Using AutoItX from VBA and VB

[rschader]

I am attempting my first use of the AutoIt ActiveX control from VBA from inside AutoDesk's Inventor CAD software. I first tested that the basic script commands work properly if run from outside the program. The script is simply:

WinWaitActive("Drawing View")
ControlCommand("","","SysTabControl321", "TabRight","")
ControlClick("", "", "Button16", "left", 1)
ControlClick("", "", "Button1", "left", 1)

and it works fine. But if I try to do the same thing from within VBA after sending the command to Inventor first to display the required dialog window, the window only comes up INCOMPLETE and the program locks up. I know it should be possible for it to work this way, because if I uncomment the test that runs notepad, that works, and I could probably just use that to execute my compiled script instead, but I'd rather get everything to work right from within VBA. Hopefully someone can give me some pointers here to get this to work, I'm tried of waiting for AutoDesk to make their program API more accessible!

Sub BreakAlignment()
    
    'Create AutoIt Interface
    Set oAutoIt = CreateObject("AutoItX3.Control")

    'this block of code just tells inventor to put up the dialog box I want to
    'automate, which has the title "Drawing View".
    Dim oCtrlDef2 As ControlDefinition
    Set oCtrlDef2 = _
        ThisApplication.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions _
        ("DrawingViewEditCtxCmd")
    oCtrlDef2.Execute

    'simply test if autoit multi-tasks in this context:
    'oAutoIt.Run ("notepad.exe")
    ' that works, next code locks up.
    Call oAutoIt.WinWaitActive("Drawing View")
    Call oAutoIt.ControlCommand("", "", "SysTabControl321", "TabRight", "")
    
    Call oAutoIt.ControlClick("", "", "Button16", "left", 1)
    Call oAutoIt.ControlClick("", "", "Button1", "left", 1)
End Sub

TIA,

Bob

[rschader]

Playing around with this somemore, I am able to make SOME progress getting it to work. First, I elimated the "Call" keywords and the WaitWinActive command and have attempted to add a ControlFocus command:

oAutoIt.ControlCommand "Drawing View", "", "SysTabControl321", "TabRight", ""
    'MsgBox "tabbed right"
    Dim FocusSuccess As Integer
    'FocusSuccess = 0
    'Do
        FocusSuccess = oAutoIt.ControlFocus("Drawing View", "", "Button16")
    'Loop Until FocusSuccess = 1
    MsgBox "FocusSuccess = " & FocusSuccess
    'above line returns 0 BUT the msgbox delay allows next line to work anyway.
    oAutoIt.ControlCommand "Drawing View", "", "Button16", "UnCheck", ""
    'oAutoIt.ControlClick "Drawing View", "", "Button1", "left", 1

I had to comment out the do loop start and end due to it locking up the program. It's almost like I need to run that in a separate thread somehow, which I am not sure how to do. Now it seems to be a matter of timing. If I have the msgboxes uncommented, then all seems to work by the delay introduced by them. But if I do not have them, I can not get focus or uncheck Button16. I think I will try adding a WinActivate command at the start, but other than that I am short on ideas to get the needed delays to work.

Bob S.

[rschader]

OK. I finally got it to work correctly. I simply put a "DoEvents" statement inside my Do Loop, so it looks like this:

Sub BreakAlignment()
    'Create AutoIt Interface
    Set oAutoIt = CreateObject("AutoItX3.Control")
    
...other code here
    
    oAutoIt.ControlCommand "Drawing View", "", "SysTabControl321", "TabRight", ""
    Dim FocusSuccess As Integer
    Do
        FocusSuccess = oAutoIt.ControlFocus("Drawing View", "", "Button16")
        DoEvents
    Loop Until FocusSuccess = 1
    oAutoIt.ControlCommand "Drawing View", "", "Button16", "UnCheck", ""
    oAutoIt.ControlClick "Drawing View", "", "Button1", "left", 1
End Sub

Now that I have overcome this hurdle, I can hopefully start automating much more of Inventor!

Edited December 16, 2004 by rschader