Keyboard.SendKeys Method
Definition
Important
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Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard.
Overloads
| SendKeys(String) |
Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard. |
| SendKeys(String, Boolean) |
Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard. |
SendKeys(String)
Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard.
public:
void SendKeys(System::String ^ keys);public void SendKeys (string keys);member this.SendKeys : string -> unitPublic Sub SendKeys (keys As String)Parameters
- keys
- String
A String that defines the keys to send.
Exceptions
A partial-trust situation exists in which the user lacks necessary permissions.
Examples
This example uses the My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys method to send keystrokes to an external application, the Notepad application, started by the Shell method.
Dim ProcID As Integer
' Start the Notepad application, and store the process id.
ProcID = Shell("NOTEPAD.EXE", AppWinStyle.NormalFocus)
' Activate the Notepad application.
AppActivate(ProcID)
' Send the keystrokes to the Notepad application.
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("I ", True)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("♥", True)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys(" Visual Basic!", True)
' The sentence I ♥ Visual Basic! is printed on Notepad.
An ArgumentException exception is raised if an application with the requested process identifier cannot be found.
The call to the Shell method requires full trust (SecurityException class).
Remarks
The My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys method provides functionality similar to the Send and SendWait methods.
The wait argument is useful if the other application must finish before your application can continue.
Note
Because there is no managed method to activate another application, you can either use this class within the current application, manually select the window to send the keys to, or use Windows API methods, such as FindWindow and SetForegroundWindow, to force focus on other applications. For more information, see Walkthrough: Calling Windows APIs.
The keys argument can specify any single key or any key combined with ALT, CTRL, or SHIFT (or any combination of those keys). Each key is represented by one or more characters, such as a for the character "a", or {ENTER} for the ENTER key.
To combine a key with SHIFT, precede the key code with + (plus sign). To combine a key with CTRL, precede the key code with ^ (caret). To combine a key with ALT, precede the key code with % (percent sign). To specify repeating keys, use the form {key number}. You must put a space between key and number. For example, {LEFT 42} means "press the LEFT ARROW key 42 times"; {h 10} means "press 'h' 10 times."
The following table lists the codes that can be used to specify characters that are not displayed when you press the corresponding key (such as ENTER or TAB).
| Key | Code |
|---|---|
| BACKSPACE | {BACKSPACE} or {BS} |
| BREAK | {BREAK} |
| CAPS LOCK | {CAPSLOCK} |
| CLEAR | {CLEAR} |
| DELETE | {DELETE} or {DEL} |
| DOWN ARROW | {DOWN} |
| END | {END} |
| ENTER (numeric keypad) | {ENTER} |
| ENTER | ~ |
| ESC | {ESCAPE} or {ESC} |
| HELP | {HELP} |
| HOME | {HOME} |
| INS | {INSERT} |
| LEFT ARROW | {LEFT} |
| NUM LOCK | {NUMLOCK} |
| PAGE DOWN | {PGDN} |
| PAGE UP | {PGUP} |
| RETURN | {RETURN} |
| RIGHT ARROW | {RIGHT} |
| SCROLL LOCK | {SCROLLLOCK} |
| TAB | {TAB} |
| UP ARROW | {UP} |
| F1 through F15 | {F1} through {F15} |
Availability by Project Type
| Project type | Available |
|---|---|
| Windows Application | Yes |
| Class Library | Yes |
| Console Application | Yes |
| Windows Control Library | Yes |
| Web Control Library | No |
| Windows Service | Yes |
| Web Site | No |
See also
- Computer
- Send(String)
- SendWait(String)
- Objects (Visual Basic)
- Accessing the Keyboard (Visual Basic)
- Walkthrough: Calling Windows APIs
Applies to
SendKeys(String, Boolean)
Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard.
public:
void SendKeys(System::String ^ keys, bool wait);public void SendKeys (string keys, bool wait);member this.SendKeys : string * bool -> unitPublic Sub SendKeys (keys As String, wait As Boolean)Parameters
- keys
- String
A String that defines the keys to send.
- wait
- Boolean
Optional. A Boolean that specifies whether or not to wait for keystrokes to get processed before the application continues. True by default.
Exceptions
A partial-trust situation exists in which the user lacks necessary permissions.
Examples
This example uses the My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys method to send keystrokes to an external application, the Notepad application, started by the Shell method.
Dim ProcID As Integer
' Start the Notepad application, and store the process id.
ProcID = Shell("NOTEPAD.EXE", AppWinStyle.NormalFocus)
' Activate the Notepad application.
AppActivate(ProcID)
' Send the keystrokes to the Notepad application.
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("I ", True)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("♥", True)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys(" Visual Basic!", True)
' The sentence I ♥ Visual Basic! is printed on Notepad.
An ArgumentException exception is raised if an application with the requested process identifier cannot be found.
The call to the Shell method requires full trust (SecurityException class).
Remarks
The My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys method provides functionality similar to the Send and SendWait methods.
The wait argument is useful if the other application must finish before your application can continue.
Note
Because there is no managed method to activate another application, you can either use this class within the current application, manually select the window to send the keys to, or use Windows API methods, such as FindWindow and SetForegroundWindow, to force focus on other applications. For more information, see Walkthrough: Calling Windows APIs.
The keys argument can specify any single key or any key combined with ALT, CTRL, or SHIFT (or any combination of those keys). Each key is represented by one or more characters, such as a for the character "a", or {ENTER} for the ENTER key.
To combine a key with SHIFT, precede the key code with + (plus sign). To combine a key with CTRL, precede the key code with ^ (caret). To combine a key with ALT, precede the key code with % (percent sign). To specify repeating keys, use the form {key number}. You must put a space between key and number. For example, {LEFT 42} means "press the LEFT ARROW key 42 times"; {h 10} means "press 'h' 10 times."
The following table lists the codes that can be used to specify characters that are not displayed when you press the corresponding key (such as ENTER or TAB).
| Key | Code |
|---|---|
| BACKSPACE | {BACKSPACE} or {BS} |
| BREAK | {BREAK} |
| CAPS LOCK | {CAPSLOCK} |
| CLEAR | {CLEAR} |
| DELETE | {DELETE} or {DEL} |
| DOWN ARROW | {DOWN} |
| END | {END} |
| ENTER (numeric keypad) | {ENTER} |
| ENTER | ~ |
| ESC | {ESCAPE} or {ESC} |
| HELP | {HELP} |
| HOME | {HOME} |
| INS | {INSERT} |
| LEFT ARROW | {LEFT} |
| NUM LOCK | {NUMLOCK} |
| PAGE DOWN | {PGDN} |
| PAGE UP | {PGUP} |
| RETURN | {RETURN} |
| RIGHT ARROW | {RIGHT} |
| SCROLL LOCK | {SCROLLLOCK} |
| TAB | {TAB} |
| UP ARROW | {UP} |
| F1 through F15 | {F1} through {F15} |
Availability by Project Type
| Project type | Available |
|---|---|
| Windows Application | Yes |
| Class Library | Yes |
| Console Application | Yes |
| Windows Control Library | Yes |
| Web Control Library | No |
| Windows Service | Yes |
| Web Site | No |
See also
- Computer
- Send(String)
- SendWait(String)
- Objects (Visual Basic)
- Accessing the Keyboard (Visual Basic)
- Walkthrough: Calling Windows APIs
