Hi Jamal:
I have a script i developed in vb.net 2008 express.
It actually scripts vb.net 2010 Express so vb.net 2010 Express will speak
better.
When I associate the script with VB.net 2010 Express via WindowEyes it also
gets associated with vb.net 2008 Express since they use the same module name.
When I want to work on the script in vb.net 2008 the script is started which is
not what I want. So, I thought I would put some code in the script to check
which version of vb.net was running and stop the script if it was not vb.net
2010.
This has opened a whole can of worms.
Let me list a few of the current situations:
I tried using Application.exit but although it was executed the script remained
running.
Next I thought of killing the process but that is the executable created by
vb.net 2008 and may have spun off child processes which would not be killed if
only the main process is killed.
DTE offered a solution but it is not available to the Express modules as you
mentioned.
I tried the WindowEyes script status rotor hot key (insert-7) , thanks to an
idea from your ReLoad script but it stopped all scripts.
So I am sort of stuck for the moment.
As for DTE and the DOM, you are right.
The UIA Objects are there but since there is no EnvDTE available to the express
versions there is no access to the underlying DOM controls - at least using
that method.
Also, from what I've gathered so far the Automation Patterns available do not
allow for getting at the properties and methods of the underlying controls
either.
I want to be able to read the properties for a underlying control like the
TabNumber but have not yet figured out how, or if, this is going to be possible.
I have VBNet2010Script working using UIA to read the UIA information about any
control I drop on the Forms Designer by moving the mouse over it and hitting a
windoweyes hot key I registered for that purpose.
But I wanted to put all the controls into an array and read them in their
proper TabNumber sequence.
Also I wanted to allow for clicking any of the controls in the array and pass
the keyboard input to the IDE to perform normal functions on the selected
control in the array.
I am getting some things to read better but that is about as far as I have
gotten so far and the EnvDTE situation has put a crimp in my thought process.
so that's the story.
The EnvDTE is how I have seen samples access the underlying DOM so I am looking
for another method if one exists but I dont think so.
Later and let me know if you have any ideas.
Rick USA
----- Original Message -----
From: Jamal Mazrui
To: [email protected]
Cc: RicksPlace
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2012 8:36 AM
Subject: Re: Visual Studio Express Accessibility
Hi Rick,
I think the DTE object you mention is part of the VS DOM, which is only
available to commercial versions of Visual Studio. UIA, however, is
independent of the DOM, so works on the Express versions as well. I think the
DOM and UIA are independent of each other. UIA (and MSAA) does include the
ability to click, or perform the default action, on an automation object, such
as a button.
I'm not understanding the need to shut down processes other than your VB.NET
app. Doesn't the .NET Application.Exit() method work to shut down the app?
If a user launches VS, wouldn't the user be the one to close that
application? Why would a Window-Eyes app be launching VS? I thought the app
just gets loaded once Window-Eyes notices that VS (msenv.exe) has been launched.
Jamal
On 5/5/2012 8:06 AM, RicksPlace wrote:
Actually the Kill process I was thinking of was for an External Script, not
the IDE itself but it may pose the same problems if any processes are started
due to any context or content required by the OS or compiler unknown to me.
Jamal has a couple of VBS scripts that work with App Manager which may
offer a conceptual solution to stop my script programatically if I can
understand the technicals.
The Reload Script would seem to interact with ScriptManager so it may
provide the underlying technicals to click the Stop Button programatically or
using a global WE Hot Key.
If you know of another script that pushes a button in the ScriptManager
let me know for additional research.
Jamal, if you are out there, is this feasible?
Rick USA
----- Original Message -----
From: RicksPlace
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2012 6:43 AM
Subject: Visual Studio Express Accessibility
Hi:
I was looking into shutting down a Process from within VB.net Express.
To ensure all Child-processes are shut down it appears folks usually use
something called the EnvDTE object.
This object also gives access to the running Process so you can do things
like click a button or change text in a TextBox from another Process like a
WindowEyes Script.
According to a member of the Microsoft Staff, a posting in a Blog, the
Express Versions do not expose the EnvDTE Object to third party applications
like a WindowEyes script.
This was a quote Business decission on the part of Microsoft.
This hampers using UIA, MSAA or any other method I know of to make the
Express versions of Visual Studio much more accessible than they are already.
It also has thrown a monkey wrench into my plan to Kill the running
Process since Visual Studio, and I assume the Express versions, spawn other
processes that may be left hanging and running if the Main Process is Killed
without due process to the child processes if I read it correctly.
I can still make some things much more readable with UIA, MSAA and the WE
Object Model but not do much, if anything, that requires information from the
Underlying Visual Studio controls or any interaction with them via a script.
At least that is my understanding of the problem so far.
Since Application.Exit doesnt work, it handles clean up and shut down
messages while kill doesn't,perhaps the shut down of a dummy form will work as
Aaron used in his original example.
I either have to find a way to work around a focus problem using a dummy
window if I can, figure out why Application.Exit doesn't work or find another
method of shutting the script down ensuring no objects or processes are left
hanging.
I hope Microsoft knows this decission sucks for blind users of their free
Express Versions of Visual Studio that work extremely well for sighted users.
Later and I will be able to do a few things even without this missing
feature in the Visual Studio Express versions.
Rick USA
