Virtual key codes

Question

I have a c++ console program. Ho can I simulate the "é" character ? Code:

// Set up a generic keyboard event.
ip.type = INPUT_KEYBOARD;
ip.ki.wScan = 0; // hardware scan code for key
ip.ki.time = 0;
ip.ki.dwExtraInfo = 0; 
ip.ki.wVk = 0x45; //e
ip.ki.dwFlags = 0;
SendInput(1, &ip, sizeof(INPUT));
ip.ki.dwFlags = KEYEVENTF_KEYUP;
SendInput(1, &ip, sizeof(INPUT));

How do I convert it to the "é" instead of "e"?

Thanks.

Sending key down and key up with separate calls to SendInput is always a mistake. Why not read the documentation? — David Heffernan, Aug 03 '16 at 15:01
@DavidHeffernan: Why is that a mistake? An array of two elements might be slightly cleaner, but why is it wrong? — Martin Bonner supports Monica, Aug 03 '16 at 15:03
@MartinBonner: [SendInput](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms646310.aspx): *"The SendInput function inserts the events in the INPUT structures serially into the keyboard or mouse input stream. These events are not interspersed with other keyboard or mouse input events inserted either by the user (with the keyboard or mouse) or by calls to keybd_event, mouse_event, or other calls to SendInput."* — IInspectable, Aug 03 '16 at 15:04
@IInspectable OK, but does getting the inserted input events mixed up with real events actually matter? — Martin Bonner supports Monica, Aug 03 '16 at 15:08
Why the down votes? It looks like a reasonable question to me. Is it just that reading the docs is so easy? — Martin Bonner supports Monica, Aug 03 '16 at 15:09
@MartinBonner: If it didn't matter, why would the Windows API introduce a replacement for `keybd_event`? Of course it matters. Downvotes for the bump 'answer' 20 minutes after asking a question plus asking a question that has been answered a bazillion times before. — IInspectable, Aug 03 '16 at 15:12
Technically, the right way to deal with a question answered a bazillion times before is "vote to close" as duplicate. — Martin Bonner supports Monica, Aug 03 '16 at 20:35
@DavidHeffernan Because I haven't seen the question before. I am not one of the people down-voting it. — Martin Bonner supports Monica, Aug 04 '16 at 06:38

Martin Bonner supports Monica · Answer 1 · 2016-08-03T20:28:15.690

0

Per the KEYBDINPUT documentation, you can use the KEYEVENTF_UNICODE flag:

INPUT ip[2];
// Set up a generic keyboard event.
ip[0].type = INPUT_KEYBOARD;
ip[0].ki.dwFlags = KEYEVENTF_UNICODE;  // We want to send a Unicode key code.
ip[0].ki.wScan = 0x00E9;               // Unicode value of é
ip[0].ki.time = 0;
ip[0].ki.dwExtraInfo = 0; 
ip[0].ki.wVk = 0;                      // Ignored

ip[1] = ip[0];  // Duplicate entry
ip[1].ki.dwFlags |= KEYEVENTF_KEYUP;  // but make it key up

SendInput( 2, ip, sizeof(ip[0]));

(If you are ambitious, you can make that final "2" be your favourite ARRAY_COUNT macro or template function.)

edited Aug 03 '16 at 20:28

answered Aug 03 '16 at 14:58

Martin Bonner supports Monica

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Even when using `KEYEVENTF_UNICODE`, you still need to send two input events, one without `KEYEVENTF_KEYUP` and one with. And note that `wScan` is expressed in UTF-16, so if you need to send a Unicode character that uses a surrogate pair, you need separate input events for each surrogate. – Remy Lebeau Aug 03 '16 at 16:20
@RemyLebeau: Are you sure? The documentation says that " This flag `KEYEVENTF_UNICODE` can only be combined with the `KEYEVENTF_KEYUP` flag." – Martin Bonner supports Monica Aug 03 '16 at 20:22
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Oh, I think I see. It cannot be *combined* with another flag, but it can be used on it's own. I'll edit the code. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Aug 03 '16 at 20:23

Virtual key codes

1 Answers1