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POHow can I control context menus in other (Windows) applications using Java Robot and Swing buttons
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copied!<p>I have written an extensive on-screen keyboard (OSK) in Java. This is intended for people with disabilities and needs to be able to do <strong>everything</strong> that a standard keyboard can do. One thing I've noticed that doesn't work is <strong>context menus</strong> - in (most) Windows programs. I want my OSK user to be able to click the 'Context Menu' key (normally beside right-Ctrl on standard keyboard) and use the arrow keys to navigate that menu. The context menu appears fine, but when I click back onto my Frame (to press an arrow key), the context menu disappears. </p> <p>Anybody got any ideas as to how this might be achieved (probably a fairly monstrous 'hack' required I would think)? I'm pretty sure the context is disappearing because a mouse-click is occurring elsewhere on the screen (hard to get around that when you need to actually click something!).</p> <p>Below is a test app. I can use it to navigate down through a context menu in NetBeans successfully, but not in any other application I've tried (e.g. Windows Explorer).</p> <pre><code>import java.awt.Robot; import java.awt.event.ActionEvent; import java.awt.event.ActionListener; import java.awt.event.KeyEvent; import javax.swing.JButton; import javax.swing.JFrame; import javax.swing.JPanel; import javax.swing.WindowConstants; public class RobotContextMenuTest extends JFrame implements ActionListener { Robot R; JPanel JP; JButton JBmenu, JBdown; public RobotContextMenuTest() { try { R = new Robot(); } catch(Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } JP = new JPanel(); getContentPane().add(JP); JBmenu = new JButton("Menu"); JBmenu.addActionListener(this); JP.add(JBmenu); JBdown = new JButton("Down"); JBdown.addActionListener(this); JP.add(JBdown); setFocusableWindowState(false); setAlwaysOnTop(true); setSize(200,80); setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE); setVisible(true); } public static void main(String args[]) { new RobotContextMenuTest(); } public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) { if(e.getActionCommand().equals("Menu")) { R.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_CONTEXT_MENU); R.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_CONTEXT_MENU); } else if(e.getActionCommand().equals("Down")) { R.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN); R.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN); } } } </code></pre> <p>Finally, here's what I've tried:</p> <ul> <li>Using MouseListener on the buttons instead of ActionListener, then 'consuming' the MouseEvent in the hope that the other application won't register it and hide the context menu.</li> <li>I made a Threaded test application that is able to show any context menu and automatically scan down through it (once every second) but that doesn't really solve my problem! I want the context menu navigation to be controlled by the user's mouse clicks.</li> <li>I've tried using JNativeHook as an alternative method of capturing mouse clicks but the result is the same.</li> </ul> <p>Sorry for the long-winded question but it's a fairly complicated problem! Incidentally, the standard Windows 7 OSK can't do this either but <a href="http://www.wivik.com/" rel="nofollow">WiViK</a> can. Thanks.</p>

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