Can't Control the Device Manager

[Xichael]

I've been unable to get AutoIt to interact in any way with the Device Manager. No Send or ControlFocus/Send/Click, whether with a class or a handle. I'm trying to create a script to enable/disable USB devices like my gamepad and webcam with a hotkey or shortcut, rather than having to physically plug/unplug them.

In my googling, I found someone who hit a similar dead end a few years ago here on the forum. Back then the advice was to use a 3rd-party device manager called DevManView. I've also read about a command line device manager you can download from Microsoft called DevCon, but if it's possible to achieve this without having to install any extra software, that would be preferred.

If someone could post a working example of a script that can successfully navigate to and disable/enable a random device, I'd be very grateful.

[BrewManNH]

What are you trying to do in device manager? Almost everything in there can be manipulated without automating the GUI itself, either through the registry or the command line.

[TheDcoder]

What are you trying to do in device manager?

I'm trying to create a script to enable/disable USB devices like my gamepad and webcam with a hotkey or shortcut, rather than having to physically plug/unplug them.

[Danyfirex]

You can do it programatically probably using SetupDiGetClassDevs+SetupDiEnumDeviceInfo+SetupDiGetDeviceInstanceId+SetupDiSetClassInstallParams+SetupDiCallClassInstaller+SetupDiDestroyDeviceInfoList

Saludos

[Xichael]

Sounds complicated, and I'm no programmer – though I would love to learn. Are those to be used with DllCall?

All my scripts thus far mainly interact with the GUI or command line. Is there some way I can achieve this in more familiar territory?

Does anyone know why the Device Manager GUI is so unresponsive to basic things like ControlFocus and Send?

[TheDcoder]

I'm no programmer – though I would love to learn.

This might help you

[Danyfirex]

Sounds complicated, and I'm no programmer – though I would love to learn. Are those to be used with DllCall?

All my scripts thus far mainly interact with the GUI or command line. Is there some way I can achieve this in more familiar territory?

Does anyone know why the Device Manager GUI is so unresponsive to basic things like ControlFocus and Send?

maybe you're not running as admin. So you can use a nirsoft commandline app that provide device enable/disable.

Saludos

[Xichael]

maybe you're not running as admin...

That was the problem. I added #RequireAdmin and things are starting to work. Here's what I have so far:

#Include <GuiTreeView.au3>

#RequireAdmin

$sDevice = "Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows"

ShellExecute("devmgmt.msc")
WinWaitActive("Device Manager")
$hTree = ControlGetHandle("Device Manager", "", "[CLASS:SysTreeView32; INSTANCE:1]")
$hItem = _GUICtrlTreeView_FindItem($hTree, $sDevice)
_GUICtrlTreeView_SelectItem($hTree, $hItem, $TVGN_CARET)
ControlClick("Device Manager", "", $hTree)
ControlClick("Device Manager", "", "[CLASS:ToolbarWindow32; INSTANCE:1]", "", "", 230, 10)

At this point, the device is selected and I'm trying to ControlClick the enable/disable button on the toolbar using coordinates provided by Au3Info, but nothing's happening.

Anyone have any idea why?

[Danyfirex]

Hello. this work for me.

#Include <GuiTreeView.au3>

#RequireAdmin

Local $sDevice = "Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows"
Local $sDevTitle="Device Manager"
ShellExecute("devmgmt.msc")
WinWaitActive($sDevTitle)
$hTree = ControlGetHandle($sDevTitle, "", "[CLASS:SysTreeView32; INSTANCE:1]")
$hItem = _GUICtrlTreeView_FindItem($hTree, $sDevice)
_GUICtrlTreeView_SelectItem($hTree, $hItem, $TVGN_CARET)
_GUICtrlTreeView_ClickItem($hTree, $hItem)
ControlCommand($sDevTitle,"","ToolbarWindow321","SendCommandID",25)

Saludos

[Xichael]

Awesome! How'd you get the Command ID? I wasn't able to get anything that specific from Au3Info.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Xichael

[Danyfirex]

any elegant way. I do a loop from 1 to 100 using controlcommand and checking till get that I wanted.

 

Saludos

[Xichael]

I just discovered that despite the button being in the same place, enable and disable have different IDs (24 vs 25). Unless there's some way to check the device's status and do an If/Else, a ControlClick on the button's coordinates might be easier. Any idea how to get ControlClick to work on that button?

[ViciousXUSMC]

I know you do not want to use DevCon but it really works well for this kind of stuff and you do not need to install it just have it in your script via FileInstall() or on the computer already.

If you have Windows 8 or 10 I think they have this now part of Powershell and you can interface with Powershell via Autoit:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/wincat/archive/2012/09/06/device-management-powershell-cmdlets-sample-an-introduction.aspx

 

DevCon being such a big thing even the Powershell people used it before those new cmdlets:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2014/05/25/weekend-scripter-use-powershell-to-find-and-disable-webcams.aspx

[Xichael]

Yeah, I'll probably end up using one of the alternatives at this rate. I'm just surprised this is proving to be so difficult. I've never encountered a GUI so immune to AutoIt's effects. It kind of makes me all the more determined to make it work.

[ViciousXUSMC]

Im sure we can automate the GUI no problem, it's not because its too hard that I am giving you programmatic solutions, its because its the more desirable solution in most cases because it can be done silently behind the scenes and not interrupt your workflow or be prone to error/failure like GUI automation can.

When the standard methods of controlclick and such do not work, usually the IUIAutomation is the next way to go.

[junkew]

@DanyFirex: Nice trick to loop thru them all. IuIAutomation and simplespy will give you the numbers directly

I tried with IUIAutomation and it works only when using #RequireAdmin otherwise you get an exception. Tested with simplespy