Robot - can't get symbols: !@#$^&*()_+

[Adrian Burlington]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering why in the following code the output is: "~%" and not "~!@#$%^&*()_+"

1. Open a textpad (before you run it)
2. Run the code
3. Go to the textpad and clickin (so the cursor is in the textpad)

Thanks

package com.robot;

import java.awt.AWTException;
import java.awt.Robot;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;

public class Keyboard {

    private Robot robot;

    public static void main(String... args) throws Exception 
    {

        Keyboard keyboard = new Keyboard();
        keyboard.type("~!@#$%^&*()_+");
    }

    public Keyboard() throws AWTException 
    {
        this.robot = new Robot();
	  	robot.delay(500);
	    robot.setAutoDelay(2);
	    robot.setAutoWaitForIdle(true);
    }

    public Keyboard(Robot robot) 
    {
        this.robot = robot;
    }

    public void type(CharSequence characters) 
    {
        int length = characters.length();
        for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) 
        {
                char character = characters.charAt(i);
                type(character);
        }
    }
    
    public void enter()
    {
  	  robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_ENTER);
    }

    public void type(char character) 
    {
        switch (character) {
        case 'a': doType(KeyEvent.VK_A); break;
        case 'b': doType(KeyEvent.VK_B); break;
        case 'c': doType(KeyEvent.VK_C); break;
        case 'd': doType(KeyEvent.VK_D); break;
        case 'e': doType(KeyEvent.VK_E); break;
        case 'f': doType(KeyEvent.VK_F); break;
        case 'g': doType(KeyEvent.VK_G); break;
        case 'h': doType(KeyEvent.VK_H); break;
        case 'i': doType(KeyEvent.VK_I); break;
        case 'j': doType(KeyEvent.VK_J); break;
        case 'k': doType(KeyEvent.VK_K); break;
        case 'l': doType(KeyEvent.VK_L); break;
        case 'm': doType(KeyEvent.VK_M); break;
        case 'n': doType(KeyEvent.VK_N); break;
        case 'o': doType(KeyEvent.VK_O); break;
        case 'p': doType(KeyEvent.VK_P); break;
        case 'q': doType(KeyEvent.VK_Q); break;
        case 'r': doType(KeyEvent.VK_R); break;
        case 's': doType(KeyEvent.VK_S); break;
        case 't': doType(KeyEvent.VK_T); break;
        case 'u': doType(KeyEvent.VK_U); break;
        case 'v': doType(KeyEvent.VK_V); break;
        case 'w': doType(KeyEvent.VK_W); break;
        case 'x': doType(KeyEvent.VK_X); break;
        case 'y': doType(KeyEvent.VK_Y); break;
        case 'z': doType(KeyEvent.VK_Z); break;
        case 'A': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_A); break;
        case 'B': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_B); break;
        case 'C': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_C); break;
        case 'D': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_D); break;
        case 'E': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_E); break;
        case 'F': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_F); break;
        case 'G': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_G); break;
        case 'H': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_H); break;
        case 'I': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_I); break;
        case 'J': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_J); break;
        case 'K': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_K); break;
        case 'L': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_L); break;
        case 'M': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_M); break;
        case 'N': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_N); break;
        case 'O': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_O); break;
        case 'P': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_P); break;
        case 'Q': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_Q); break;
        case 'R': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_R); break;
        case 'S': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_S); break;
        case 'T': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_T); break;
        case 'U': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_U); break;
        case 'V': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_V); break;
        case 'W': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_W); break;
        case 'X': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_X); break;
        case 'Y': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_Y); break;
        case 'Z': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_Z); break;
        case '`': doType(KeyEvent.VK_BACK_QUOTE); break;
        case '0': doType(KeyEvent.VK_0); break;
        case '1': doType(KeyEvent.VK_1); break;
        case '2': doType(KeyEvent.VK_2); break;
        case '3': doType(KeyEvent.VK_3); break;
        case '4': doType(KeyEvent.VK_4); break;
        case '5': doType(KeyEvent.VK_5); break;
        case '6': doType(KeyEvent.VK_6); break;
        case '7': doType(KeyEvent.VK_7); break;
        case '8': doType(KeyEvent.VK_8); break;
        case '9': doType(KeyEvent.VK_9); break;
        case '-': doType(KeyEvent.VK_MINUS); break;
        case '=': doType(KeyEvent.VK_EQUALS); break;
        case '~': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_BACK_QUOTE); break;
        case '!': doType(KeyEvent.VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK); break;
        case '@': doType(KeyEvent.VK_AT); break;
        case '#': doType(KeyEvent.VK_NUMBER_SIGN); break;
        case '$': doType(KeyEvent.VK_DOLLAR); break;
        case '%': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_5); break;
        case '^': doType(KeyEvent.VK_CIRCUMFLEX); break;
        case '&': doType(KeyEvent.VK_AMPERSAND); break;
        case '*': doType(KeyEvent.VK_ASTERISK); break;
        case '(': doType(KeyEvent.VK_LEFT_PARENTHESIS); break;
        case ')': doType(KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT_PARENTHESIS); break;
        case '_': doType(KeyEvent.VK_UNDERSCORE); break;
        case '+': doType(KeyEvent.VK_PLUS); break;
        case '\t': doType(KeyEvent.VK_TAB); break;
        case '\n': doType(KeyEvent.VK_ENTER); break;
        case '[': doType(KeyEvent.VK_OPEN_BRACKET); break;
        case ']': doType(KeyEvent.VK_CLOSE_BRACKET); break;
        case '\\': doType(KeyEvent.VK_BACK_SLASH); break;
        case '{': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent. VK_OPEN_BRACKET); break;
        case '}': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent. VK_CLOSE_BRACKET); break;
        case '|': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent. VK_BACK_SLASH); break;
        case ';': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SEMICOLON); break;
        case ':': doType(KeyEvent.VK_COLON); break;
        case '\'': doType(KeyEvent.VK_QUOTE); break;
        case '"': doType(KeyEvent.VK_QUOTEDBL); break;
        case ',': doType(KeyEvent.VK_COMMA); break;
        case '<': doType(KeyEvent.VK_LESS); break;
        case '.': doType(KeyEvent.VK_PERIOD); break;
        case '>': doType(KeyEvent.VK_GREATER); break;
        case '/': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SLASH); break;
        case '?': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_SLASH); break;
        case ' ': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SPACE); break;
        default:
                throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot type character " + character);
        }
    }

    private void doType(int... keyCodes) 
    {
        doType(keyCodes, 0, keyCodes.length);
    }

    private void doType(int[] keyCodes, int offset, int length) 
    {
        if (length == 0) 
        	return;

        robot.keyPress(keyCodes[offset]);
        doType(keyCodes, offset + 1, length - 1);
        robot.keyRelease(keyCodes[offset]);
    }

}

[Rob Camick]

The Robot class is not very smart. The combination of key codes you need to use is keyboard dependent. You can't always just use the key code of the character you want when a shift is also required. You need to use the key code of the character of the key you actually press. For example on my keyboard I would use:

    public void type(char character)
    {
    	System.out.println(character);

        switch (character) {
        case 'a': doType(KeyEvent.VK_A); break;
        case 'b': doType(KeyEvent.VK_B); break;
        ...
//        case '!': doType(KeyEvent.VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK); break;
        case '!': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_1); break;
//        case '@': doType(KeyEvent.VK_AT); break;
        case '@': doType(KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT, KeyEvent.VK_2); break;
        case '#': doType(KeyEvent.VK_NUMBER_SIGN); break;

Next I changed your do type methods so that the key events are generated in the proper order:

    private void doType(int keyCode)
    {
    	try
    	{
	        robot.keyPress(keyCode);
    	    robot.keyRelease(keyCode);
    	}
    	catch(Exception e)
    	{
    		System.out.println("Invalid key code(s) for above character");
    	}
    }

    private void doType(int keyCode1, int keyCode2)
    {
    	try
    	{
	        robot.keyPress(keyCode1);
    	    robot.keyPress(keyCode2);
        	robot.keyRelease(keyCode2);
	        robot.keyRelease(keyCode1);
    	}
    	catch(Exception e)
    	{
    		System.out.println("Invalid key code(s) for above character");
    	}
    }

[Adrian Burlington]

Got it! thanks, using the SHIFT (this will not work on a non QWERTY keyboard) but that's not a problem on my end. THANKS!!!