutoIt could communicate with these objects but it doesn't.

I am using all the Control Commands. I identified the object IDs however I cannot get the combobox to drop down, can't select and item, can't retreive the text for an item, or any other manipulation.

I really need to know if there is something I am missing. Or if there are other functions better suited for talking to these opjects.

Thanks for any help.

Dan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that the issues is that even though they may look the same, the controls you're trying to manipulate are not actually standard Microsoft controls. (java applet controls are created based on an 'abstract windows toolkit' that is part of the java sdk and jre. If you REALLY want to do what you want to do automatically, my suggestion would be to go to a shareware/freeware download site ( i think i got it from cnet) and get the DJ Java Decompiler. If you view source on the page displaying the applet, you can see the location of the class file that is the applet, navigate to that page, and you can save the class to your hd. then open it up with your decompiler, and get the database info that you need, where it is, what tables, fields, logins are necessary to do the queries you want to do. then you can use autoit to handle the sql and interact with the db directly and bypass the applet and controls completely...you would of course be doing this at your own risk and i would not be in any way responsible for any end user license agreements, membership rules, service agreements, laws? blah blah blah that you'd be violating.....

[Guest dholowck]

Thanks a lot of your quick reply.

That sounds pretty complicated for the little bit of time its going to save the ones using the wizard. This is also a big corporate site with member logins and such.

I'll have to take a look into how deep I will need to dig for the information.

Thanks again.

Dan

[seandisanti]

Thanks a lot of your quick reply.

That sounds pretty complicated for the little bit of time its going to save the ones using the wizard. This is also a big corporate site with member logins and such.

I'll have to take a look into how deep I will need to dig for the information.

Thanks again.

Dan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no problem, glad i could help. one thing to keep in mind when justifying the time on a project like this... if it takes you an hour to figure out a solution that saves you 3 seconds each time you run it twice a week, then after only 11 and a half years you've made up for that whole hour in time saved...And THAT sounds like a quality time investment.

[ggg]

Go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/enable/

and navigate through the site until you find the AccExplorer32.exe

and download it -- its free. Its like AutoIt Window Info tool

-- it just shows you what you can pick out using

the iAccessibility framework of Microsoft. Run that with your app

and see if it can pick out the various elements of your software.

If it does then use you can use Microsoft's iAccessiblity framework

to do it. This does not involve AutoIt but it may solve your problem

and the above steps will only take you a few minutes to know whether

its worth pursuing.

Edited August 18, 2005 by ggg