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Keyboard buffer

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    Keyboard buffer

    I have a different problem when using sys_shell(). I need to send keystrokes to a DOS program to operate it "remotely" using A5. Sys_shell() will likely just play a .bat file that runs the DOS program.

    What I need is some type of keyboard buffer or some other way to play stored commands as if they were coming from the keyboard into this DOS program. There will be about 6 commands, and I will need to insert a "wait" between some of the commands so they have time to finish before more keystrokes are played.

    Has anyone done this?

    Bill.

    #2
    RE: Keyboard buffer

    Bill,

    Set brainstorm on

    if the timing is determined by processes which must be completed within Alpha Five, maybe you could set up a series of BAT files, activating each one in turn by sys_send_keys() ?

    else maybe you need to build a DOS compiled EXE to control the DOS process.

    end if

    set brainstorm off

    Comment


      #3
      RE: Keyboard buffer

      >> else maybe you need to build a DOS compiled EXE to control the DOS process.

      Comment


        #4
        RE: Keyboard buffer

        Bill, I guess my brainstorm collapsed... I was thinking you needed to run several preliminary processes, then the DOS program. You want to 'drive' the DOS program remotely. I see the difference.

        Can you configure the DOS program to accept a command line statement with arguments that cover what you need?

        Can you configure the DOS program to read a text file that contains instructions?

        Can the user run the DOS program for you, perhaps after a screenful of instructions are displayed?

        Maybe you can use sys_send_keys() if you make the DOS session current with sys_focus_put()... ???

        Having never attempted such a thing it's easy to dream up ideas, most of which are probably crazy.

        Hope they help.

        -- tom

        Comment


          #5
          RE: Keyboard buffer

          Hi Bill,

          What is the program doing? Does the program accept command line parameters? Will the program accept a file as input? I play around writing small exe's for utility stuff, but I've never done anything like this and honestly don't know how to start. I used to have a small utility program written (or sold by) parsons software. This was years ago. It was a 'safety' program basically for word processing. It would 'record' your key strokes for several minutes at a time and if your computer crashed you'd fire things back up and it would 'play' the keystrokes back into your word processor. It was a TSR. Sound kinda similar to what you are wanting.

          Jim

          Comment


            #6
            RE: Keyboard buffer

            Ira sent me a tsr called Fakey. I could not get it to even play keys into a DOS edit session. (It also had a "wait" function, and I _could_ get it to wait!!) The program said it only worked if BIOS was used for keyboard processing, so maybe in 98 and W2K the system handles the keyboard input differently, or maybe I was doing something wrong.

            It sounds like this is a bigger challenge than I thought it would be.

            Currently users run the DOS program, and we are trying to get them out of the loop to reduce errors. There is no command line mode for the program.

            Thanks for the thoughts.

            Bill.

            Comment

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