My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys Method

Sends one or more keystrokes to the active window, as if typed on the keyboard.

' Usage
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys(keys)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys(keys ,wait)
' Declaration
Public Sub SendKeys( _
   ByVal keys As String _
)
' -or-
Public Sub SendKeys( _
   ByVal keys As String, _
   ByVal wait As Boolean _
)

Parameters

• keys
  A String that defines the keys to send.

• wait
  Optional. A Boolean that specifies whether or not to wait for keystrokes to get processed before the application continues. True by default.

Exceptions

The following condition can cause an exception:

• A partial-trust situation exists in which the user lacks necessary permissions (SecurityException).

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}

Example

This example uses the My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys method to send keystrokes to an external application, the Calculator application, started by the Shell function.

Dim ProcID As Integer 
' Start the Calculator application, and store the process id.
ProcID = Shell("CALC.EXE", AppWinStyle.NormalFocus)
' Activate the Calculator application.
AppActivate(ProcID)
' Send the keystrokes to the Calculator application.
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("22", True)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("*", True)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("44", True)
My.Computer.Keyboard.SendKeys("=", True)
' The result is 22 * 44 = 968.

A ArgumentException exception is raised if an application with the requested process identifier cannot be found.

The call to the Shell function requires full trust (SecurityException class).

Requirements

Namespace:Microsoft.VisualBasic.Devices

Class:Keyboard

Assembly: Visual Basic Runtime Library (in Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll)

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

Permissions

The following permissions may be necessary:

Permission	Description
FileIOPermission	Controls the ability to access files and folders. Associated enumeration: Unrestricted.
UIPermission	Controls the permissions related to user interfaces and the clipboard. Associated enumeration: AllWindows.

For more information, see Code Access Security and Requesting Permissions.

See Also

Tasks

Walkthrough: Calling Windows APIs

Reference

My.Computer.Keyboard Object

Send

SendWait

Keyboard.SendKeys