Question

Trapping keyboard input?

Asked by: treyjeff

I'd like to know if it;s possible to have a program run in the background that traps keyboard strokes.  So I can run the program and while I work in say a chat window or something the keystrokes will be recorded in a text file.

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Asked On
1998-10-01 at 20:45:03ID10085491
Topic

Visual Basic Programming

Participating Experts
6
Points
100
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: abhinavmPosted on 1998-10-01 at 21:30:50ID: 1437758

You can do it by using APIs. i don't have full details right now but its not very diificult. you have to get the handle of window whose event you want to captur, then you can get all the messages going to that window. then you can do whatever processing you want and send it back to window.
   For this you have to take help on APIs

 

by: mcixPosted on 1998-10-02 at 06:05:51ID: 1437759

What you are wanting to do is called a Hook.  It is difficult to implement in VB without a custom control or DLL.

Here are examples of such a control:

http://www.desaware.com/Desaware_Info/products/spy_works/spyinfo.htm
and
http://www.visual-design.se/VDGT/VDAMon.htm


 

by: mark2150Posted on 1998-10-02 at 06:55:35ID: 1437760

Conversely you could load a DOS TSR prior to firing windows...

 

by: polygonPosted on 1998-10-02 at 11:45:01ID: 1437761

You surely can, but it's not so easy. You need to create a sustem keyboard hook. This hook is a procedure which will be executed every time a key is stroked under Windows. The worst part is that this procedure (called hook procedure) must be in a DLL. If you want to record a keystrokes of a given window or textbox, there is surely an easier way.

 

by: treyjeffPosted on 1998-10-02 at 14:34:26ID: 1437762

So does anyone know of an easy way?

 

by: TheAnswerManPosted on 1998-10-03 at 16:21:06ID: 1437763

Since you are wanting to spy on somone.  I reccommend going to a private detective shop and get yourself one of those miniature cameras and hide it over their shoulder.  Nice and Easy.  And you dont have to worry about and DLLs running.

 

by: treyjeffPosted on 1998-10-03 at 17:19:27ID: 1437764

There's always an ass in the crowd isn't there?  It is being used in a valid program.  If you have something that will help then let me know, or just keep your comments to yourself.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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