Simulate custom ultrasound machine keystrokes

[samozaparola]

I have a Windows XP based ultrasound machine that besides the keyboard has a console with custom controls such as zoom, pause, measure, caliper, etc. As far as I understand, these custom  keys "don't send key combinations; instead, they have their own usage IDs in the HID". So is there a way to simulate pressing these keys in AutoIt?

Edited October 23, 2016 by samozaparola
typo

[JLogan3o13]

What happens if you hover over the display with the AutoIt Window Info Tool (in the same directory where you installed AutoIt), what does it show you regarding the controls?

[Jfish]

@JLogan3o13 I think the OP means it is a physical piece of medical hardware with keys specific to the device.  I think he would need to listen for the input on key press to mimic the values (but there may be other better approaches).

[samozaparola]

Yes Jfish, it is a physical type of interface, not an onscreen GUI. here is a short video of an older version of the same model:

One of the problems is that au3record.exe tracks only the keyboard and the mouse events and does not record the activity of these custom buttons.  I don't know in what way this physical interface communicates with the software application, but it may be something different than listening to a key press event. I found a document (HID usage tables, p.126 addresses such medical instruments)

http://www.usb.org/developers/hidpage/Hut1_12v2.pdf

that describes this type of interfaces, but the info is incomplete and I do not know what to do with it.

 

JLogan3o13,  the Window Info Tool works as expected, but I had no luck showing up the measurement menu (all I want is to be able to measure the previously acquired images, remotely from the machine, i.e. at my desk with the mouse). I used the ControlShow command but it works with some controls and not with others, may be my AutoIt scripting is wrong, may be the approach is incorrect. Anyway, even if I succeed in showing or activating the controls, my task may still be impossible this way as some controls forcibly contain the mouse cursor and a particular "cursor" button needs to be pressed to overcome this limitation. So the best way would be to be able to identify those custom input events and to send them to the application. Perhaps some other software tools are needed to accomplish this...

 

Edited October 24, 2016 by samozaparola