5.1 Keystroke handling

This situation generally arises whenever there is a need to enter the values into a modal dialog box or when there is an LDAP authentication required along with Windows Active directory entries.

To apprehend the problem we are using the robot class from java awt which in-turn provides the keystroke to the system so that the system understands an user is entering the input

/*'*************************************************************************************************
' File Name                : Keyboard
' Description            : Used to key in the strokes from keyboard
' How to Use            :
'--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Author                    Version          Creation Date        Comments 
'--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Sai Kiran Nataraja         v1.0            06-January-2013
'**************************************************************************************************
*/
package testUtilities;

import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_0;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_1;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_2;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_3;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_4;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_5;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_6;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_7;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_8;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_9;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_A;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_AMPERSAND;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_ASTERISK;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_AT;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_B;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_BACK_QUOTE;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_BACK_SLASH;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_C;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_CIRCUMFLEX;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_CLOSE_BRACKET;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_COLON;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_COMMA;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_D;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_DOLLAR;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_E;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_ENTER;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_EQUALS;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_F;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_G;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_H;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_I;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_J;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_K;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_L;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_LEFT_PARENTHESIS;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_M;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_MINUS;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_N;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_NUMBER_SIGN;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_O;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_OPEN_BRACKET;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_P;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_PERIOD;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_PLUS;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_Q;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_QUOTE;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_QUOTEDBL;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_R;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT_PARENTHESIS;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_S;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_SEMICOLON;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_SLASH;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_SPACE;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_T;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_TAB;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_U;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_UNDERSCORE;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_V;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_W;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_X;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_Y;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_Z;
import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.VK_ESCAPE;

import java.awt.AWTException;
import java.awt.Robot;

/**
 * @author saikiran.nataraja
 *
 */
public class Keyboard {

    private Robot robot;

    /**
     * Constructor to create the robot instance
     * @author saikiran.nataraja
     * @throws AWTException
     */
    public Keyboard() throws AWTException {
        this.robot = new Robot();
    }



    /**
     * Function to type the characters by looping through it
     * @param characters
     */
    public void type(CharSequence characters) {
        int length = characters.length();
        for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
            char character = characters.charAt(i);
            type(character);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Keystroke for the character
     * @param character
     */
    public void type(char character) {
        switch (character) {
        case 'a': doType(VK_A); break;
        case 'b': doType(VK_B); break;
        case 'c': doType(VK_C); break;
        case 'd': doType(VK_D); break;
        case 'e': doType(VK_E); break;
        case 'f': doType(VK_F); break;
        case 'g': doType(VK_G); break;
        case 'h': doType(VK_H); break;
        case 'i': doType(VK_I); break;
        case 'j': doType(VK_J); break;
        case 'k': doType(VK_K); break;
        case 'l': doType(VK_L); break;
        case 'm': doType(VK_M); break;
        case 'n': doType(VK_N); break;
        case 'o': doType(VK_O); break;
        case 'p': doType(VK_P); break;
        case 'q': doType(VK_Q); break;
        case 'r': doType(VK_R); break;
        case 's': doType(VK_S); break;
        case 't': doType(VK_T); break;
        case 'u': doType(VK_U); break;
        case 'v': doType(VK_V); break;
        case 'w': doType(VK_W); break;
        case 'x': doType(VK_X); break;
        case 'y': doType(VK_Y); break;
        case 'z': doType(VK_Z); break;
        case 'A': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_A); break;
        case 'B': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_B); break;
        case 'C': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_C); break;
        case 'D': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_D); break;
        case 'E': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_E); break;
        case 'F': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_F); break;
        case 'G': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_G); break;
        case 'H': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_H); break;
        case 'I': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_I); break;
        case 'J': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_J); break;
        case 'K': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_K); break;
        case 'L': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_L); break;
        case 'M': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_M); break;
        case 'N': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_N); break;
        case 'O': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_O); break;
        case 'P': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_P); break;
        case 'Q': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_Q); break;
        case 'R': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_R); break;
        case 'S': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_S); break;
        case 'T': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_T); break;
        case 'U': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_U); break;
        case 'V': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_V); break;
        case 'W': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_W); break;
        case 'X': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_X); break;
        case 'Y': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_Y); break;
        case 'Z': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_Z); break;
        case '`': doType(VK_BACK_QUOTE); break;
        case '0': doType(VK_0); break;
        case '1': doType(VK_1); break;
        case '2': doType(VK_2); break;
        case '3': doType(VK_3); break;
        case '4': doType(VK_4); break;
        case '5': doType(VK_5); break;
        case '6': doType(VK_6); break;
        case '7': doType(VK_7); break;
        case '8': doType(VK_8); break;
        case '9': doType(VK_9); break;
        case '-': doType(VK_MINUS); break;
        case '=': doType(VK_EQUALS); break;
        case '~': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_BACK_QUOTE); break;
        case '!': doType(VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK); break;
        case '@': doType(VK_AT); break;
        case '#': doType(VK_NUMBER_SIGN); break;
        case '$': doType(VK_DOLLAR); break;
        case '%': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_5); break;
        case '^': doType(VK_CIRCUMFLEX); break;
        case '&': doType(VK_AMPERSAND); break;
        case '*': doType(VK_ASTERISK); break;
        case '(': doType(VK_LEFT_PARENTHESIS); break;
        case ')': doType(VK_RIGHT_PARENTHESIS); break;
        case '_': doType(VK_UNDERSCORE); break;
        case '+': doType(VK_PLUS); break;
        case '\t': doType(VK_TAB); break;
        case '\n': doType(VK_ENTER); break;
        case '[': doType(VK_OPEN_BRACKET); break;
        case ']': doType(VK_CLOSE_BRACKET); break;
        case '\\': doType(VK_BACK_SLASH); break;
        case '{': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_OPEN_BRACKET); break;
        case '}': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_CLOSE_BRACKET); break;
        case '|': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_BACK_SLASH); break;
        case ';': doType(VK_SEMICOLON); break;
        case ':': doType(VK_COLON); break;
        case '\'': doType(VK_QUOTE); break;
        case '"': doType(VK_QUOTEDBL); break;
        case ',': doType(VK_COMMA); break;
        case '<': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_COMMA); break;
        case '.': doType(VK_PERIOD); break;
        case '>': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_PERIOD); break;
        case '/': doType(VK_SLASH); break;
        case '?': doType(VK_SHIFT, VK_SLASH); break;
        case ' ': doType(VK_SPACE); break;
        case 'ä': doType(VK_ESCAPE);break;
        default:
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot type character " + character);
        }
    }

    /**
     * @param keyCodes
     */
    private void doType(int... keyCodes) {
        doType(keyCodes, 0, keyCodes.length);
    }

    /**
     * @param keyCodes
     * @param offset
     * @param length
     */
    private void doType(int[] keyCodes, int offset, int length) {
        if (length == 0) {
            return;
        }

        robot.keyPress(keyCodes[offset]);
        doType(keyCodes, offset + 1, length - 1);
        robot.keyRelease(keyCodes[offset]);
    }

    /**
     * This is how to be called in functions
     * @param args
     * @throws Exception
     */
    public static void main(String... args) throws Exception {
        Keyboard keyboard = new Keyboard();
        keyboard.type(args[0]);
    }
}

To call this function just provide the following line.

Keyboard.main("hi");

This will help in handling all the windows related pop-ups