Windows UI Automation

Windows UI Automation Tutorial

Windows provides a programmatic interface to automate various elements.
Windows Automation saves time and effort in executing regression test cases.

Let us start with an example to automate calculator perform a simple operation of  2+5

• Step 1:Open Visual Studio and create a new console application
• Step 2:Navigate Tools>NuGet Package Manger>Manage Nuget Packages for solution... and click on it
• Step 3:In the search bar find system.windows.automation and add UIaComWrapper to current solution

• Step 4:  Add "using System.Windows.Automation;" namespace
• Step 5:Now open calculator
• Step 6:In visual studio navigate to TOOLS>SPY ++(x64)
• Step 7:In the Microsoft Spy++ pop up window click on Find window
• Step 8:Now drop the pointer to 2 in calculator  and click on ok

• Step 9:Now in the Inspect window click on properties.

• Step 10:In the properties note down the control id value and convert it into decimal

                     
In this case on conerting 84(HEX) TO DECIMAL we get 132

• Step 11:Repeat from steps 7 to 10 to find control id value for digit "5" "=" and "+" respectively

Final Program

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Automation;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Threading;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO; 
 namespace Windows_UI 
{
  class Program { static void Main(string[] args) 
    { Program automate = new Program(); 
      //Calls automate function 
        automate.Func();
    } 
 public void Func() 
  { 
     AutomationElement _calculatorAutomationElement, r2, rplus, r5, requal;
      Process _calculatorProcess; 

     //Opens Calculator 
   _ calculatorProcess = Process.Start(@"calc.exe");

    int ct = 0;

    do 
      {
         //Finds if automation element is available 
         _calculatorAutomationElement = AutomationElement.RootElement.FindFirst              (TreeScope.Children, new PropertyCondition(AutomationElement.NameProperty, "Calculator"));                   ++ct;

           Thread.Sleep(100); 
      } 
    while (_calculatorAutomationElement == null && ct < 50); 

      //Finds the digit 2 through automation ID 
      r2 =_calculatorAutomationElement.FindFirst(TreeScope.Descendants,newPropertyCondition (AutomationElement.AutomationIdProperty, "132")); 




      //Presses the digit 2 GetInvokePattern(r2).
       Invoke(); Thread.Sleep(100);

      //Finds the digit + through automation ID
        rplus = _calculatorAutomationElement.FindFirst (TreeScope.Descendants,newPropertyCondition (AutomationElement.AutomationIdProperty, "93"));


         //Presses the digit + 
          GetInvokePattern(rplus).Invoke(); 
          Thread.Sleep(100); 

      //Finds the digit 5 through automation ID 

          r5=_calculatorAutomationElement.FindFirst(TreeScope.Descendants,newPropertyCondition (AutomationElement.AutomationIdProperty, "135")); 


      //Presses the digit 5
       GetInvokePattern(r5).Invoke();
       Thread.Sleep(100);
      
      //Finds the equal operation through automation ID 
         requal = _calculatorAutomationElement.FindFirst(TreeScope.Descendants,newPropertyCondition (AutomationElement.AutomationIdProperty, "121")); 


      //Presses the equal symbol 
      GetInvokePattern(requal).Invoke(); 
       Thread.Sleep(100); 

    } 

    //This function clicks the automation element InvokePattern                                      GetInvokePattern(AutomationElement element)

          { 
            return element.GetCurrentPattern(InvokePattern.Pattern) as InvokePattern;
          } 
    }

 }