Applicaion Logger

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Tim Baur - 30 Aug 2004 21:51 GMT

I'd like to write an background process that periodically logs the caption
of the window that has focus. Any idea which API can do that?

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Al Reid - 30 Aug 2004 22:03 GMT

> I'd like to write an background process that periodically logs the caption
> of the window that has focus. Any idea which API can do that?

Tim,

Perhaps a combination of GetForgroundWindow and GetWondowText?

Signature

Al Reid

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know
for sure that just ain't so." --- Mark Twain

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Tim Baur - 30 Aug 2004 22:19 GMT

>> I'd like to write an background process that periodically logs the
>> caption of the window that has focus. Any idea which API can do
>> that?
> Tim,
>
> Perhaps a combination of GetForgroundWindow and GetWondowText?

Yesiree, GetForgroundWindow, GetWondowText, and GetWindowTextLength did the
job.

Thanks, Al.

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Ken Halter - 30 Aug 2004 22:36 GMT

> Yesiree, GetForgroundWindow, GetWondowText, and GetWindowTextLength did the
> job.
>
> Thanks, Al.

GetForgroundWindow and GetWondowText?

LOL... just shows how copy/paste bugs can keep going... and going... and
going..

Try... GetForegroundWindow and GetWindowText or post the declarations
your using for the others <g>

Signature

Ken Halter - MS-MVP-VB - http://www.vbsight.com
Please keep all discussions in the groups..

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Tim Baur - 30 Aug 2004 22:46 GMT

>> Yesiree, GetForgroundWindow, GetWondowText, and GetWindowTextLength
>> did the job.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Try... GetForegroundWindow and GetWindowText or post the declarations
> your using for the others <g>

Hey! I resemble that remark!

* * * * * * * *
Declaration
* * * * * * * *

Public Declare Function GetForegroundWindow Lib "user32.dll" () As Long

Public Declare Function GetWindowText Lib "user32.dll" Alias _
"GetWindowTextA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, _
ByVal nMaxCount As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function GetWindowTextLength Lib "user32.dll" Alias _
"GetWindowTextLengthA" (ByVal hWnd As Long) As Long

* * * * * * * *
Usage
* * * * * * * *

Dim sCaption As String

sCaption = Space(GetWindowTextLength(GetForegroundWindow) + 1)

Call GetWindowText(GetForegroundWindow, sCaption, Len(sCaption))

MsgBox sCaption

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Tim Baur - 31 Aug 2004 16:07 GMT

Okay, here's the whole program if anyone's interested. It's quick and
dirty but does what I need it to do.

This should help make my time sheets a whole lot easier to do. I'm a
little afraid to see just how much screwing off I really do in a day,
however.

Controls:

Timer - "Timer1"
DataGrid - "grd"
RecordSet - "rs"

* * * * * * * *

Private Sub Form_Load()

flds = Array("Window", "Date", "MarkTime", "Elapsed", "Current")
ReDim vals(UBound(flds))

rs.Fields.Append flds(0), adVarChar, 150
rs.Fields.Append flds(1), adDate
rs.Fields.Append flds(2), adUnsignedBigInt
rs.Fields.Append flds(3), adUnsignedBigInt
rs.Fields.Append flds(4), adUnsignedBigInt

rs.Open

Set grd.DataSource = rs
End Sub

Private Sub Form_QueryUnload(Cancel As Integer, UnloadMode As Integer)
If MsgBox("Save?", vbYesNo) = vbYes Then
rs.Save "C:\Temp\TaskLog.xml", adPersistXML
End If
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
Dim sCaption As String
Dim vBookMark As Variant

sCaption = Space(GetWindowTextLength(GetForegroundWindow) + 1)
Call GetWindowText(GetForegroundWindow, sCaption, Len(sCaption))

sCaption = Left(sCaption, Len(sCaption) - 1)

rs.Filter = "Window = '" & sCaption & "'"

If rs.EOF And rs.BOF Then
vals() = Array(sCaption, Date, Timer, 0, 0)
rs.AddNew flds, vals
Else
With rs
If sCaption <> sLastWindow Then
.Fields("Elapsed") = .Fields("Elapsed") + _
.Fields("Current")
.Fields("MarkTime") = Timer
Else
.Fields("Current") = (Timer - .Fields("MarkTime"))
End If
End With
End If

rs.Filter = "Window <> '!'"
sLastWindow = sCaption

End Sub

* * * * * * * *

One question for the group.

Whenever I try to remove a recordset filter with rs.Filter = AdFilterNone,
or rs.Filter = "", it never works. All the documentation I've read in the
past tells me it should. I usually have to hack it by filtering not equal
to a value I know doesn't exist. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

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Al Reid - 30 Aug 2004 22:57 GMT

> > Yesiree, GetForgroundWindow, GetWondowText, and GetWindowTextLength did the
> > job.
> >
> > Thanks, Al.
>
> GetForgroundWindow and GetWondowText?

Ouch! Did I type that? Quick make up a story... Would you believe
arthritis and fat fingers?

> LOL... just shows how copy/paste bugs can keep going... and going... and
> going..
>
> Try... GetForegroundWindow and GetWindowText or post the declarations
> your using for the others <g>

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Jim Edgar - 30 Aug 2004 23:47 GMT

> > Yesiree, GetForgroundWindow, GetWondowText, and GetWindowTextLength did the
> > job.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> LOL... just shows how copy/paste bugs can keep going... and going... and
> going..

There are some good typos out there. Check out the News section at www.vbsight.com

News:
2004-05-27
Having problems with FrontPage.
Please bare with me. I should have
something new soon.

Bare with me? Any takers yet<g>?

JEdgar

> Try... GetForegroundWindow and GetWindowText or post the declarations
> your using for the others <g>

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Ken Halter - 31 Aug 2004 15:15 GMT

> There are some good typos out there. Check out the News section at www.vbsight.com
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Bare with me? Any takers yet<g>?

Yeah... the 'something new soon' part *must* be a typo <g>

> JEdgar

Signature

Ken Halter - MS-MVP-VB - http://www.vbsight.com
Please keep all discussions in the groups..

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VB Forum / General / August 2004

Applicaion Logger