using C# and UI Automation to grab contents of unknown control-type

Question

In the image below there is an area, which has an unknown (custom) class. That's not a Grid or a Table. I need to be able: - to select Rows in this area - to grab a Value from each cell The problem is since that's not a common type element - I have no idea how to google this problem or solve it myself. So far the code is following: ``` Process[] proc = Process.GetProcessesByName("programname"); AutomationElement window = AutomationElement.FromHandle(proc [0].MainWindowHandle); PropertyCondition xEllist2 = new PropertyCondition(AutomationElement.ClassNameProperty, "CustomListClass", PropertyConditionFlags.IgnoreCase); AutomationElement targetElement = window.FindFirst(TreeScope.Children, xEllist2); ``` I've already tried to threat this Area as a textbox, as a grid, as a combobox, but nothing solved my problem so far. Does anybody have any advice how to grab data from this area and iterate through rows? EDIT: sorry I've made a wrong assumption. Actually, the header(column 1, column 2, c…

Accepted Answer

You might want to try using the core UI automation classes. It requires that you import the dll to use it in C#. Add this to your pre-build event (or do it just once, etc):

```
"%PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\bin	lbimp.exe" %windir%\system32\UIAutomationCore.dll /out:..\interop.UIAutomationCore.dll"
```

You can then use the IUIAutomationLegacyIAccessiblePattern.

Get the constants that you need for the calls from:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.1\Include\UIAutomationClient.h

I am able to read Infragistics Ultragrids this way.

If that is too painful, try using MSAA. I used this project as a starting point with MSAA before converting to all UIA Core: MSSA Sample Code

----- Edited on 6/25/12 ------

I would definitely say that finding the proper 'identifiers' is the most painful part of using the MS UIAutomation stuff. What has helped me very much is to create a simple form application that I can use as 'location recorder'. Essentially, all you need are two things:

a way to hold focus even when you are off of your form's window Holding focus

a call to ElementFromPoint() using the x,y coordinates of where the mouse is. There is an implementation of this in the CUIAutomation class.

I use the CTRL button to tell my app to grab the mouse coordinates (System.Windows.Forms.Cursor.Position). I then get the element from the point and recursively get the element's parent until I reach the the desktop.

```
        var desktop = auto.GetRootElement();
        var walker = GetRawTreeWalker();
        while (true)
        {
            element = walker.GetParentElement(element);
            if (auto.CompareElements(desktop, element) == 1){ break;}
        }
```

----- edit on 6/26/12 -----

Once you can recursively find automation identifiers and/or names, you can rather easily modify the code here: http://blog.functionalfun.net/2009/06/introduction-to-ui-automation-with.html to be used with the Core UI Automation classes. This will allow you to build up a string as you recurse which can be used to identify a control nested in an application with an XPath style syntax.

using C# and UI Automation to grab contents of unknown control-type

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