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javaawtrobot

Convert String to KeyEvents


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++;
     }
}

Solution

  • 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.