Guy's Scripting Ezine 89 - Simple but Elegant SendKeys
Contents for Ezine 89 - Simple but Elegant SendKeys
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This week's script illustrates the best of learning about VBScript on the internet. Jeremy H. wrote asking me for help with a scripting problem.
His scenario was that he wanted a VBScript which refreshed the desktop. He researched a script which is widely available on the internet (not on my site.) Unfortunately, the script did not do what
Jeremy wanted. I gave the script a quick look, but could not fix it. Then Jeremy himself, came up with an elegant solution that we are pleased to share with you.
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Jeremy wanted a script to refresh the desktop. The scenario was that his users logged on just as a group policy finished delivering short cuts to the desktop. What confused the users was that the icons
only appeared after a refresh, such as pressing F5. Jeremy wanted a VBScript to tag on at the end of a logon script, which would refresh the desktop automatically.
Version 1 - Problem Won't Refresh the Desktop. 'Refresh the desktop
set oShell= createobject("shell.application")
set oDesktop = oShell.Namespace(0)
oDesktop.self.invokeVerb "R&efresh"
Guy Learning Points
Note 1: I liked and admired 'self.invokeVerb', unfortunately in Jeremy's case, this method did not refresh the desktop. Nevertheless, I will add self.invokeVerb to my notebook of useful commands.
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' Desktop.vbs - to Refresh Icons on the Desktop
' Example VBScript to re-activate the Desktop Shell
' Author Jeremy H. & Guy Thomas http://computerperformance.co.uk/
' Version 2.1 -
October 2005
' -------------------------------------------------------------'
Option Explicit
Dim WSHShell, strDesktop
Set WSHShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
strDesktop =
WSHShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop")
WSHShell.AppActivate strDesktop
WSHShell.SendKeys "{F5}"
WScript.Quit
' End of VBScript to refresh the desktop
Guy Learning Points Note 1: Where other scripts create a Network or an Active Directory object, so this script creates a shell
object. Jeremy declares his object and names it : WSHShell. In other scripts I call the same object objShell, it just goes to show that there numerous ways of creating and naming VBScript objects. Note 2: strDesktop =
WSHShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop"), here is the clever way that the script gets a handle on the desktop. In particular, note the central role of the property .SpecialFolders. Note 3:
WSHShell.SendKeys "{F5}". Pay close attention to the syntax for passing the famous function key five command to SendKeys.
In this version I added primitive error correcting code, combined with a confirmation message. I also
introduce a delay with WScript.Sleep.
' Desktop.vbs - to Refresh Icons on the Desktop
' Example VBScript with Sleep and err.number
' Author Jeremy H. & Guy Thomas http://computerperformance.co.uk/
' Version 2.3 - October 2005
' -------------------------------------------------------------'
Option Explicit
Dim WSHShell, strDesktop
Set WSHShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
strDesktop =
WSHShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop")
WSHShell.AppActivate strDesktop
WScript.Sleep 500
WSHShell.SendKeys "{F5}"
If err.number = 0 then
WScript.Echo "Desktop Refreshed "
Else WScript "Error " & err.number
err.number = 0
End if
WScript.Quit
' End of VBScript to refresh the desktop
Guy Learning Points Note 1: I could not resist adding a little routing to confirm that the script had run successfully. The key point is the If statement tests that
there is no error: If err.number = 0 Note 2: Scripts involving SendKeys often work fine on my machine but fail on other people's systems. To overcome this irritation, I add a WScript.Sleep
500 command, which tells VBScript to wait half a second before processing the next command. This Sleep technique is particularly suitable for logon scripts.
I just love scripts that are instructive at more than one level. The second script employs SendKeys to refresh the desktop. Where as the third script adds error-correcting code. Between them, the three scripts show a variety of ways to
approach a scripting problem. My hidden agenda is the power of the internet to research VBScript methods.
See more about VBScript
• VBScripts • Ezines • WMI • Logon Scripts
• Tool Kit
•
Ezine 26 SendKeys • Ezine 34 Scriptomatic • Ezine 47 .put •
Ezine 51 Sleep •
Ezine 52 OS
• Ezine 77 Scriptomatic •
Ezine 84 AcctInfo • Ezine 88 Progress bar • Ezine 89 SendKeys
• Ezine 97 Net Time • Ezine 98 W32 Time • Ezine
99 Time services • Ezine 120 Sendkeys
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