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X11: convert a string into keysym

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# 1  
Old 01-17-2012
X11: convert a string into keysym
Dear all,
i need to send fake key events to my application, where the keysym to send is readen from a config file and saved to a vector<string>.
I use:
Code:
 
[...]
#include <X11/Xlib.h>  
#include <X11/Intrinsic.h>  
#include <X11/extensions/XTest.h>  
#include <unistd.h>  

//the below function from "http://bharathi.posterous.com/x11-fake-key-event-generation-using-xtest-ext"

static void sendKBEvent (Display * display, KeySym keysym, KeySym modsym)
{
  KeyCode keycode = 0, modcode = 0;
  
  keycode = XKeysymToKeycode (display, keysym);
  
  if (keycode == 0) return;

  XTestGrabControl (display, True);

  /* Generate modkey press */
  if (modsym != 0)
  {
     modcode = XKeysymToKeycode(display, modsym);
     XTestFakeKeyEvent (display, modcode, True, 0);
  }

  /* Generate regular key press and release */
  XTestFakeKeyEvent (display, keycode, True, 0);
  XTestFakeKeyEvent (display, keycode, False, 0);

  /* Generate modkey release */
  if (modsym != 0)
    XTestFakeKeyEvent (display, modcode, False, 0);

  XSync (display, False);
  XTestGrabControl (display, False);
}


int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
   [...]
   vector<string> kbdEventsVect;

   ConfigFile configFile;
    
   kbdEventsVect = configFile.parseFile("file.txt");
   
   /*kbdEventsVect[] contains XK_Up, XK_Down, XK_Escape, XK_Right*/

   [...]
   sendKBEvent(display, kbdEventsVect[0], 0);
  [...]
 }

the problem is that the compiler does not like me passing a string ( kbdEventsVect[0]) to
sendKBEvent(), which instread needs a Keysym var as 2 argument.

Code:
error: cannot convert ‘std::basic_string<char,   std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >' to   ‘KeySym' for argument ‘2' to ‘void sendKBEvent(Display*, KeySym,   KeySym)'

The wired thing is that if I pass directly the string, everything works fine

Code:
   sendKBEvent(display, XK_F11, 0);

but If I use &kbdEventsVect[0] == XK_F11

Code:
sendKBEvent(display, kbdEventsVect[0], 0);

I guess i'm missing something...

Thank you for any help you would give me.

Martina
# 2  
Old 01-17-2012
XK_F11 isn't a string, a string would be "XK_F11". It's a #define which becomes an integer, in the end. See xorg/proto/xproto - X.org X11Proto protocol headers.

Fortunately you can turn a string into a keysym with XStringToKeysym().

As far as I know it ought to be as simple as
Code:
int key=XStringToKeysym("XK_F11");

# 3  
Old 01-18-2012
X11: convert a string into keysym
Quote:
Originally Posted by Corona688
XK_F11 isn't a string, a string would be "XK_F11". It's a #define which becomes an integer, in the end. See xorg/proto/xproto - X.org X11Proto protocol headers.

Fortunately you can turn a string into a keysym with XStringToKeysym().

As far as I know it ought to be as simple as
Code:
int key=XStringToKeysym("XK_F11");

Thank you for your reply, now it is much clear Smilie
The fact is that I need to send to sendKBEvent(display, keysym, keysym) a string retrieved from a vector (filled with data obtained from a configFile)
Code:
vector<string> kbdEventsVect;

   ConfigFile configFile;
    
   kbdEventsVect = configFile.parseFile("file.txt");
/*  
     kbdEventsVect[0] = XK_Up
     kbdEventsVect[1] = XK_Down
     kbdEventsVect[2] = XK_Escape
     kbdEventsVect[3] = XK_Right
*/

   [...]
   sendKBEvent(display, kbdEventsVect[0], 0);
  [...]

so if I do
Code:
int key=XStringToKeysym(kbdEventsVect[0]);
   
   sendKBEvent(display, key, 0);

I obtain from the compiler:
Code:
cannot convert ‘std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >' to ‘const char*' for argument ‘1' to ‘KeySym XStringToKeysym(const char*)'

I guess because XStringToKeysym is expecting a char array and instead gets a stl string, right?
What would you suggest me to do?
# 4  
Old 01-18-2012
Code:
int key=XStringToKeysym(kbdEventsVect[0].c_str());

# 5  
Old 01-23-2012
X11: convert a string into keysym
Quote:
Originally Posted by Corona688
Code:
int key=XStringToKeysym(kbdEventsVect[0].c_str());

... I'm finally able to access the sendKBEvent() function, but the conversion function XStringToKeysym() just maps all my strings to zero.
I guess the problem is that the strings read from the config file
Code:
kbdEventsVect[0].c_str() = XK_Up
kbdEventsVect[1].c_str() = XK_Down
[..]

are not corectly mapped to the corresponding keysym code, as obtained from X11/keysymdef.h header file.
Is there a simple way to get the correct codes or shall I write a mapping class ?
Thank you for your help!
# 6  
Old 01-23-2012
If they're not the right key codes, I don't know what reading them from the file would accomplish.

Have you tried converting them to all-uppercase before feeding them into function?

You could also try stripping off the XK_ from the front.

Keep trying different combinations until you have something X11 will accept. I don't have a machine running X to test with.
This User Gave Thanks to Corona688 For This Post:
martina
# 7  
Old 01-23-2012
X11: convert a string into keysym
Quote:
If they're not the right key codes, I don't know what reading them from the file would accomplish.
Sorry, i was not so clear. My vector contains just the "mnemonic macro names for these keysyms" (from X11/keysymdef.h), i.e.
Code:
kbdEventsVect[0] = XK_Up 
kbdEventsVect[1] = XK_Down
[...]

In X11/keysymdef.h
Code:
#define XK_Up                            0xff52
#define XK_Down                        0xff54

So my goal is to make my code read the kbdEventsVect[0], and map the corresponding string (XK_Up) to the correct int (0xff52). My problem is that the last step does not want to work, since my code does not read the string XK_Up to the correct macro in the X11 library.
Anyway, I found a loophole, not what I wanted but for know it is fine. I directly fill my string vector with the keysym codes (0xff52), so

Code:
kbdEventsVect[0] =0xff52

then I convert the string into an unsigned int
Code:
 unsigned int kbdKeyNum;

 kbdKeyNum = strtoul (kbdEventsVect[0].c_str(),NULL,0);
   
 sendKBEvent(display,kbdKeyNum, 0);

and now it works.

Thank you for your help!
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