c# simulate mouse movement out of the form

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there is a question bother me for a while. i want to simulate mouse movement by c#, and i use the codes below:

C#

[DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
       public static extern void mouse_event(long dwFlags, long dx, long dy, long cButtons, long dwExtraInfo);

the simple code only works with in the application. how to make it work out of the form?

thx.

Posted 28-May-13 21:38pm

600ml

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Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-28T21:47:00

Solution 2

Also, don't use mouse_event. Even though it's bad to use P/Invoke (please see Solution 1), sometimes you still need to use it, for much more powerful effects. But the obsolete function mouse_event has been superseded with another function, SendInput:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms646310%28v=vs.85%29.aspx[^].

This is how to use it with P/Invoke: http://www.pinvoke.net/default.aspx/user32.sendinput[^].

Now you have all you need.

—SA

Posted 28-May-13 21:47pm

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Comments

600ml 29-May-13 4:38am

thx alex for ur quick feedback. i am the beginner of the coding, and hope u can give more guide here. what i am doing is:
1. have a configuration file with all the mouse actions it need to do
2. the application read the configuration file and follow the steps to simulate all the mouse actions.

so could guide me:
3. the Cursor class seems can't do the click action, so should i use the sendinput?
4. when the application begin, all the mouse actions need to be excused out of the application ( i mean the form of the application). how could it do?

appreciated.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 29-May-13 8:38am

I re-numbered your items above. Now, let's see:

#1, #2: That will need a separate thread and follow the steps in it, using the approach shown in Solution 1 (not this Solution). The cursor should be set via the Control.Invoke.

#3: Yes, the click would require SendInput.
#4: In a separate thread.

Alternatively, you can use a timer and do motion in the timer events, but thread is easier.

You probably also need to have some time intervals in your file. If not, you will need to do all the actions in a separate thread with some uniform delay (Thread.Sleep). You can compare your timing with "Read time" using System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch.

Overall, all this work is not quite for a beginner. You should better feel comfortable enough.
—SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-28T21:43:00

Don't use P/Invoke without extreme need; it will break all your platform compatibility.

What you need to do with a Forms application is quite easy working purely in .NET FCL. Here is how:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.cursor.aspx[^],
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.cursor.position.aspx[^].

As simple as that.

—SA