How do I Send keys to an inactive window?

[Gar]

This seems to be a common question on the forum, and there is never a useable answer. A few people seem to post "I got it working!" but never say how. How do I simulate a Send() to an inactive window without it gaining focus? There are no useable controls. ControlSend using its window handle and window process hasn't worked (as there are no controls to send it to).

I've seen reference to DllCalls, but I don't know how these work. This is the closest I've come to having it send the 'up' key:

DllCall("user32.dll", "int", "SendMessageA", "hwnd", $winHandle, "int", 0x100, "int", 0x26, "int", 0x1480001)

Unfortunately, this does nothing.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[TunaSalad]

What you mean by "There are no useable controls"?

[Gar]

What you mean by "There are no useable controls"?

I mean that the window has no control objects for ControlSend to target. I need a Send directed specifically at "the window", which is also inactive.

[SpookMeister]

Would a suitable workaround be to make it active, do a Send(), then got back to the previous window?

Edited February 4, 2008 by SpookMeister

[Gar]

Would a suitable workaround be to make it active, do a Send(), then got back to the previous window?

No, because I want it to remain inactive.

[Gar]

I've been trying to figure this out for months now. Look up my posts, it's true. Can't anybody offer a solution?

[Hare]

please refer to code below.

CODE

Run("notepad.exe")

Run("cmd.exe")

WinActive("Untitled - Notepad")

Sleep( 500)

ControlSend("C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe" , "",0, "inactive command window")

Send("active notepad window")

When i use command prompt, it is working remaning inactive.

but i dont't know what's the meaning of 0 at the ControlSend function.

[namauto]

please refer to code below.

CODE

Run("notepad.exe")

Run("cmd.exe")

WinActive("Untitled - Notepad")

Sleep( 500)

ControlSend("C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe" , "",0, "inactive command window")

Send("active notepad window")

When i use command prompt, it is working remaning inactive.

Is there a way to make this work with commands like Send("^o")?

Thanks!

[SmOke_N]

Try controlsend with a blank control id parameter.

[_Kurt]

Try this:

MinimizedWindowFuncs.au3

Kurt