"Look In" ComboBox seems to contain a TreeView?

[Edmonds]

I am trying to automate a program that uses a file openning window that has what appears to be a ComboBox that allows users to select a location in which to search for candidate files. I need to set this to "My Network Places". However, when I try to use the set_dropdown function to control it, the best I'm able to do is temporarily select the item. The box returns to the default selection before I'm able to do anything else. From visual inspection, I can see that the contents of the ComboBox are not an ordinary text list, but appear to be a TreeView control, so I'm actually surprised that set_dropdown was able even to temporaily set the value. Is there anything that can be done to control a TreeView that appears within a ComboBox?

RE

[Mechaflash]

Can you give the section of script used to manipulate the control? I've dealt with this before.

[Edmonds]

I finally remembered that the function "set_dropdown" I was using was created by a third party, but its active ingredient is this line:

ControlCommand($win, "", $ctrlID, "SelectString", $select_string)

where $win= "Open", $ctrlID = "ComboBox1" and $select_string="My Network Places". You see the selection in the text box go to "My Network Places" for a short time. The following statement is:

$ctrl_txt = ControlGetText($win, "", $ctrlID)

Perhaps that has something to do with triggering it to revert to the initial text.

RE

[Edmonds]

I finally remembered that the function "set_dropdown" I was using was created by a third party, but its active ingredient is this line:

ControlCommand($win, "", $ctrlID, "SelectString", $select_string)

where $win= "Open", $ctrlID = "ComboBox1" and $select_string="My Network Places". You see the selection in the text box go to "My Network Places" for a short time. The following statement is:

$ctrl_txt = ControlGetText($win, "", $ctrlID)

Perhaps that has something to do with triggering it to revert to the initial text.

RE

I finally was able to get on to the machine I was using yesterday, and that was slightly inaccurate. I was only able to get to "Desktop" (select_string = "Desktop"), but it would remain set until I issued the next command. Just now I discovered that it appears that issuing two control_click commands makes the "Desktop" selection stick and brings up a menu, which seems to be a conventional listview, from which I probably can select "My Network Places". I'm still very interested in how you did it, I suspect you did it the "right" way.

RE

[Mechaflash]

There's a couple of finicky things to recognize with these Combo Boxes.

1. In order to cycle through multiple items, (i.e. sending a ControlCommand($title, "", "cID", "SelectString",$s) to multiple items), it will only work if you force a "ShowDropdown" first.

2. For it to show the contents of the selected folder, you have to perform a ControlSend() with the "{ENTER}" key.

3. It will only allow you to send the "{ENTER}" key to show the contents of the selected folder if the combobox is in a 'dropped down' state.

4. [EXTRA] Some applications (like Notepad and OpenOffice) show the [CLASS] of the dropdown box as being #32770, where ClassNN = #327701, when it is actually ComboBox, where ClassNN = ComboBox1, like all the others.

With that being said, I tested this on the Firefox 'Open File' dialogue. The below reproduces the issue.

$sTitle = "Open"
$sID = "ComboBox1"

WinActivate($sTitle)
ControlCommand($sTitle, "", $sID, "ShowDropdown", "")
Sleep(1000)
ControlCommand($sTitle, "", $sID, "SelectString", "My Network Places")
Sleep(1000)
ControlSend($sTitle, "", $sID, "{ENTER}")

SOLUTION:

The below code will allow you to do what you need (tested using the Firefox 'Open File' dialogue.

$sTitle = "Open"
$sID = "ComboBox1"

WinActivate($sTitle)
ControlCommand($sTitle, "", $sID, "ShowDropdown", "")
Sleep(1000)
ControlCommand($sTitle, "", $sID, "SelectString", "My Network Places")
Sleep(1000)
ControlCommand($sTitle, "", $sID, "ShowDropdown", "") ; <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Added
Sleep(1000) ;<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Added
ControlSend($sTitle, "", $sID, "{ENTER}")

[Edmonds]

Oh, I never noticed that response! I managed to kludge it, but I will try this to see if it can be done the right way. Hopefully I can replace it with this in the next version.

Thank you so much!

RE