- NAME
- VERSION
- DESCRIPTION
- DEPENDENCIES
- INSTALLATION
- SYNOPSIS
- FUNCTIONS
- OTHER DOCUMENTATION
- COPYRIGHT
- AUTHOR
- CONTRIBUTORS
- CREDITS

# NAME

X11::GUITest - Provides GUI testing/interaction routines.

# VERSION

0.28

Updates are made available at the following sites:

      http://sourceforge.net/projects/x11guitest
      http://www.cpan.org

Please consult 'docs/Changes' for the list of changes between module revisions.

# DESCRIPTION

This Perl package is intended to facilitate the testing of GUI applications by means of user emulation. It can be used to test/interact with GUI applications; which have been built upon the X library or toolkits (i.e., GTK+, Xt, Qt, Motif, etc.) that "wrap" the X library's functionality.

A basic recorder (x11guirecord) is also available, and can be found in the source code repository.

# DEPENDENCIES

An X server with the XTest extensions enabled. This seems to be the norm. If it is not enabled, it usually can be by modifying the X server configuration (i.e., XF86Config).

The standard DISPLAY environment variable is utilized to determine the host, display, and screen to work with. By default it is usually set to ":0.0" for the localhost. However, by altering this variable one can interact with applications under a remote host's X server. To change this from a terminal window, one can utilize the following basic syntax: export DISPLAY=<hostname-or-ipaddress>:<display>.<screen> Please note that under most circumstances, xhost will need to be executed properly on the remote host as well.

There is a known incompatibility between the XTest and Xinerama extensions, which causes the XTestFakeMotionEvent() function to misbehave. When the Xinerama (X server) extension is turned on, this (Perl) extension has been modified to allow one to invoke an alternative function. See Makefile.PL for details.

# INSTALLATION

      perl Makefile.PL
      make
      make test
      make install

      # If the build has errors, you may need to install the following dependencies:
      #    libxt-dev, libxtst-dev

      # If you'd like to install the recorder, use these steps:
      cd recorder
      ./autogen.sh
      ./configure
      make
      make install
      x11guirecord --help

# SYNOPSIS

For additional examples, please look under the 'eg/' sub-directory from the installation folder.

      use X11::GUITest qw/
        StartApp
        WaitWindowViewable
        SendKeys
      /;

      # Start gedit application
      StartApp('gedit');

      # Wait for application window to come up and become viewable.
      my ($GEditWinId) = WaitWindowViewable('gedit');
      if (!$GEditWinId) {
        die("Couldn't find gedit window in time!");
      }

      # Send text to it
      SendKeys("Hello, how are you?\n");

      # Close Application (Alt-f, q).
      SendKeys('%(f)q');

      # Handle gedit's Question window if it comes up when closing.  Wait
      # at most 5 seconds for it.
      if (WaitWindowViewable('Question', undef, 5)) {
        # DoN't Save (Alt-n)
        SendKeys('%(n)');
      }

# FUNCTIONS

Parameters enclosed within [] are optional.

If there are multiple optional parameters available for a function and you would like to specify the last one, for example, you can utilize undef for those parameters you don't specify.

REGEX in the documentation below denotes an item that is treated as a regular expression. For example, the regex "^OK$" would look for an exact match for the word OK.

FindWindowLike TITLEREGEX [, WINDOWIDSTARTUNDER]

  Finds the window Ids of the windows matching the specified title regex. Optionally one can specify the window to start under; which would allow one to constrain the search to child windows of that window.

  An array of window Ids is returned for the matches found. An empty array is returned if no matches were found.

        my @WindowIds = FindWindowLike('gedit');
        # Only worry about first window found
        my ($WindowId) = FindWindowLike('gedit');

WaitWindowLike TITLEREGEX [, WINDOWIDSTARTUNDER] [, MAXWAITINSECONDS]

  Waits for a window to come up that matches the specified title regex. Optionally one can specify the window to start under; which would allow one to constrain the search to child windows of that window.

  One can optionally specify an alternative wait amount in seconds. A window will keep being looked for that matches the specified title regex until this amount of time has been reached. The default amount is defined in the DEF_WAIT constant available through the :CONST export tag.

  If a window is going to be manipulated by input, WaitWindowViewable is the more robust solution to utilize.

  An array of window Ids is returned for the matches found. An empty array is returned if no matches were found.

        my @WindowIds = WaitWindowLike('gedit');
        # Only worry about first window found
        my ($WindowId) = WaitWindowLike('gedit');

        WaitWindowLike('gedit') or die("gedit window not found!");

WaitWindowViewable TITLEREGEX [, WINDOWIDSTARTUNDER] [, MAXWAITINSECONDS]

  Similar to WaitWindow, but only recognizes windows that are viewable. When GUI applications are started, their window isn't necessarily viewable yet, let alone available for input, so this function is very useful.

  Likewise, this function will only return an array of the matching window Ids for those windows that are viewable. An empty array is returned if no matches were found.

WaitWindowClose WINDOWID [, MAXWAITINSECONDS]

  Waits for the specified window to close.

  One can optionally specify an alternative wait amount in seconds. The window will keep being checked to see if it has closed until this amount of time has been reached. The default amount is defined in the DEF_WAIT constant available through the :CONST export tag.

  zero is returned if window is not gone, non-zero if it is gone.

WaitSeconds SECONDS

  Pauses execution for the specified amount of seconds.

        WaitSeconds(0.5); # Wait 1/2 second
        WaitSeconds(3); # Wait 3 seconds

ClickWindow WINDOWID [, X Offset] [, Y Offset] [, Button]

  Clicks on the specified window with the mouse.

  Optionally one can specify the X offset and Y offset. By default, the top left corner of the window is clicked on, with these two parameters one can specify a different position to be clicked on.

  One can also specify an alternative button. The default button is M_LEFT, but M_MIDDLE and M_RIGHT may be specified too. Also, you could use the logical Id for the button: M_BTN1, M_BTN2, M_BTN3, M_BTN4, M_BTN5. These are all available through the :CONST export tag.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success

GetWindowsFromPid

  Returns a list of window ids discovered for the specified process id (pid).

  undef is returned on error.

GetWindowFromPoint X, Y [, SCREEN]

  Returns the window that is at the specified point. If no screen is given, it is taken from the value given when opening the X display.

  zero is returned if there are no matches (i.e., off screen).

IsChild PARENTWINDOWID, WINDOWID

  Determines if the specified window is a child of the specified parent.

  zero is returned for false, non-zero for true.

QuoteStringForSendKeys STRING

  Quotes {} characters in the specified string that would be interpreted as having special meaning if sent to SendKeys directly. This function would be useful if you had a text file in which you wanted to use each line of the file as input to the SendKeys function, but didn't want any special interpretation of the characters in the file.

  Returns the quoted string, undef is returned on error.

        # Quote  ~, %, etc.  as  {~}, {%}, etc for literal use in SendKeys.
        SendKeys( QuoteStringForSendKeys('Hello: ~%^(){}+#') );
        SendKeys( QSfSK('#+#') );

  The international AltGr key - modifier character (&) is not escaped by this function. Escape this character manually ("{&}"), if used/needed.

StartApp COMMANDLINE

  Uses the shell to execute a program. This function returns as soon as the program is called. Useful for starting GUI /applications and then going on to work with them.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success

        StartApp('gedit');

RunApp COMMANDLINE

  Uses the shell to execute a program until its completion.

  Return value will be application specific, however -1 is returned to indicate a failure in starting the program.

        RunApp('/work/myapp');

ClickMouseButton BUTTON

  Clicks the specified mouse button. Available mouse buttons are: M_LEFT, M_MIDDLE, M_RIGHT, M_DOWN, M_UP. Also, you could use the logical Id for the button: M_BTN1, M_BTN2, M_BTN3, M_BTN4, M_BTN5. These are all available through the :CONST export tag.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

DefaultScreen

  Returns the screen number specified in the X display value used to open the display.

  Leverages the Xlib macro of the same name.

ScreenCount

  Returns the number of screens in the X display specified when opening it.

  Leverages the Xlib macro of the same name.

SetEventSendDelay DELAYINMILLISECONDS

  Sets the milliseconds of delay between events being sent to the X display. It is usually not a good idea to set this to 0.

  Please note that this delay will also affect SendKeys.

  Returns the old delay amount in milliseconds.

GetEventSendDelay

  Returns the current event sending delay amount in milliseconds.

SetKeySendDelay DELAYINMILLISECONDS

  Sets the milliseconds of delay between keystrokes.

  Returns the old delay amount in milliseconds.

GetKeySendDelay

  Returns the current keystroke sending delay amount in milliseconds.

GetWindowName WINDOWID

  Returns the window name for the specified window Id. undef is returned if name could not be obtained.

        # Return the name of the window that has the input focus.
        my $WinName = GetWindowName(GetInputFocus());

GetWindowPid WINDOWID

  Returns the process id (pid) associated with the specified window. 0 is returned if the pid is not available.

        # Return the pid of the window that has the input focus.
        my $pid = GetWindowPid(GetInputFocus());

SetWindowName WINDOWID, NAME

  Sets the window name for the specified window Id.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

GetRootWindow [SCREEN]

  Returns the Id of the root window of the screen. This is the top/root level window that all other windows are under. If no screen is given, it is taken from the value given when opening the X display.

GetChildWindows WINDOWID

  Returns an array of the child windows for the specified window Id. If it detects that the window hierarchy is in transition, it will wait half a second and try again.

MoveMouseAbs X, Y [, SCREEN]

  Moves the mouse cursor to the specified absolute position in the optionally given screen. If no screen is given, it is taken from the value given when opening the X display.

  Zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

GetMousePos

  Returns an array containing the position and the screen (number) of the mouse cursor.

        my ($x, $y, $scr_num) = GetMousePos();

PressMouseButton BUTTON

  Presses the specified mouse button. Available mouse buttons are: M_LEFT, M_MIDDLE, M_RIGHT, M_DOWN, M_UP. Also, you could use the logical Id for the button: M_BTN1, M_BTN2, M_BTN3, M_BTN4, M_BTN5. These are all available through the :CONST export tag.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

ReleaseMouseButton BUTTON

  Releases the specified mouse button. Available mouse buttons are: M_LEFT, M_MIDDLE, M_RIGHT, M_DOWN, M_UP. Also, you could use the logical Id for the button: M_BTN1, M_BTN2, M_BTN3, M_BTN4, M_BTN5. These are all available through the :CONST export tag.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

SendKeys KEYS

  Sends keystrokes to the window that has the input focus.

  The keystrokes to send are those specified in KEYS parameter. Some characters have special meaning, they are:

              Modifier Keys:
              ^       CTRL
              %       ALT
              +       SHIFT
              #       META
              &       ALTGR

              Other Keys:
              ~       ENTER
              \n      ENTER
              \t      TAB
              ( and ) MODIFIER GROUPING
              { and } QUOTE / ESCAPE CHARACTERS

  Simply, one can send a text string like so:

              SendKeys('Hello, how are you today?');

  Parenthesis allow a modifier to work on one or more characters. For example:

              SendKeys('%(f)q'); # Alt-f, then press q
              SendKeys('%(fa)^(m)'); # Alt-f, Alt-a, Ctrl-m
              SendKeys('+(abc)'); # Uppercase ABC using shift modifier
              SendKeys('^(+(l))'); # Ctrl-Shift-l
              SendKeys('+'); # Press shift

  Braces are used to quote special characters, for utilizing aliased key names, or for special functionality. Multiple characters can be specified in a brace by space delimiting the entries. Characters can be repeated using a number that is space delimited after the preceding key.

  Quote Special Characters

              SendKeys('{{}'); # {
              SendKeys('{+}'); # +
              SendKeys('{#}'); # #

              You can also use QuoteStringForSendKeys (QSfSK) to perform quoting.

  Aliased Key Names

              SendKeys('{BAC}'); # Backspace
              SendKeys('{F1 F2 F3}'); # F1, F2, F3
              SendKeys('{TAB 3}'); # Press TAB 3 times
              SendKeys('{SPC 3 a b c}'); # Space 3 times, a, b, c

  Special Functionality

              # Pause execution for 500 milliseconds
              SendKeys('{PAUSE 500}');

  Combinations

              SendKeys('abc+(abc){TAB PAUSE 500}'); # a, b, c, A, B, C, Tab, Pause 500
              SendKeys('+({a b c})'); # A, B, C

  The following abbreviated key names are currently recognized within a brace set. If you don't see the desired key, you can still use the unabbreviated name for the key. If you are unsure of this name, utilize the xev (X event view) tool, press the key you want and look at the tools output for the name of that key. Names that are in the list below can be utilized regardless of case. Ones that aren't in this list are going to be case sensitive and also not abbreviated. For example, using 'xev' you will find that the name of the backspace key is BackSpace, so you could use {BackSpace} in place of {bac} if you really wanted to.

              Name    Action
              -------------------
              BAC     BackSpace
              BS      BackSpace
              BKS     BackSpace
              BRE     Break
              CAN     Cancel
              CAP     Caps_Lock
              DEL     Delete
              DOWN    Down
              END     End
              ENT     Return
              ESC     Escape
              F1      F1
              ...     ...
              F12     F12
              HEL     Help
              HOM     Home
              INS     Insert
              LAL     Alt_L
              LMA     Meta_L
              LCT     Control_L
              LEF     Left
              LSH     Shift_L
              LSK     Super_L
              MNU     Menu
              NUM     Num_Lock
              PGD     Page_Down
              PGU     Page_Up
              PRT     Print
              RAL     Alt_R
              RMA     Meta_R
              RCT     Control_R
              RIG     Right
              RSH     Shift_R
              RSK     Super_R
              SCR     Scroll_Lock
              SPA     Space
              SPC     Space
              TAB     Tab
              UP      Up

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success. For configurations (Xvfb) that don't support Alt_Left, Meta_Left is automatically used in its place.

PressKey KEY

  Presses the specified key.

  One can utilize the abbreviated key names from the table listed above as outlined in the following example:

        # Alt-n
        PressKey('LAL'); # Left Alt
        PressKey('n');
        ReleaseKey('n');
        ReleaseKey('LAL');

        # Uppercase a
        PressKey('LSH'); # Left Shift
        PressKey('a');
        ReleaseKey('a');
        ReleaseKey('LSH');

  The ReleaseKey calls in the above example are there to set both key states back.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

ReleaseKey KEY

  Releases the specified key. Normally follows a PressKey call.

  One can utilize the abbreviated key names from the table listed above.

        ReleaseKey('n');

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

PressReleaseKey KEY

  Presses and releases the specified key.

  One can utilize the abbreviated key names from the table listed above.

        PressReleaseKey('n');

  This function is affected by the key send delay.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

IsKeyPressed KEY

  Determines if the specified key is currently being pressed.

  You can specify such things as 'bac' or the unabbreviated form 'BackSpace' as covered in the SendKeys information. Brace forms such as '{bac}' are unsupported. A '{' is taken literally and letters are case sensitive.

        if (IsKeyPressed('esc')) {  # Is Escape pressed?
        if (IsKeyPressed('a')) { # Is a pressed?
        if (IsKeyPressed('A')) { # Is A pressed?

  Returns non-zero for true, zero for false.

IsMouseButtonPressed BUTTON

  Determines if the specified mouse button is currently being pressed.

  Available mouse buttons are: M_LEFT, M_MIDDLE, M_RIGHT. Also, you could use the logical Id for the button: M_BTN1, M_BTN2, M_BTN3, M_BTN4, M_BTN5. These are all available through the :CONST export tag.

        if (IsMouseButtonPressed(M_LEFT)) { # Is left button pressed?

  Returns non-zero for true, zero for false.

IsWindow WINDOWID

  zero is returned if the specified window Id is not for something that can be recognized as a window. non-zero is returned if it looks like a window.

IsWindowViewable WINDOWID

  zero is returned if the specified window Id is for a window that isn't viewable. non-zero is returned if the window is viewable.

IsWindowCursor WINDOWID CURSOR

  Determines if the specified window has the specified cursor.

  zero is returned for false, non-zero for true.

  The following cursors are available through the :CONST export tag.

          Name
          -------------------
              XC_NUM_GLYPHS
              XC_X_CURSOR
              XC_ARROW
              XC_BASED_ARROW_DOWN
              XC_BASED_ARROW_UP
              XC_BOAT
              XC_BOGOSITY
              XC_BOTTOM_LEFT_CORNER
              XC_BOTTOM_RIGHT_CORNER
              XC_BOTTOM_SIDE
              XC_BOTTOM_TEE
              XC_BOX_SPIRAL
              XC_CENTER_PTR
              XC_CIRCLE
              XC_CLOCK
              XC_COFFEE_MUG
              XC_CROSS
              XC_CROSS_REVERSE
              XC_CROSSHAIR
              XC_DIAMOND_CROSS
              XC_DOT
              XC_DOTBOX
              XC_DOUBLE_ARROW
              XC_DRAFT_LARGE
              XC_DRAFT_SMALL
              XC_DRAPED_BOX
              XC_EXCHANGE
              XC_FLEUR
              XC_GOBBLER
              XC_GUMBY
              XC_HAND1
              XC_HAND2
              XC_HEART
              XC_ICON
              XC_IRON_CROSS
              XC_LEFT_PTR
              XC_LEFT_SIDE
              XC_LEFT_TEE
              XC_LEFTBUTTON
              XC_LL_ANGLE
              XC_LR_ANGLE
              XC_MAN
              XC_MIDDLEBUTTON
              XC_MOUSE
              XC_PENCIL
              XC_PIRATE
              XC_PLUS
              XC_QUESTION_ARROW
              XC_RIGHT_PTR
              XC_RIGHT_SIDE
              XC_RIGHT_TEE
              XC_RIGHTBUTTON
              XC_RTL_LOGO
              XC_SAILBOAT
              XC_SB_DOWN_ARROW
              XC_SB_H_DOUBLE_ARROW
              XC_SB_LEFT_ARROW
              XC_SB_RIGHT_ARROW
              XC_SB_UP_ARROW
              XC_SB_V_DOUBLE_ARROW
              XC_SHUTTLE
              XC_SIZING
              XC_SPIDER
              XC_SPRAYCAN
              XC_STAR
              XC_TARGET
              XC_TCROSS
              XC_TOP_LEFT_ARROW
              XC_TOP_LEFT_CORNER
              XC_TOP_RIGHT_CORNER
              XC_TOP_SIDE
              XC_TOP_TEE
              XC_TREK
              XC_UL_ANGLE
              XC_UMBRELLA
              XC_UR_ANGLE
              XC_WATCH
              XC_XTERM

MoveWindow WINDOWID, X, Y

  Moves the window to the specified location.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

ResizeWindow WINDOWID, WIDTH, HEIGHT

  Resizes the window to the specified size.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

IconifyWindow WINDOWID

  Minimizes (Iconifies) the specified window.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

UnIconifyWindow WINDOWID

  Unminimizes (UnIconifies) the specified window.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

RaiseWindow WINDOWID

  Raises the specified window to the top of the stack, so that no other windows cover it.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

LowerWindow WINDOWID

  Lowers the specified window to the bottom of the stack, so other existing windows will cover it.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

GetInputFocus

  Returns the window that currently has the input focus.

SetInputFocus WINDOWID

  Sets the specified window to be the one that has the input focus.

  zero is returned on failure, non-zero for success.

GetWindowPos WINDOWID

  Returns an array containing the position information for the specified window. It also returns size information (including border width) and the number of the screen where the window resides.

        my ($x, $y, $width, $height, $borderWidth, $screen) =
              GetWindowPos(GetRootWindow());

GetParentWindow WINDOWID

  Returns the parent of the specified window.

  zero is returned if parent couldn't be determined (i.e., root window).

GetScreenDepth [SCREEN]

  Returns the color depth for the screen. If no screen is specified, it is taken from the value given when opening the X display. If the screen (number) is invalid, -1 will be returned.

  Value is represented as bits, i.e. 16.

        my $depth = GetScreenDepth();

GetScreenRes [SCREEN]

  Returns the screen resolution. If no screen is specified, it is taken from the value given when opening the X display. If the screen (number) is invalid, the returned list will be empty.

        my ($x, $y) = GetScreenRes();

# OTHER DOCUMENTATION

Module Changes
Coding-Style Guidelines
ToDo List
Copy of the GPL License

# COPYRIGHT

Copyright(c) 2003-2014 Dennis K. Paulsen, All Rights Reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

# AUTHOR

Dennis K. Paulsen <ctrondlp@cpan.org> (Iowa USA)

# CONTRIBUTORS

Paulo E. Castro <pauloedgarcastro tata gmail.com>

# CREDITS

Thanks to everyone; including those specifically mentioned below for patches, suggestions, etc.:

      David Dick
      Alexey Tourbin
      Richard Clamp
      Gustav Larsson
      Nelson D. Caro