SendKeys.send format to send Ctrl-C = SendKeys.Send("^(C)"); ?

[DOSrelic]

Cos I got the right window but nothing is copied to the Clipboard altho text is highlighted! Here is a little snippet from the method:

internal void getHighlightedText()
        {
 // why can it not copy?
            string fff = Clipboard.GetText();
            AttachThreadInput(_activeThreadId, _myProcessId, true);
            SetForegroundWindow(_hWnd);
            SendKeys.Send("^(C)");
            fff = Clipboard.GetText();
            AttachThreadInput(_activeThreadId, _myProcessId, false); //release the attachment
            if (Clipboard.ContainsText())
            {

But it doesn't? Any ideas why as the correct windows get highlighted?
Your knowledge and experience will be greatly appreciated, cheers.

[tlhintoq]

Don't try to do it through keystroke trickery. Just use the clipboard class and send what you want to the clipboard.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.clipboard.aspx

[DOSrelic]

Hi tlhintoq, yes and that's what I'm trying to do. Get the other app to utilise the clipboard to copy the highlighted text! If I go ctrl-C then hit the hotkey it works fine but I can't seem to send the ctrl-c keypresses to the foremost window to simulate the copy to clipboard command, any idea why?

[tlhintoq]

"The other app" ?

So you're not trying to have your application send to the clipboard...
You're trying to programmaticall y control someone else's application, and make it think a user has pressed control-c.

Does that sound like a correct clarification?

My first guess is that the *window* has nothing to send to the clipboard.
But maybe a control *in* the window does. Forms don't generally have any content to go to the clipboard, but a textbox for example has a .Text property that has text that can go on the clipboard.

[DOSrelic]

Almost correct but I am trying to modify the selected text as per the user's request via a hotkey. Much like wordweb can access anything you have highlighted anywhere but it does not seem to be getting the ctrl-c sequence?The theory being that if I send ctrl-c to the user's current window it would automatically copy the highlighted text in the foreground window to the clipboard so my app can then work on it. Am I sending the correct string to SendKeys? If I am then the problem must lie elsewhere, right?

[tlhintoq]

Am I sending the correct string to SendKeys?

Yah got me. Make a quickie Forms app of your own with a text box to test it against. That way you can debug both ends of the process. When your test app receives a keypress then it can tell you want it got and so on.

Otherwise you are shooting an arrow at a target - in the dark.

[DOSrelic]

Cheers tlhintoq. Thanks for your help again.