UI Automation -Invoke：An empty dialog is opened

ZhangHX 1

I have a Windows application(Print Driver).
We use UI Automation to click a button("Authentication" button). After clicking the button, the Windows application will open an "Authentication" dialog, we need to provide the user name and password in the corresponding text boxes, and then click the "OK" button. The normal dialog is as follows:

But after clicking the button ("Authentication" button), an empty "Authentication" dialog opened. The empty dialog is as follows:

Why would such phenomenon happen?
Hope to get your help, thanks!

Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-08T07:02:24.867+00:00

For security consideration, not all UI automation client applications can gain access to the protected UI. Can you try Accessibility Insights tool to invoke the button click operation to see if it can reproduce the same issue. Use that tool click a button like this:

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ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-09T08:43:39.283+00:00

Thank you very much for your reply.

I tried to use Accessibility Insights to call this button, and the same issue did not occur.

Actually, when I use UI Automation to invoke the button, The empty dialog appears occasionally.
I have done a lot of tests: the empty dialog may appear when the button is invoked for the first time; it may appear after the button is invoked multiple times; it may appear several times in a row; it may not appear for a long time.

I am not sure how to avoid the appearance of empty dialog ?Or is there a method or tool to check the reason why it appears when an empty dialog appears？
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-09T09:20:57.803+00:00

@ZhangHX This needs to check source code of how to act to the button click operation and how to display such a dialog.
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-10T01:45:35.147+00:00

@ZhangHX Your client application attempts to interact with its own UI, is this your case? If yes, please check the document as @RLWA32 pointed out.
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-10T03:44:37.12+00:00

I just use the invoke method of UI automation to click the button 。
As long as you click the button, the authentication dialog box will appear. I don't know its implementation code。

I have a guess, this abnormal phenomenon can be related to memory leak? Can I have any tools to detect it?
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-10T06:27:05.317+00:00
@ZhangHX To narrow down this issue, can you confirm the following information?

Is the Windows application(Print Driver) a third-party application?

Are you developing a UI automation client application to access UI element in that third-party application? Are you using .NET or Win32 C++?

There is a confusion about this:

I tried to use Accessibility Insights to call this button, and the same issue did not occur.
Actually, when I use UI Automation to invoke the button, The empty dialog appears occasionally.

If the Windows application(Print Driver) is UI automation server, Accessibility Insights and your implemented UI automation application are both clients. Clients invoke a button on the server, the behavior is expected the same. However they are different since you said the issue did not occur then using Accessibility Insights but did occur occasionally when using your application.
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-10T06:34:25.437+00:00
@ZhangHX
In addition:

Invoke a button and the dialog pops up that indicate that the button is clicked successfully. Rest of work is related to the owner application of the dialog instead of UI automation client application. If this is true, you will also reproduce this issue without using any UI automation technology. Could you have a double check?

For detecting memory leak methods you can refer to "Finding a Memory Leak".
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-11T02:04:57.533+00:00
The windows application (print driver) is a third-party application ·

I am developing a UI automation client application using. Net to access UI elements in this third-party application
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-11T06:03:47.277+00:00

Thanks for confirmation. Feel free let me know if there is anything I can help.
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-22T08:06:24.76+00:00

After further investigation, we found that using the invoke event to click the "authentication" button, When input method is Japanese(Microsoft IME) , an empty dialog will pop up. . But in the case of English input method, there will be no abnormal phenomenon。

Is the invoke event of UI automation affected by the input method?

※OS：Win10 enterprise 64 JP
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-23T03:14:41.253+00:00

Do you find same issue in other system dialog? And is the Japanese system display language?
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-23T06:55:07.32+00:00

1、There are two dialogs with the same problem

2、The Japanese system display language is Japanese .Is UI automation affected by Japanese?
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-24T06:18:02.937+00:00

Do you use UI Automation to open these two dialog windows? How can I find such dialog?
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-24T08:26:13.193+00:00
These dialog are the UI of print driver. You can download and install the print driver through this link.
Step1. download and install the print driver
Step2. [Control Panel]-> [Devices and Printers]->[Right click The print driver]->[Printer Properties]->[Advanced Option]->[User Authentication] check on

Step3. [Open a word document ]->[Ctrl+P]->[select the print driver]->[Printer Properties]. Then click [authentication...] ,[details...] or [Register Current Settings...]
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-24T08:26:47.37+00:00
Yes, like authentication dialog , they are exceptions that only occur when using UI automation .We have tested the driver with all dialogs by manual and didn't find this issue.
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-25T03:24:51.487+00:00
Hello @ZhangHX , thanks for detailed information. Since this driver installation require a real printer device it supports so I am not able to complete the setup for reproducing this issue. But let me do the summary for stepping further: this exception seems requiring two conditions, one is display language is Japanese and another is using UI automation to invoke the button. Can you confirm the following information:

Does this exception occur when using Accessibility Insights tool? Or only occur when using your own application?

Does this exception occur on specific machine or multiple machines?
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-25T05:52:50.413+00:00
Install the driver according to the installation method in the attachment, without the real printer

This exception does not occur when using Accessibility Insights tool

It occurs on multiple machines, but the probability of occurrence is uncertain. This is more likely to happen only if the input method is Japanese
28177-installdriver.pdf
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-25T07:04:56.64+00:00

Thanks for instructions. But I get an error after enter the name and click ok button like this:
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-25T07:09:49.16+00:00

If your OS is English, change it to ”D:\test.prn“
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-25T07:26:00.62+00:00

Yes, it installs successfully now. Thanks. I'll update to you if there is any progress.
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-25T07:31:04.937+00:00

Thank you very much for your help and look forward to your progress update
Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-27T06:32:21.17+00:00

Unfortunately, I didn't reproduce this issue. It works for me as below:
ZhangHX 1 Reputation point

2020-09-27T07:30:57.68+00:00

I didn't reproduce this issue also when I use the accessibility insights tool.
But when I use the VB programming language to call the invoke method, there are occasional exceptions. Can you try this way?

※I'm not sure under what circumstances it's going to be abnormal. You may have to try again a few times.

2 answers

RLWA32 40,286 Reputation points

2020-09-09T18:04:14.49+00:00

If you are using UI Automation to manipulate your own user interface then you should be aware of the threading issues involved. Refer to Understanding Threading Issues
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Rita Han - MSFT 2,161 Reputation points

2020-09-28T03:10:04.707+00:00
Hello @@ZhangHX ,

I didn't reproduce this issue also when I use the accessibility insights tool.
But when I use the VB programming language to call the invoke method, there are occasional exceptions. Can you try this way?

I invoke the button with Win32 C++ application for 20 times continuously, the display language is Japanese and input method is also Japanese. It works for me without reproducing this issue.

The following is how I invoke the button in Win32 C++ you can refer to. For programming issue related to VB you can ask a question at MSDN forum for VB for more professional support. winapi-ui tag focus on Win32 C++ related issue.

IUIAutomationElement *pElement; hr = pElementFound->GetElement(i, &pElement); hr = pElement->get_CurrentName(&name); memcpy(controlName, name, sizeof(controlName)); if (!lstrcmp(targetButtonName, controlName)) { IUIAutomationInvokePattern* invoke = NULL; hr = pElement->GetCurrentPatternAs(UIA_InvokePatternId,IID_PPV_ARGS(&invoke)); hr = invoke->Invoke(); // Click the button here. }

Thank you!

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