_IsPressed Error in HelpFile

[BlazerV60]

Greetings people of the AutoIt community!

I think I have discovered some possible wrong verbiage in the HelpFile.

I'm trying to make my software detect the _IsPressed("KEY") for the RIGHT MENU button on the keyboard. 

You all have a RIGHT MENU button on your keyboard (maybe you haven't noticed it), it's they key between the Right ALT key and the Right CTRL Key.

However!!!!!!! In the helpfile it says the RIGHT MENU key is "A5", that is not true for me. A5 is actually the Right ALT key.

So my question is, what is the _IsPressed HexKey for the RIGHT MENU button?

 

#include <Misc.au3>
#include <MsgBoxConstants.au3>

Local $hDLL = DllOpen("user32.dll")

While 1
    If _IsPressed("A5", $hDLL) Then
       Sleep(100)
       msgbox(0,"Test", "Pressed!")
      Sleep(250)
      EndIf
WEnd

DllClose($hDLL)

 

If you try to run the above code, the msgbox will only appear if you press the Right ALT key, even though the helpfil says that A5 is the Right Menu Key hex.

 

Thank you,

Brian

Edited January 24, 2016 by BlazerV60
Inserted my code

[BrewManNH]

According to Microsoft, the right menu key is 0xA5 or $VK_RMENU. No clue why your keyboard shows it as the ALT key. The virtual keycode for the ALT key is supposed to be 0x12 or $VK_MENU, according to Microsoft.

[BlazerV60]

Hi BrewMan,

For some reason this isn't the case for me.

If I try to run this simple script below, the msgbox will only appear if I press the RIGHT ALT key. It won't show if I pressed the RIGHT menu key.

 

#include <Misc.au3>
#include <MsgBoxConstants.au3>

Local $hDLL = DllOpen("user32.dll")

While 1
    If _IsPressed("A5", $hDLL) Then
       Sleep(100)
       msgbox(0,"Test", "Pressed!")
      Sleep(250)
      EndIf
WEnd

DllClose($hDLL)

Let me know if the above code works fine for you.

 

Thanks!

[mLipok]

@BrewManNH do you mean this MSDN article ?

https://msdn.microsoft.com/pl-pl/library/ms927178.aspx

VK_LMENU	0xA4	Left ALT
VK_RMENU	0xA5	Right ALT

If so then you have right about that this function works correctly.

 

But I think this user is looking for this key:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menu_key

Am I right @BlazerV60 ?

 

If so then, I can agree with @BlazerV60 that HelpFile is using wrong wording as "Right ALT" <> "Right MENU key" and where you can find "Left MENU key"

 

[mLipok]

according to:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menu_key

Quote

Programmers using the Windows API can intercept this key by looking for a WM_KEYDOWN message with wParam VK_APPS (defined as 0x5D in winuser.h). It has key code 93 (VK_APPS 0x5D.)

 

and  https://msdn.microsoft.com/pl-pl/library/ms927178.aspx

VK_APPS

5D

Applications key on a Microsoft Natural Keyboard

So this example should looks like this:

#include <Misc.au3>
#include <MsgBoxConstants.au3>

Local $hDLL = DllOpen("user32.dll")

While 1
    If _IsPressed("5D", $hDLL) Then
       Sleep(100)
       msgbox(0,"Test", "Pressed!")
      Sleep(250)
      EndIf
WEnd

DllClose($hDLL)

 

btw.
HelpFile for _IsPressed()   should be extended, I mean this following information:

VK_APPS

5D

Applications key on a Microsoft Natural Keyboard

should be added.

 

[BrewManNH]

It depends on what the wording is for the key, in the MSDN site, the ALT key uses the VK_MENU key code, so I guess the RMENU key would equate to the right ALT key, if the ALT key is called the MENU key.

I did some digging, and the key you're looking for is the APPS key, which uses key code 0x5D or $VK_APPS.

BTW, the key code variables I mentioned are found in WinAPIvkeysConstants.au3

[BlazerV60]

@mLipok

Yes, mLipok the wikipedia article that shows the image of the Menu key that you linked is EXACTLY the key I'm talking about.

And I also agree with you on the revision that should be made in the Help File.

The Help File should be updated to say:

A5 Right ALT key INSTEAD OF A5 Right MENU key 

Also, as you suggested, the helpfile should be extended to add this:

5D  Right MENU key

@BrewManNH

Maybe it can be called the APPS key too, but most people know it as the Menu key. The wikipedia link shown by mLipok shows that it's officially called the Menu key as well.

Thank you for directing me to the WINAPIvKeysConstants.au3, that should also have revisions to reflect this new update

I also did some digging, in the GERMAN autoit helpfile: https://autoit.de/onlinehilfe/libfunctions/_IsPressed.htm

It correctly lists A5 as the Right Alt Key, unlike in the English version. The link is an English/German side by side comparison.

 

Thank you everyone for helping me in this. 5D is the correct hex for the Menu button, and now I'm able to finish my program.

[mLipok]

17 minutes ago, BrewManNH said:

BTW, the key code variables I mentioned are found in WinAPIvkeysConstants.au3

I see that.
I wonder how to use these variables with this function?

 

btw.

I just added this

Quote

    5D PopUp Menu Key - Applications key on a Microsoft Natural Keyboard

to HelpFile documentation for _IsPressed(). (edit: in SVN)

 

Edited January 24, 2016 by mLipok

[BrewManNH]

Unfortunately the _IsPressed function won't recognize the $VK_* key variables, I just remembered that the function adds the "0x" to the start of the string you send the function. So you have to send it the string of the key codes instead of the constants it should be using.

Although the whole function basically is a 3 line wrapper for the GetAsyncKeyState function, so the _isPressed function is kind of a dummy's guide to the _WinAPI_GetAsyncKeyState function in the WinAPI UDF.