Convert String to KeyEvents

java awtrobot
Martin Trigaux picture Martin Trigaux · Aug 8, 2009 · Viewed 67.8k times · Source

I want to convert a String into KeyEvent to do something like this :

writeKeyboard(myBot,"abcd");

public void writeKeyboard(Robot bot, String st){
     char[] arr = arr.toCharArray();
     int i = arr.length();
     int j = 0;
     int keycode;
     while (j<i) {
         keycode = arr[j].something;
         bot.keyPress(keycode);
         bot.keyRelease(keycode);
         j++;
     }
}

Answer

Adam Paynter picture Adam Paynter · Aug 8, 2009

I'm basically using a glorified switch statement. Simple and fast:

import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.*;

public class Keyboard {

    private Robot robot;

    public static void main(String... args) throws Exception {
        Keyboard keyboard = new Keyboard();
        keyboard.type("Hello there, how are you?");
    }

    public Keyboard() throws AWTException {
        this.robot = new Robot();
    }

    public Keyboard(Robot robot) {
        this.robot = robot;
    }

    public void type(CharSequence characters) {
        int length = characters.length();
        for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
            char character = characters.charAt(i);
            type(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;
        default:
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot type character " + character);
        }
    }

    private void doType(int... keyCodes) {
        doType(keyCodes, 0, keyCodes.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]);
    }

}

If you want some custom key typing, you can extend the class and override the type(char) method. For example:

import static java.awt.event.KeyEvent.*;

public class WindowUnicodeKeyboard extends Keyboard {

    private Robot robot;

    public WindowUnicodeKeyboard(Robot robot) {
        super(robot);
        this.robot = robot;
    }

    @Override
    public void type(char character) {
        try {
            super.type(character);
        } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
            String unicodeDigits = String.valueOf(Character.getCodePoint(character));
            robot.keyPress(VK_ALT);
            for (int i = 0; i < unicodeDigits.length(); i++) {
                typeNumPad(Integer.parseInt(unicodeDigits.substring(i, i + 1)));
            }
            robot.keyRelease(VK_ALT);
        }
    }

    private void typeNumPad(int digit) {
        switch (digit) {
        case 0: doType(VK_NUMPAD0); break;
        case 1: doType(VK_NUMPAD1); break;
        case 2: doType(VK_NUMPAD2); break;
        case 3: doType(VK_NUMPAD3); break;
        case 4: doType(VK_NUMPAD4); break;
        case 5: doType(VK_NUMPAD5); break;
        case 6: doType(VK_NUMPAD6); break;
        case 7: doType(VK_NUMPAD7); break;
        case 8: doType(VK_NUMPAD8); break;
        case 9: doType(VK_NUMPAD9); break;
        }
    }

}

There is, of course, room for improvement, but you get the idea.

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