- 1 year ago
How to emulate keypress combination without activating Window using Win32 API
To emulate a keypress combination without activating the window using the Win32 API in C++, you can use the SendInput
function. This function sends input events (such as key presses) to the system input queue, and it does not require the target window to be active.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to achieve this:
- Include the necessary headers:
cpp#include <Windows.h>
#include <vector>
- Create a function to emulate the keypress combination:
cppvoid SendKeyPressCombination(std::vector<WORD> keys)
{
// Define the INPUT structure to hold the key events
INPUT input;
input.type = INPUT_KEYBOARD;
input.ki.time = 0;
input.ki.dwExtraInfo = 0;
// Loop through the keys and send key down and key up events
for (const auto& key : keys)
{
// Send Key Down event
input.ki.wVk = key;
input.ki.dwFlags = 0; // 0 for Key Down
SendInput(1, &input, sizeof(INPUT));
// Wait a short time (adjust as needed)
Sleep(100); // Milliseconds
// Send Key Up event
input.ki.dwFlags = KEYEVENTF_KEYUP;
SendInput(1, &input, sizeof(INPUT));
// Wait a short time before sending the next key
Sleep(100); // Milliseconds
}
}
- Call the
SendKeyPressCombination
function with the desired keypress combination:
cppint main()
{
// Example: Emulate Ctrl+Alt+Delete keypress combination
std::vector<WORD> keys = {VK_CONTROL, VK_MENU, VK_DELETE};
SendKeyPressCombination(keys);
return 0;
}
Note: The VK_
constants are virtual key codes representing different keys on the keyboard. You can find a list of virtual key codes in the winuser.h
header file. Modify the keys
vector with the virtual key codes for the desired keypress combination.
Keep in mind that this method emulates keypresses at the system level and doesn't target a specific window. Therefore, it won't activate or interact with any specific application window. It is recommended to use this functionality responsibly and only for legitimate purposes.