[RESOLVED] Get Spacific text from window within a 3rd party program

[intercepter]

Hi Everyone,

This has been a great rescource for me. Just reading had taught a lot.

However, I am puzzled by a problem and if someone could help I sure appricate it.

I have seen various threads, but nothing spacific to my problem.

I want to write my own auto greeter program for Paltalk. (Yes that pesky chat program) I also want to write it for another chat program, and I figure if I can get something to work on paltalk, I should be able to just change the windows to look for new handles, yes?

I have code that works perfectly fine sending text to the chat room. However, I can't seem to get anything to work on looking for spacific text and then triggering a fuction based on that text.

*** SomeUserName has joined the group ***

That is the trigger text.

I want the program to be able to use a variable, most are using %S for screen name, so that it can wait for any user name like this: *** AnyUserName has joined the group *** and then trigger text to be sent, like this:
Welcome AnyUsername to "the room they just joined" and maybe some other text after that.

I have been asking some people who have written programs for paltalk and they dont seem to want to share this bit of code. Or even help for that matter.

So, I turn to the gurus at CodeGuru.


Here is my send text code that works great with some direction from people here.


Code:
Private Function PALSEND(Text2Send As RichTextBox, ColoredText As Boolean)

Dim MYWindowClass As Long
Dim wtlsplitterwindow As Long
Dim ATLD As Long
Dim atlaxwin As Long
Dim X As Long
Dim richedita As Long

MYWindowClass = FindWindow("my window class", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(MYWindowClass, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
ATLD = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, vbNullString, vbNullString)
atlaxwin = FindWindowEx(ATLD, 0&, "atlaxwin71", vbNullString)
X = FindWindowEx(atlaxwin, 0&, "#32770", vbNullString)
richedita = FindWindowEx(X, 0&, "richedit20a", vbNullString)
richedita = FindWindowEx(X, richedita, "richedit20a", vbNullString)
'>>>>>>>>>>
If ColoredText = True Then
Call SendMessageByString(richedita, WM_SETTEXT, 0&, Text2Send.TextRTF)
Else
Call SendMessageByString(richedita, WM_SETTEXT, 0&, Text2Send.Text)
End If
'<<<<<<<<<<
'>>>>>>>>>>
If richedita <> 0 Then
Do
DoEvents
Call SendMessage(richedita, WM_KEYDOWN, VK_RETURN, 0)
Call SendMessage(richedita, WM_KEYUP, VK_RETURN, 0)
Loop Until richedita <> 0
Else
Exit Function
End If
'<<<<<<<<<<


End Function
Private Sub Command1_Click()

RTB5 = (RTB1.Text & " " & RTB2.Text & ":" & RTB3.Text & " " & RTB4.Text)

With RTB5
.Font.Bold = True
.Font.Size = 10
End With

Call PALSEND(RTB5, True)

End Sub


As I understand it, I need to just count back one from the input RTB to the text window above it which is where the text to watch for is located.

I do have this code:



Code:
Public Function GetText()


Dim wtlsplitterwindow As Long, atl As Long, atlaxwin As Long
Dim X As Long, richedita As Long
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindow("wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
atl = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "atl:00504680", vbNullString)
atlaxwin = FindWindowEx(atl, 0&, "atlaxwin71", vbNullString)
X = FindWindowEx(atlaxwin, 0&, "#32770", vbNullString)
richedita = FindWindowEx(X, 0&, "richedit20a", vbNullString)
Dim TheText As String, TL As Long
TL = SendMessageLong(richedita, WM_GETTEXTLENGTH, 0&, 0&)
TheText = String(TL + 1, " ")
Call SendMessageByString(richedita, WM_GETTEXT, TL + 1, TheText)
TheText = Left(TheText, TL)
End Function


and what I wanted to do was put another command button with a text window to just press and let it grab what ever was in the text window in question and place that in the text box to make sure I was watching the right window.

So I did this:


Code:
Private Sub Command2_Click()
Call GetText

Text1.Text = TheText

End Sub


But that seemed too simple.

I also used the winspector spy and got a lot of message traffic, but I guess it must be over my head with regard to using it.

I have found out what I needed to do with GetText.

Now I can populate a textbox with the text from the correct window.

Here is what I am looking for:

I would like help for a trigger type event to watch for a spacific symbol. The "!" Or the " ***"
This is the trigger to tell my program to run another event. Like !find (and the search string, etc) To search a database and return the results back to the chatroom.

What api call should I use? Would it work to use some sort of timer event to watch for that particular symbol and that word?

The window that I am watching has all sorts of text as its the main chat window for the program I would like to capture the text from.

I had thought of useing a timer subroutine to look for new text, but wouldnt that cause a large amount of system rescources to be used? Looping and looping till the time interval is up?

Any help would be appreciated

Intercepter

[GremlinSA]

Use the timer control. It uses very little resources, actualy near none, until the Interval has lappsed. then any code in timer sub executes..

Hope this Helps

Gremmy.

[intercepter]

Yes that helps, Thank you.

The problem I am running into is that with the "GetText" function it will update with the latest lines of text but it grabs everything that is in the ritchtextbox that the program is watching. From the first line to the very last one.

What I am interested in now is the ability to grab only new text and discard everything else looking for my "!" or "***"

So that each time the timer runs the code and resets, I am looking at new text only. Not what allready has been checked.

I did try to use some pattern machting but it seems like there is just too much there to get the job done.

How do I filter out what I dont need to get to what I need.

If anyone needs properties, I can get them, but was wondering if any suggestions right off the bat.

Intercepter.

[GremlinSA]

Yes that helps, Thank you.

The problem I am running into is that with the "GetText" function it will update with the latest lines of text but it grabs everything that is in the ritchtextbox that the program is watching. From the first line to the very last one.

What I am interested in now is the ability to grab only new text and discard everything else looking for my "!" or "***"

So that each time the timer runs the code and resets, I am looking at new text only. Not what allready has been checked.

I did try to use some pattern machting but it seems like there is just too much there to get the job done.

How do I filter out what I dont need to get to what I need.

If anyone needs properties, I can get them, but was wondering if any suggestions right off the bat.

Intercepter.

Unfortunately you will have to parce out what is new and what isn't in your code. Try buy keeping a copy of the, hmm, say last 100 characters.. use the Instr to find it in the collected text.. Then start your check from there.. copy the Last 100 char back into your check string..

This is about the best way i can think off..

Gremmy

[intercepter]

Ok, I think I understand, but the question is how? I honestly dont know how to get the last 100 or so.

But here is some background info that might help.

Right now, to make sure the code that gets the text from the window I am watching, is actually getting text from the right place, I put it in a timer function like you suggested to a richtextbox on my form. But the foreign window that holds the text I want to process has a rather large capacity.

At least count, it could hold over 1700 lines of text and is consistently updating to add new lines. What I want to do is search through the text parse out the new line or lines that were added since the last tine through the timer sub and check to see if a particular set of characters are present. I am looking for ": !ver" or ": ***"

This is a chat room watching program and is looking for the above strings and to trigger other events.

The foreign richtextbox is again at least 1700 lines long or longer and each line can hold 113 characters per line (in full screen mode) and 46 characters per line (in windowed mode)

The user can actually put up to 443 characters per post before they get an overflow message saying the post is too long.
If more than the max amount in each line (either 46 or 113) is reached, it simply word wraps till the text is finished.

This code gets the text from the window that is being watched:


Code:Private Sub Command2_Click()
Dim TheText As String, TL As Long
Dim mywindowclass As Long
Dim wtlsplitterwindow As Long
Dim atl As Long
Dim atlaxwin As Long
Dim x As Long
Dim richedita As Long

mywindowclass = FindWindow("my window class", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(mywindowclass, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
wtlsplitterwindow = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "wtl_splitterwindow", vbNullString)
atl = FindWindowEx(wtlsplitterwindow, 0&, "atl:00504680", vbNullString)
atlaxwin = FindWindowEx(atl, 0&, "atlaxwin71", vbNullString)
x = FindWindowEx(atlaxwin, 0&, "#32770", vbNullString)
richedita = FindWindowEx(x, 0&, "richedit20a", vbNullString)
TL = SendMessageLong(richedita&, WM_GETTEXTLENGTH, 0&, 0&)
TheText = String(TL + 1, " ")
Call SendMessageByString(richedita&, WM_GETTEXT, TL + 1, TheText)
TheText = Left(TheText, TL)

If richedita = 0 Then
MsgBox "Error: Cannot find window"
Exit Sub
End If


RichTextBox1.Text = TheText


End Sub

But it gets ALL the text in the foreign window.

I need some help going through it to only return anything new after last time through the timer sub.

I put this code in a timer sub, and it dutifully updates the richtextbox with everything that was posted when the program was started and it began its watch on the window.

I would still like to put text in the richtextbox on my form as well as allowing it to trigger another sub. Just to watch it work properly before I move on.

From your last post, I need to use some sort of InStr function but quite honestly, I don't know where to start. I am still learning and any code suggestions would be appreciated.

The varible "TheText" seems to be able to hold whatever I get from the other window.

Intercepter

[GremlinSA]

Ok, I think I understand, but the question is how? I honestly dont know how to get the last 100 or so.

Here is a function i quickly wrote to help you with this.. It may need a little debug( Mostly a +1 or -1 in the Mid function..

Private Prev_100 As String
Private Function Get_Last_Text(New_Text As String) As String
Dim S_Pos As Long
Dim S_Len As Long
S_Len = Len(New_Text)
S_Pos = InStr(1, New_Text, Prev_100, vbTextCompare)
If S_Pos > 0 Then
    S_Pos = S_Pos + Len(Prev_100) ' Add the length of the previous to get start of new text
    Get_Last_Text = Mid(New_Text, S_Pos, S_Len - S_Pos)
Else
    Get_Last_Text = New_Text
End If
If S_Len > 100 Then
    Prev_100 = Right(New_Text, 100)
Else
    Prev_100 = New_Text
End If
End Function

Try this in your proggy..

1) Get all the text from the Chat..
2) Call this function to parse out the Last entered text..
3) Scan the last enterd text for your 'Triggers'


Gremmy...

[intercepter]

Hi Gremmy,

Here is the final project. Let me know what else I might need to add or change. It should all be ado code.

The question is, what am I missing?

Intercepter

[GremlinSA]

Hi Gremmy,

Here is the final project. Let me know what else I might need to add or change. It should all be ado code.

The question is, what am I missing?

Intercepter

I like your Code.. just a few things.. use Tab spacing in your code

Select Case asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(ButtonIndex)
Case Is = asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(1) = True
RichTextBox3.SelFontSize = 8
Case Is = asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(2) = True
RichTextBox3.SelFontSize = 10
Case Is = asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(3) = True
RichTextBox3.SelFontSize = 12
End Select

looks ok but formating it

Select Case asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(ButtonIndex)
    Case Is = asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(1) = True
        RichTextBox3.SelFontSize = 8
    Case Is = asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(2) = True
        RichTextBox3.SelFontSize = 10
    Case Is = asxToolbar2.ButtonChecked(3) = True
        RichTextBox3.SelFontSize = 12
End Select

makes it easier for you to keep track... If for eg. you left out End Select, it would be very dificult to notice...

You have a few pieces of unused code still stuck in the project, When compiling this is still added and just Bloats and slows your app...

(IN adoPrimaryRS_WillChangeRecord)
Select Case adReason
  Case adRsnAddNew
  Case adRsnClose
  Case adRsnDelete
  Case adRsnFirstChange
  Case adRsnMove
  Case adRsnRequery
  Case adRsnResynch
  Case adRsnUndoAddNew
  Case adRsnUndoDelete
  Case adRsnUndoUpdate
  Case adRsnUpdate
End Select

Private Function Get_Last_Text(New_Text As String) As String         (This sub Is never called.)

A feture you might consiider adding is Random Quotes... Most Religious people (Myself included) belive more in Accidental, or Randomly found Bible verses... (My wife opens the bible at random every morning and we read a few verses.). Adding this will definately give value to its use..

Other than these The coding looks good.. (Unfortunatly i cannot Run it as I'm missing the DB...)

but it's good work..

keep it up..

Gremmy....

[intercepter]

Thanks Gremmy,

You have yourself and Pinkey98 to also give cudos for it. As you 2 helped quite a bit. If not in actual code snippets, in direction as well.

My main concern was that all the db opens and closes looked fine and that everything required to run ado code is all there.

I will be adding you 2 to the credits window that I will add.

I like your suggestion. I have had tons of ideas on what else I would like to see this program do but I wanted to get something that functions first, before I go tweaking it. I had a basic list of what I wanted the program to do first before adding any more bells or whistles.

Again, thanks for your help and if you want the db, when I find the link where I found it, I will send it to ya.

Intercepter