Send-Keys extension for Chocolatey (helper to send keystrokes to a window) (sendkeys.extension)

This project is not associated with the official Chocolatey product or team, nor with Chocolatey Software, Inc..

A Chocolatey extension providing helper functions to send keystrokes to the active application window. These functions may be used in Chocolatey install and uninstall scripts by declaring this package a dependency in your package's .nuspec.

Installation

As the package is an extension, it gets usually installed automatically as a dependency. However, you can still install it manually:

choco install sendkeys.extension

Usage

To create a package with the ability to use a function from this extension, add the following to your .nuspec specification:

<dependencies>
  <dependency id="sendkeys.extension" version="REPLACE_WITH_MINIMUM_VERSION_USUALLY_CURRENT_LATEST" />
</dependencies>

It is possible to import the module directly in your PS >, so you can try out the main functionality directly:

# import the modules
Import-Module "${env:ChocolateyInstall}\helpers\chocolateyInstaller.psm1"
Import-Module "${env:ChocolateyInstall}\extensions\sendkeys\*.psm1"

# get a list of all functions
Get-Command -Module 'sendkeys.extension'

# get help and examples for a specific function
Get-Help Send-Keys -Detailed

# See https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.windows.forms.sendkeys.send
# for a list of codes to specify characters that aren't displayed or represent
# actions rather than characters (like ENTER, DOWN or TAB).

# Send the keystrokes "ABC" to the currently active window; wait 2 seconds
# afterwards
Send-Keys -Keys 'ABC'

# Bring the first window that contains the name 'foo' to the front, focus it
# and send different keystrokes to it. By default, the functions waits two
# seconds after each keystroke.
Send-Keys -Keys 'a' -Query 'foo' # send a; wait 2 seconds
Send-Keys -Keys '{TAB}' -Query 'foo' # send tab; wait 2 seconds
Send-Keys -Keys ' ' -Query 'foo' # sends space bar; wait 2 seconds
Send-Keys -Keys '{ENTER}' -Query 'foo' -Delay @(0, 5) # send enter; wait 5 seconds
Send-Keys -Keys '%A' -Query 'foo' # send ALT + A; wait 2 seconds
Send-Keys -Keys '%w' -Query 'foo' # send ALT + w; wait 2 seconds
Send-Keys -Keys 'abC{TAB}D' -Query 'foo' # send a, b, C, tab, D; wait 2 seconds


# Bring the first window that starts with the name 'bar' to the front, focus it
# and send different keystrokes to it. By default, the functions waits two
# seconds after each keystroke.
Send-Keys -Keys 'a' -Query '^bar.+$' # send a; wait 2 seconds
Send-Keys -Keys '{DOWN}' -Query '^bar.+$' # send down; wait 2 seconds

But keep in mind that functions of Chocolatey extension may only work correctly in the context of Chocolatey install and uninstall scripts.

Licensing, copyright

Copyright (c) 2023, 2024 foundata GmbH (https://foundata.com)

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0), see LICENSES/Apache-2.0.txt for the full text.

The REUSE.toml file provides detailed licensing and copyright information in a human- and machine-readable format. This includes parts that may be subject to different licensing or usage terms, such as third-party components. The repository conforms to the REUSE specification. You can use reuse spdx to create a SPDX software bill of materials (SBOM).

Author information

This Chocolatey extension was created and is maintained by foundata. If you like it, you might buy them a coffee. This is a community project and not associated with the official Chocolatey product or team, nor with Chocolatey Software, Inc..