keylistener --- available with X-1.0rc3

Asked by Robert van Ginkel

pls show me an example of a keylistener so that i can sent commands to the running program. (rather global, so when another app got focus it sees the key first and maybe can sent different key like in autokey app)

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Answered
For:
SikuliX Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
RaiMan (raimund-hocke) said :
#1

it sems to be a question in the moment

Revision history for this message
RaiMan (raimund-hocke) said :
#2

Sikuli currently does not have a feature to listen to keys (besides the 2 predefined ones: capture hot key and script abort).

It can only be used to identify changes on the screen.

Revision history for this message
Robert van Ginkel (robertvanginkel) said :
#3

I understand that I didn't understand the concept of this application, but I did, it would make it just so much powerfull if it could listen to keys.

Revision history for this message
FritzzoD (fritzzod) said :
#4

Yes, please add this feature high-priority. Poster Robert here is on the ball when he asks this question and says "make it just so much powerful if it could listen to keys". Indeed this, these basic features being present, is what will get me to download Sikuli, develop in it, and promote it.

For, do you realize that there seems to be NO cross-platform software to do just general keyboard macro automation? --other than http://www.ironahk.net/ and that site is full of broken links and it would seem development has stopped. And another commercial product I found recently, which also does similar visual recognition BTW, but that requires running your apps thru VNC and is not free & open-source --big drawbacks).

So I hope the developers of Sikuli are not so in love with their cute visual recognition to forget to go back to basics when it comes to desktop automation and include a good keyboard listener.

Yeah, it's nice that Sikuli can visually recognize buttons & such on the screen (indeed that may certainly help to be cross-platform, as every platform & desktop has a different windows API), but, if there is a choice, enough work on that already! Leading alternative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoHotkey has none of that fancy stuff, yet has been a workhorse for years, indeed is the leading open-source solution on Windows, as starting from square-1, it has a good keyboard listener.

And even though graphical recognition is impressive, truthfully it seems much more important that Sikuli is using a major respectable programming language (Python, light-years ahead of the messy one-of-a-kind hack of a language Authhotkey uses, but, on Windows, if you want open-source keyboard automation, that's the only real choice); and plus VERY notable is that Sikuli is cross-platform (which almost no keyboard/macro automation software is).

And if Sikuli just had a keyboard listener (which should be MUCH easier that graphic recognition, and if in doubt, just copy Autohotkey), plus (if it doesn't have these already) the ability to input & output thru shell calls (as calling curl/wget) and save & load & manipulate the clipboard (including WYSIWYG HTML), then you've got yourself a winner! Hundreds of Autohotkey coders (as myself) would likely come flocking over to Sikuli, and that's just from the Windows side.

So please don't close this question until these basic features are added, or otherwise not until a development ticket (linked from here) is in the works to get this done.

Thanks. And impressive job: I wouldn't be writing if I didn't think you've got a good thing and you seem so close.

-Fellow MIT CS grad (and winner of the 6.001 programming contest, and a few other fun MIT things :-)

Revision history for this message
RaiMan (raimund-hocke) said :
#5

Great comment. I fully support this request.

I made a Blueprint, to put it where ideas and plans about Sikuli are summarized:
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/sikuli/+spec/add-key-listener

Revision history for this message
Tsung-Hsiang Chang (vgod) said :
#6

It makes sense to put this on high priority and it should not be hard to implement.

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask Robert van Ginkel for more information if necessary.

To post a message you must log in.