Hello everyone,
There have been quite a few requests for SendKeys/mouse movement/dialog automation in Automise, and we’re currently planning out the kind of GUI automation features that we are going to add.
So, for those of you who have GUI tasks that they would like to automate using Automise - please let us know what you want to be able to do! Post a reply here, or email angus@finalbuilder.com. The more specific your comments, the better.
BUMP
We’re now testing the first GUI Automation features for Automise (I know it’s a been a while!) If any Automise users want to test this out as a prerelease, let me know: angus@finalbuilder.com…
- Angus
Too bad you didn’t get any feedback on this important topic in 2006 and 2007. Even though there are other products–even free ones out there that handle GUI automation, Automise is overall the best product in it’s class IMO and would be even better with some additional GUI handling functionality.
I’m currently evaluating Automise 2 for use at home and to possibly introduce it at my agency where I’m the unofficial evangelist for a long list of new tools and technologies. I see the current version has some GUI handling features, but do you plan any additional development in this area?
Maybe some of the things I want to do are already included and I just haven’t discovered them yet. For example, I have a project that opens an application, prompts for the second part of a two-part password and then enters userID and password. However, the Prompt for Password action dialog opens behind the application. I’m looking for a way to make that window active/on top, but see no way to do this in Automise 2. Can you tell me if/how this is possible?
Thanks.
Hi Michael
Good suggestion. I have add a new option to the Wait for Window or Control, on the “On Find Window” property page, the option to Set Focus. This will also bring the window to the front. Here’s the build with the new option included :
http://www.automise.com/downloads/automise/200/AT200_187.exe
Wow, a brand new build ready to install in one day. I'm impressed, thanks! Of course I had to download and install it right away. The ability to set focus in the Wait for Window action is definitely an important enhancement. However, I don't see a way to use it with the Prompt for Password action because one has to enter a password before the project drops down to the Wait for Window action and secondly the Prompt for Password window is already gone at that point.
Having a focus or "bring to front" option in Prompt for Password dialog options might work.
Another issue I've encountered in several automation tools and is probably not easy to address is--targeting and sending keys/mouse clicks to controls in forms that are HTML/XML based as opposed to pure Win32 forms. I'm having trouble entering userID (from a variable); then {TAB} to the password text box; then enter password (from variable); then press OK button. Depending on delay timing, sometimes everything ends up in the userID box (ignores tab), sometimes nothing appears... The last action to mouse click the OK button has never worked. I don't want to use coordinates, but "Click here to find control in running application" cannot see individual controls, but instead can only place red selector around the inside of the Window border...
Hi Michael
I guess I misread your post, I thought you were referring to a password prompt in another application, not Automise. I guess the fact that the password prompt is showing in the background is a by product of manipulating other applications, Automise gets sent to the back. I'm not sure if we can do anything about that, I'll have to investigate.
One option may be to use an Async Action Group, put the Prompt for Password and Wait for Window action as children of the async group. Then you ccan have the Wait For Window action set the focus on the prompt for password. To get it setup, run two instances of automise so you can have one put up the prompt while the other figures out how to find the promt window,
Browsers are a difficult problem, because the controls in the browser often don't have window handles and so are difficult to interact with programatically. It may be possible, but we still need to do more R&D on that so I can't promise anything anytime soon.
Thanks for responding quickly and offering to research HTML/XML based GUI support. Meanwhile, I'm evaluating AutoIt3 for GUI automation and PowerShell for everything else. These scripting technologies are okay, but Automise is a real development environment, much better for experienced and novice script developers alike, so I am cheering for your success in this area as well.
Best of luck with this impressive, well-designed scripting/automation tool.
Congratulations on release of Automise 3. With PowerShell integration and lots of other enhancements, I'd really like to develop most or all of our automation scripting projects in Automise. HTML/XML-based GUI automation is now the only sticking point.
I've had good results using AutoHotkey for HTML-based GUI automation. I'd like to send a small VPN login script that is working well in AHK. I tried to do this again in Automise 3 and still cannot get it to work.