_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout Doesn't Work On Command Line

[Adele]

I want to detect when the user has changed the keyboard layout on command line. I've tried _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout() function. It works wonderful with other programs but doesn't work on command line. I change the keyboard layout but the function returns always initial value.

I've prepared a script to detect changes. You could see the problem with through testing.

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#RequireAdmin
Global $hWnd, $bKey

Opt("TrayAutoPause", 0)

Run("cmd.exe")
$hWnd = WinWait("[CLASS:ConsoleWindowClass]")

OnAutoItExitRegister("closing")

While 1
    Sleep(100)

    $bNewKey = _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout($hWnd)

    ConsoleWrite("Current keyboard layout: " & $bNewKey & @CRLF)

    If $bKey AND $bNewKey AND $bNewKey <> $bKey Then
        MsgBox(64, "Warning", "The keyboard layout changes has been detected." & @CRLF & "The previous keyboard layout: "& $bKey & @CRLF & "The new keyboard layout: " & $bNewKey)
        Exit
    ElseIf Not $bNewKey Then
        Exit
    EndIf

    $bKey = $bNewKey
WEnd

Func closing()
    WinKill($hWnd)
EndFunc

If you test it with Notepad, there isn't a problem.

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#RequireAdmin
Global $hWnd, $bKey

Opt("TrayAutoPause", 0)

Run("notepad.exe")
$hWnd = WinWait("[CLASS:Notepad]")

OnAutoItExitRegister("closing")

While 1
    Sleep(100)

    $bNewKey = _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout($hWnd)

    ConsoleWrite("Current keyboard layout: " & $bNewKey & @CRLF)

    If $bKey AND $bNewKey AND $bNewKey <> $bKey Then
        MsgBox(64, "Warning", "The keyboard layout changes has been detected." & @CRLF & "The previous keyboard layout: "& $bKey & @CRLF & "The new keyboard layout: " & $bNewKey)
        Exit
    ElseIf Not $bNewKey Then
        Exit
    EndIf

    $bKey = $bNewKey
WEnd

Func closing()
    WinKill($hWnd)
EndFunc

Thank you in advance. 

Edited August 19, 2015 by Adele

[Jfish]

I read your post a couple of times.  I think you are saying that it does not work without a window for a program to detect the changes.  If so, that is in line with the explanation in the help file: "Retrieves the active input locale identifier for the specified window".

I think you can do it from the command line as discussed here: http://superuser.com/questions/841236/how-to-know-which-keyboard-layout-is-currently-active-using-cmd-in-windows-7-32b

Edited August 19, 2015 by Jfish

[Adele]

Sorry for my English.

In summary; _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout() can get specific window's keyboard layout. It works with other programs but doesn't get on command prompt window. It always returns the same value.

 

I read your post a couple of times.  I think you are saying that it does not work without a window for a program to detect the changes.  If so, that is in line with the explanation in the help file: "Retrieves the active input locale identifier for the specified window".

I think you can do it from the command line as discussed here: http://superuser.com/questions/841236/how-to-know-which-keyboard-layout-is-currently-active-using-cmd-in-windows-7-32b

Unfortunately, I don't mean this. I want to get command prompt window's keyboard layout via Autoit. Thank you for reply.

[guinness]

You're Adele, English is your native language!

[Jfish]

LOL. (I heard the hipsters now say "haha"). Yes, I love your music.  That said, do you mean something like this?

run('cmd.exe')
sleep(2000)
send('reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload"')
send("{enter}")

You can also use shellexecute and run but the command line window won't stay open.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Jfish

[Adele]

@Jfish Sorry. It shows keyboard list on the system. I want to get selected keyboard layout on a window. Like I gave example above.

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#RequireAdmin
Global $hWnd, $bKey

Opt("TrayAutoPause", 0)

Run("notepad.exe")
$hWnd = WinWait("[CLASS:Notepad]")

OnAutoItExitRegister("closing")

While 1
    Sleep(100)

    $bNewKey = _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout($hWnd)

    ConsoleWrite("Current keyboard layout: " & $bNewKey & @CRLF)

    If $bKey AND $bNewKey AND $bNewKey <> $bKey Then
        MsgBox(64, "Warning", "The keyboard layout changes has been detected." & @CRLF & "The previous keyboard layout: "& $bKey & @CRLF & "The new keyboard layout: " & $bNewKey)
        Exit
    ElseIf Not $bNewKey Then
        Exit
    EndIf

    $bKey = $bNewKey
WEnd

Func closing()
    WinKill($hWnd)
EndFunc

This code detects when the user has changed the keyboard layout while Notepad is running. I use _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout() function here.  The problem is that; this function doesn't work on command prompt window.

Edited August 21, 2015 by Adele

[Jfish]

Still confused on my side  .  Are you trying to detect the keyboard layout for the window with the title "Command Prompt" or are you trying to run your program from the command prompt to find the keyboard layout of another program/window?

[Adele]

Are you trying to detect the keyboard layout for the window with the title "Command Prompt"

Exactly this.

[Jfish]

Okay, how about this?

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
Opt("WinTitleMatchMode", 2) ;1=start, 2=subStr, 3=exact, 4=advanced, -1 to -4=Nocase
$windowTitle="Command Prompt"
$windowHandle=WinActivate($windowTitle)
$keyboard=_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout ($windowHandle)
MsgBox(0,"Keyboard",$keyboard)

 

Edited August 21, 2015 by Jfish

[Adele]

Okay, how about this?

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
Opt("WinTitleMatchMode", 2) ;1=start, 2=subStr, 3=exact, 4=advanced, -1 to -4=Nocase
$windowTitle="Command Prompt"
$windowHandle=WinActivate($windowTitle)
$keyboard=_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout ($windowHandle)
MsgBox(0,"Keyboard",$keyboard)

 

There isn't a problem this section. When you changed the keyboard layout, it still returns the same value. I've worked to tell with screenshots:

The function always returns the same value on Command Prompt. The problem is here.





......................

But the function can detect uptodate and true value on other programs like Notepad.

Edited August 22, 2015 by Adele

[Jfish]

Okay, this is untested - because I am not sure how you change the keyboard layout for the Command Prompt window.  However, I did notice a problem with the _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout function.  It seems to work intermittently and was having issues inside a loop.  I am not sure what I did but my code above stopped working.  I decided to switch functions and use the keyboard list.  I assume the first entry is the current keyboard (that may or may not be true as I only have 1).  Again, the part that detects the change is untested but let me know if something like this works for you ...

#include <WinAPISys.au3>
#include <Array.au3>
Opt("WinTitleMatchMode", 2) ;1=start, 2=subStr, 3=exact, 4=advanced, -1 to -4=Nocase

Global $currentKeyboard=_getKeyBoard()
;ConsoleWrite(@CRLF&$currentKeyboard&@CRLF)
Global $newKeyboard=$currentKeyboard
;ConsoleWrite(@CRLF&$newKeyboard&@CRLF)

func _getKeyBoard()
    $windowTitle="Command Prompt"
    $windowHandle=WinActivate($windowTitle)
    local $keyboardList=_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayoutList ( )
    return $keyboardList[1]
EndFunc

while 1
    sleep(1000)
    $currentKeyboard=_getKeyBoard()
    If $currentKeyboard <> $newKeyboard Then
        MsgBox(0,"Change Detected","New Keyboard is: "&$currentKeyboard)
        $newKeyboard=$currentKeyboard
    Else
        ConsoleWrite(@CRLF&$currentKeyboard&@CRLF)
    EndIF
WEnd

 

[Adele]

@Jfish Sorry, it returns keyboard list as ordering. It doesn't give the selected keyboard layout.

[Jfish]

Yes, it returns an array.  I am using the first element in the array.  Is that not the selected keyboard?

[Gianni]

maybe a workaround could be to be able to read the status of the checked language in the tray menu or at least the text of the associated tooltip....
it seems that the Handle of the "language selector" control is this [CLASS:CiceroUIWndFrame] but I have not idea on how to grab his status or text.
once we can get the text of that control, we could activate the cmd window and check his active language by reading the status of the "language selector" control. (indeed the status of this control changes any time you select a new window, showing his associated language.)

EDIT:

to try this behaviour do this:
1) open 2 cmd windows
2) activate one of those cmd and change his keyb language on the "language selector" in the tray bar
3) then alternately click on both cmd windows ant see the "text" changing on the keyb language tray control

EDIT 2:

other weirdness
if you type this 2 commands within a cmd promt:
chcp
or
mode con cp
the result is the active table code
but the result is always the same even when you change the keyboard language on the "language selector" tollbar control or by the chcp or the mode con cp commands...

Edited August 23, 2015 by Chimp

[Jfish]

I have been researching this a bit.  This may be a problem with the console vs. other windows.  I did not verify the way the user32.dll works - but this may explain it:

GetKeyboardLayout works with applications running in the WINDOWS subsystem (it's a user32.dll export). Command line applications run in the CONSOLE subsystem.

Cite: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/29217501/getkeyboardlayout-doesnt-work-properly-in-some-cases

I can detect the changes this way ... NOTE: not sure why I can't get it to work with the standard function - mine is basically the same except the way I open the DLL call (should not make a difference).

Func _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout2($hWnd)
Local $hDLL = DllOpen("user32.dll")
Local $aRet = DllCall('user32.dll', 'DWORD', 'GetWindowThreadProcessId', 'hwnd', $hWnd, 'ptr', 0)
$aRet = DllCall('user32.dll', 'handle', 'GetKeyboardLayout', 'DWORD', $aRet[0])

DllClose($hDLL)

Return $aRet[0]
EndFunc   ;==>_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout
$parentPID=run("conhost.exe")
$key=_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout2($parentPID)
MsgBox(0,"",$key)

 

Edited August 25, 2015 by Jfish

[Adele]

@Jfish Thank you for your help. But any command line window doesn't open when I ran the code without any changes. What should I do to control after opening a command line or use already opened window?

@Chimp Good idea. I'm trying.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Adele

[Jfish]

@Adele - you need to hook the parent process of the console window.  I was using "conhost.exe" to do this with the command prompt open and it worked.  Then I switched keyboards and ran it again and it picked up the change.  Did you use my exact code?  I have tried it on two different machines and it worked on both.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Jfish

[BrewManNH]

Just an FYI to the post in #15, the DLLClose is in the wrong place, it needs to be before the Return statement.

[Jfish]

Thanks - I missed that.

[Adele]

@Adele - you need to hook the parent process of the console window.  I was using "conhost.exe" to do this with the command prompt open and it worked.  Then I switched keyboards and ran it again and it picked up the change.  Did you use my exact code?  I have tried it on two different machines and it worked on both.

Yes, I did. I run exactly you've given code without modify. Only a MsgBox opens. Command Line window doesn't come. When I changed conhost.exe being cmd.exe, it opens but this time the same issue happens. I use Windows 7 (x64). I can show the issue with Teamviewer or capturing a video.

Func _WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout2($hWnd)
    Local $hDLL = DllOpen("user32.dll")
    Local $aRet = DllCall('user32.dll', 'DWORD', 'GetWindowThreadProcessId', 'hwnd', $hWnd, 'ptr', 0)
    $aRet = DllCall('user32.dll', 'handle', 'GetKeyboardLayout', 'DWORD', $aRet[0])

    DllClose($hDLL)
    Return $aRet[0]
EndFunc   ;==>_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout

$parentPID=run("conhost.exe")
$key=_WinAPI_GetKeyboardLayout2($parentPID)
MsgBox(0,"",$key)

Edited August 26, 2015 by Adele