pausing script - to accept user input - doesnt continue as it should

[greginsandiego]

ive got a basic hot key script (the boilerplate code for this code was found on the internet - with moderators additional code added to deal with the well-known 'virtual stuck key' issue)

the intention here is to help me fill out forms at a salesforce.com cms website.

the only 'user function' ive actually added is called 'Close' - invoked with '(shift)(control)c'

as presented, the script works PERFECTLY. note that at present the presented code contains a commented out line ' ; pause here to allow user to enter data into gui"

the moment i add either of two different means to allow me to type user data and pause the script - the script works fine up to, and including the point where i enter data. once control goes back to the script, the balance of the commands dont work as they should !!! i basically have the script send (alt)D - which sends the cursor into the URL address field of the browser (serving as a reference position within the browser), then merely sending a set number of tabs to move to the 'Save & Close' button, before sending {Enter} to activate that selected button.

with no pausing of any kind - the script navigates perfectly in the web form and saves and closes the edited form.

the moment i pause in th emiddle of the 'Close' function, using either of these methods;

a. Sleep(30000) ; THIS WOULD BE THE LAMEST WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM

b. Send("{PAUSE}") ; THIS WOULD BE THE IDEAL WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, MERELY TOGGLING SCRIPT EXECUTION STATE WITH EACH {PAUSE} KEY INVOCATION

when the script returns from the sleep/pause - for reasons unknown, it then 'looses its bearings' and cant navigate the page as it normally should.

perhaps this is yet another 'well-known-issue' (involving pausing for user input) that i simply havent been able to find discussed in the faq?

perhaps someone can suggest a code snippet that theyve found works with autoit to pause a script to allow human input, then allows the script to continue.

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#include <Misc.au3>                                          ; this is REQUIRED if you want this script to work properly

Global $hDLL = DllOpen("user32.dll")                         ; this is REQUIRED if you want this script to work properly
Global $Paused

HotKeySet("{PAUSE}", "TogglePause")      ; toggle the script executation state by 'pausing'

HotKeySet("^+c",     "Close")            ; control-shift-c Close           - will depress 'Edit' button, make changes, PAUSE FOR USER INPUT, then return to main Support screen

HotKeySet("^+y",     "ShowMessage")      ; control-shift-y
HotKeySet("^+z",     "Terminate")        ; control-shift-z

;;;; main loop is required ;;;;

While 1
    Sleep(100)
WEnd

;;;;

Func TogglePause()
    $Paused = Not $Paused
    While $Paused
        Sleep(100)
        ToolTip('Script is "Paused"', 0, 0)
    WEnd
    ToolTip("")
EndFunc   ;==>TogglePause

Func Terminate()
    DllClose($hDLL)                                          ; this is REQUIRED if you want this script to work properly
    Exit 0
EndFunc   ;==>Terminate

Func ShowMessage()
    MsgBox(4096, "", "This is a message.")
EndFunc   ;==>ShowMessage



Func Close()

    While _IsPressed("10", $hDLL) Or _IsPressed("11", $hDLL) ; this is REQUIRED if you want this script to work properly
        Sleep(10)                                            ; this is REQUIRED if you want this script to work properly
    WEnd                                                     ; this is REQUIRED if you want this script to work properly

    ; alt-D to move into the 'url address field' (as reference for cursor positioning), then tab 50 x's (to place cursor on 'Edit' button), then sent {Enter} to place page in edit mode
    Send("!D")
    Send("{TAB 50}")
    Send("{ENTER}")
    Sleep(5000)

    ; tab to 'description' field (which highlights everything in field), send LEFT key (to de-select the highlighted text), then insert 'year-month-day hour:minute ga, LM(newline)'
    Send("{TAB 9}")
    Send("{LEFT}")
    Send(@YEAR & "-" & @MON & "-" & @MDAY & " " & @HOUR & ":" & @MIN & " ga ")

    ; pause here to allow user to enter data into gui (and possibly hit 'tab' or '(shift)tab' keys)

    ; alt-D to move into the 'url address field' (as reference for cursor positioning), then tab 66 x's [or shift tab 10 x's] (to place cursor on 'Save & Close' button), then send {Enter} to 'Save' the edited page
    Send("!D")
    Send("{TAB 66}")
    Send("{ENTER}")
    Sleep(5000)

EndFunc   ;==>Close

[greginsandiego]

mistake: my post should have said...

the moment i pause in the middle of the 'Close' function, using either of these methods (and then I TYPE USER DATA INTO THE FORM FIELD TO INCLUDE HITTING EITHER THE 'Tab' or (shift)Tab KEYS);

[seandisanti]

why not just use IE and automate the whole thing with the ie.au3 functions? i just mean instead of tabbing and hoping that they don't modify the page, etc.

[careca]

Just to inform, F6 gives you imediate control over the url bar, it's an alternative to what you use now.

I've never needed to pause a script, but i would try:

Do - Sleep - Until = you press a certain key, to tell the script you're done editing.

[greginsandiego]

I very well might need to learn how to use the ie object model (something im obviously not otherwise dying to do - as i know this will take some time) to solve this problem.

Either way, theres some trust needed that once the script continues from a 'pausing for user input' mode - to executing again - that the script should do what it is supposed to do.

Without this trust - my confidence here is waning...

[greginsandiego]

this is clearly off topic, but to the person who happened to know that f6 also causes focus to move to the URL address bar - do you know if there is any 'universally recognized' browser shortcut to invoke the 'go back a page' function?

[BrewManNH]

Backspace or ALT-Left arrow

[careca]

theres some trust needed that once the script continues from a 'pausing for user input' mode - to executing again - that the script should do what it is supposed to do.

If the script is well done, it will perform well...Until now, all the times a script of mine was not working well, it was my fault.

Is there an equivalent "ie.au3" for firefox? I hate IE.

[BrewManNH]

No other browser allows control from external scripting as well as IE does. FF has a plugin so you can use the FF UDF, but it's minimal from what I've seen. Chrome/Opera/Safari etc. don't have anything similar. Using the IE.au3 UDF uses Internet Explorer, but you can do it all in the background and never see the browser window, so there's no reason to not use it, considering it's probably the only Windows browser that will let you do even half of what IE allows.

Use the tools available, and don't worry so much about what's going on behind the curtain. IE works fine on most sites, and in some cases it's the only thing that can be used to do it.

[careca]

Thank you for clarification.

[greginsandiego]

from what ive read last evening - just to add to the conversation... 'selenium web driver' is a web browing testing framework that works with several major browsers across several os's. how it works is by talking to each browser through its published automation api - all of which may be different. so that you script once in 'selenium' and selenium transfers to the appropriate native browser (to be tested) automation api. selenium web driver has bindings to several major languages, java, php, perl, c#, unfortunately no bindings to 'autoit' at this time.

yesterday, i tried searching for 'autoit internet explorer' scripts or tutorials, and many of the examples dont actually run, bombing with various syntax errors.

can anyone suggest any urls where the majority of the autoit internet explorer sample/tutorial scripts actually work? this would be helpful as im a total newbie with ie.au3

thanks in advance...

[JohnOne]

MsgBox is the easiest way to pause a script, user hits ok button when done inputting data, script continues.

There is a example for most every IE function residing in the help file.