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I am designing a system that reads a gesture from Kinect and make some actions. I am trying to include the system to be able to send HotKey to an application. My system is writing in c++ but the UI is in C++.net. I have been able to use SendKeys from the UI part and it does work.

Is there a Win32 equivalent so I can use it in my system?

Thanks in advance!

Oni
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  • Are you trying to communicate between your own C++ and C# code, or are you trying to send a hotkey to another separate application? (Or, asking another way, does the gesture control your own UI, or do you want to control other applications?) – BrendanMcK Jul 28 '11 at 05:49
  • I am trying to send the hotkey to others applications like Windows Media Player, Adobe Reader or PowerPoint. – Oni Jul 28 '11 at 08:06
  • SendInput is probably the way to go then. Note that, just like SendKeys, the input ends up going to whatever app currently has focus, you don't really send input "to an application", you really send input to the system, and the system routes it appropriately. – BrendanMcK Jul 28 '11 at 08:24

3 Answers3

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In WIN32, SendKeys is called SendInput:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms646310(v=vs.85).aspx

It can also simulate mouse movements, etc.

rogerdpack
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500 - Internal Server Error
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    +1 - Minor note - SendInput isn't a *direct equivalent* for SendKeys. SendKeys is really a helper wrapper around SendInput that does much of the work for you. With SendInput, you have to fill out a set of structs for every key press and release rather than just passing a simple string. Still the right API to use here. – BrendanMcK Jul 28 '11 at 08:28
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If there are multiple applications, on Vista and higher, UAC integrity levels may prevent applications from sending/receiving Windows messages this way. You may need to call ChangeWindowMessageFilter, ChangeWindowMessageFilterEx functions to enable message-reception in higher elevated process.

Ajay
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    These affect only windows messages (WM_* and the like) sent via SendMessage and/or PostMessage, not input sent via SendInput. (Input is affected by integrity levels, but these APIs don't affect how it is filtered.) – BrendanMcK Jul 28 '11 at 04:23
  • You are probably wrong: "This function is subject to UIPI. Applications are permitted to inject input only into applications that are at an equal or lesser integrity level." – Ajay Jul 28 '11 at 04:38
  • That's what I meant by "Input is affected by integrity levels, but these APIs don't affect how it is filtered". Like I said, these APIs don't affect how SendInput works. In any case, these APIs are only of use within the target app, which can effectively use them to "lower the shields", and allow in WM_ messages that would otherwise be filtered out by UIPI - they are of no use at all in the app that is calling SendInput in the first place. If you want to be able to SendInput to a higher IL app, you need to run elevated. – BrendanMcK Jul 28 '11 at 04:54
  • Not true, Windows Explorer's custom message "TaskbarCreated" is send from lower IL process (explorer.exe), and can be intercepted by higher IL process. http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en/windowsuidevelopment/thread/f4370108-9cf9-4353-a086-a6f5112947ce – Ajay Jul 28 '11 at 05:05
  • I think you're mixing up input/SendInput vs messages/SendMessage. The qu here is about SendInput, which sends low-level keyup/keydown (or mouse move) input to the currently active thread. Windows filters those based on IL level, and doesn't take the message filter into account. USER32 will eventually translate that low-level input those into key-related window messages, but by that stage it's already passed the UIPI filters. On the other hand, *messages* that a low-IL app sends to a higher-IL app using SendMessage or PostMessage (and that includes "TaskbarCreated") are filtered by those APIs. – BrendanMcK Jul 28 '11 at 05:25
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The native equivalent is keybd_event

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms646304(v=vs.85).aspx

grivescorbett
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