How can I future proof my code so changes to Windows handles/IDs don't require new edits?

[cag8f]

TL;DR The handles/IDs of my Windows application changed from 1a52015_r6 to 13f26d9_r6.  To fix, i had to manually edit all my AutoIt code.  Why did this change happen, and what are typical approaches to prevent these kind of edits in the future?

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Hi all. My AutoIt code has various handles and IDs which contain the string 1a52015_r6, e.g. 

ControlClick($hWnd, "", "WindowsForms10.Window.8.app.0.1a52015_r6_ad11", "left", 1, 875, 20)

These handles/IDs correspond to the Windows program I'm controlling with AutoIt:

My code was working without issue for a few months, then all of a sudden it stopped working.  I determined that the reason was because the handles/IDs for my Windows program no longer used this string, but instead replaced it with a different one: 13f26d9_r6, e.g.

ControlClick($hWnd, "", "WindowsForms10.Window.8.app.0.13f26d9_r6_ad11", "left", 1, 875, 20)

I manually made the fix.  But for the future, why exactly did this occur? And more importantly, is there a way to guard against this?

Maybe in my code I can/should use regex to match string patterns, rather than the full hardcoded string?

Thanks in advance.

[mLipok]

get handle with RegExp
Use AutoIt + UIA
Usie AutoIt + UWPOCR

Edited August 22, 2023 by mLipok

[cag8f]

@mLipok thanks for that.  And @Nine thanks for your reply in the other thread.  I'll continue it here.

 

  Quote

get handle with RegExp
Use AutoIt + UIA
Usie AutoIt + UWPOCR

Expand  

So to be clear, these are three different possible solutions.  These are not steps I need to carry out, in order, to achieve what I want. Am I understanding that correctly?

Let me give the regex a go.  @Nine was kind enough to give me something to start with.  I'll report back here.  

[mLipok]

  On 8/27/2023 at 10:22 AM, cag8f said:

Am I understanding that correctly?

Expand  

Correct

[ioa747]

 get handle with RegExp

RegExpQuickTester 2.5p  will help

 

1.  put all the ClassNameNN keys here old and new
2. here you can put your filter (Search pattern)
   an, in live time, test the pattern, and see which cases it catches, and readjust it
3. here it shows which cases it catches
4. here I have put '3 - Retum array of global matches'
5.  here you can use it as a storage space (for copying and pasting)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until now we use CLASSNN which is CLASS & INSTANCE
ControlClick($hWnd, "", "WindowsForms10.Window.8.app.0.1a52015_r22_ad11")
WindowsForms10.Window.8.app.0.1a52015_r22_ad11 = WindowsForms10.Window.8.app.0.1a52015_r22_ad1 & 1

now we will go to logic

; ControlClick($hWnd, "", "[REGEXPCLASS:<>; INSTANCE:<>]")
; where REGEXPCLASS:<> we put *2 the 'Search pattern'
; where INSTANCE:<> we put the instance e.g. 1

ControlClick($hWnd, "", "[REGEXPCLASS:WindowsForms10\.Window\.8\.app\.0\..*._r.*._ad1 ; INSTANCE:1]")

 

; Wait 3 seconds for the ShareX - Editor menu window to appear.
Local $hWnd = WinWait("ShareX - Editor menu", "", 3)
ConsoleWrite('@@ Debug(' & @ScriptLineNumber & ') : $hWnd = ' & $hWnd & @CRLF & '>Error code: ' & @error & @CRLF) ;### Debug Console

 ; Retrieve the handle of the MenuBar control in ShareX - Editor menu"
Local $hCtrMenuBar = ControlGetHandle($hWnd, "", "[REGEXPCLASS:WindowsForms10\.Window\.8\.app\.0\..*._r.*._ad1; INSTANCE:1]")
ConsoleWrite('@@ Debug(' & @ScriptLineNumber & ') : $hCtrMenuBar = ' & $hCtrMenuBar & @CRLF & '>Error code: ' & @error & @CRLF) ;### Debug Console

ControlClick($hWnd, "", $hCtrMenuBar )

 

here I must emphasize that we behave differently in Handle controls than Handle windows

ShellExecute(@WindowsDir & '\hh.exe', 'ms-its:' _
         & StringLeft(@AutoItExe, StringInStr(@AutoItExe, "\", 2, -1) - 1) & "\AutoIt.chm" _
         & '::/html/intro/controls.htm')

ShellExecute(@WindowsDir & '\hh.exe', 'ms-its:' _
         & StringLeft(@AutoItExe, StringInStr(@AutoItExe, "\", 2, -1) - 1) & "\AutoIt.chm" _
         & '::/html/intro/windowsadvanced.htm')

 

with windows handle:

; Until now we use CLASS or TITLE
; WinWait("[CLASS:<>; TITLE:<>]")
WinWait("[CLASS:WindowsForms10.Window.808.app.0.1a52015_r22_ad1]")

; now we will go to logic
; WinWait("[REGEXPCLASS:<>; REGEXPTITLE:<>]")
; WinWait("[REGEXPCLASS:<>; TITLE:<>]")

; WindowsForms10\.Window\..*808*.\.app\.0\..*._r.*._ad1

 WinWait("[REGEXPCLASS:WindowsForms10\.Window\..*808*.\.app\.0\..*._r.*._ad1]")

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by ioa747

[Danyfirex]

Hello. Time ago I was doing something like this:

 

Func _MakeNetClassNN($hWnd, $sControlType, $sIndexNN)
    Local $iLess = (StringRegExp($sControlType, "STATIC|EDIT|BUTTON|b|Window.b|Window.8")) ? 0 : 2
    Local $sStringClass = _WinAPI_GetClassName($hWnd) 
    Local $sStringWin = StringMid($sStringClass, 1, StringInStr($sStringClass, "."))
    Return $sStringWin & $sControlType & StringMid($sStringClass, StringInStr($sStringClass, ".app") - $iLess) & $sIndexNN
EndFunc   ;==>_MakeNetClassNN

 

I think it would work. you can test/modify.

 

Saludos

[cag8f]

@ioa747 and @Danyfirex Thank you very much for suggestions on both.  I will have a closer look and post issues here.  It may take me some time though 😕