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 <mailto:[email protected]>
*To:* [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
*Cc:* RicksPlace <mailto:[email protected]>
*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 <mailto:[email protected]>
*To:* [email protected]
<mailto:[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
