how to send keys to diskmgmt.msc in win7?

[GaryBud]

my script opens diskmgmt.msc in win 7 and waits until "Disk Management" window is activated but the keys sent are ignored.

what am I missing?

Thanks

[JohnOne]

might be the error on line 17

[JLogan3o13]

You're missing posting your code, as JohnOne is trying to point out. How can we possibly help without seeing what you're doing?

[GaryBud]

here is code: 

Opt("WinWaitDelay", 100)
Opt("WinTitleMatchMode", 2)
Opt("WinDetectHiddenText", 1)
Opt("MouseCoordMode", 0)
#include <GuiConstants.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>
ShellExecute("mmc.exe", "diskmgmt.msc","C:\Windows\SysWOW64","",@SW_MAXIMIZE) ; Run Disk MGMT
_WinWaitActivate("Disk Management","",2000)
$string=WinGetTitle("[active]")
Sleep(2000)
MsgBox(262144,'Debug line ~' & @ScriptLineNumber,'Selection:' & @lf & '$string' & @lf & @lf & 'Return:' & @lf & $string) ;### Debug MSGBOX
SendKeepActive("Disk Management")
Send("+{F10}")
Sleep(20000)
Send("{DOWN}{DOWN}{DOWN}{DOWN}{DOWN}")
Send("{ALTDOWN}{TAB}{ALTUP}")
 
Func _WinWaitActivate($title,$text,$timeout=0)
 WinWait($title,$text,$timeout)
 If Not WinActive($title,$text) Then WinActivate($title,$text)
 WinWaitActive($title,$text,$timeout)
EndFunc
 
Exit

Edited April 3, 2014 by Melba23
Added code tags

[Melba23]

GaryBud,

Welcome to the AutoIt forum.

When you post code please use Code tags - see here how to do it. Then you get a scrolling box and syntax colouring as you can see above now I have added the tags.

M23

[BrewManNH]

Even if your program did send those key strokes to the window, it wouldn't do anything at all. The first commands open the context menu, navigate to the Format option, then then alt-tabs out of the window. So, what exactly is it that you're trying to do with this script?

BTW, did you realize your WinWait is going to wait 33 minutes before it times out?

[GaryBud]

Everything in the code from the first sleep to the function was just attempts to get the application to respond.  Ideally, the program should move the selection down five drives and then more code will be added to change the drive letters.  I can do it manually from the keyboard.  Programmatically, "Send" is doing nothing.  I read somewhere online that it is not possible to manipulate this program by script, but I found an old program that manipulates diskmgmt.msc by script.  Perhaps there has been a change in recent versions of Windows.

[BrewManNH]

What exactly are you trying to do with the diskmgmt window? You can probably do it a lot easier without resorting to automating the window some other way.

[GaryBud]

I need to toggle 2 drive letters and reset the advanced sharing properties after any restart.  Norton Ghost software is not so compatible with a hardware raid controller.   By doing the toggle and reset Ghost is happy.

[jdelaney]

Why would you want to manipulate a gui, when you can execute a powershell script, or the autoit-vb-like equivalent.  Search for that on the forum or the interwebs on The Googles.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/san/archive/2012/07/03/managing-storage-with-windows-powershell-on-windows-server-2012.aspx

Edited April 4, 2014 by jdelaney

[Bert]

I second that.

[GaryBud]

Why use autoit to manipulate a gui? Because I can do autoit. I can accurately manipulate disk management gui by keystrokes from the keyboard. I was unfamiliar with powershell. After having searched for powershell scripts to set drive sharing permissions, it is more complicated. Yes, it might be done another way but I am unable to do it another way. Plus, this is autoit forum not powershell.

[BrewManNH]

You can probably do it with a VBScript, and if you can do it with a VBScript, you can change that script to an AutoIt version with minimal effort. Automating a GUI is the least effective way of accomplishing what you're trying to do.

[Bert]

agreed

[GaryBud]

I am now able to answer my own original question. The Win7 computer had a user control setting which caused the send command in autoit to be ignored. Autoit script now is completed and my problem is solved.