Creating or modifying a script XML file for a native application

If you want to direct files to a new native application, you must create a script XML file for that application. If you want to modify how the Generate PDF service interacts with a native application that is already supported, you must modify the script for that application.

The script contains instructions that navigate through the native application’s window elements and that supply specific responses to those elements. The file that contains this information is appmon.[appname].script.[locale].xml. An example is appmon.notepad.script.en_US.xml.

Identifying steps the script must execute

Using the native application, determine the window elements that you must navigate and each response you must perform to print the document. Notice the dialog boxes that result from any response. The steps will be similar to these steps:

  1. Select File > Open.

  2. Specify the path and then click Open.

  3. Select File > Print on the menu bar.

  4. Specify the properties required for the printer.

  5. Select Print and wait for the Save As dialog box to appear. The Save As dialog box is required for the Generate PDF service to specify the destination for the PDF file.

Identifying the dialogs specified in caption attributes

Use Microsoft Spy++ to obtain the identities of window element properties in the native application. You must have these identities to write scripts.

Using regular expressions in caption attributes

You can use regular expressions in caption specifications. The Generate PDF service uses the java.util.regex.Matcher class to support regular expressions. That utility supports the regular expressions described in java.util.regex.Pattern. (Go to the Java website at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/java/util/regex/Pattern.html.)

Regular expression accommodating the file name prepended to Notepad in the Notepad banner

<!-- The regular expression ".*Notepad" means any number of non-terminating characters followed by Notepad. --> 
<step> 
    <expectedWindow> 
        <window caption=".*Notepad"/> 
    </expectedWindow> 
</step>

Regular expression differentiating Print from Print Setup

<!-- This regular expression differentiates the Print dialog box from the Print Setup dialog box. The "^" specifies the beginning of the line, and the "$" specifies the end of the line. --> 
<windowList> 
    <window controlID="0x01" caption="^Print$" action="press"/> 
</windowList>

Ordering the window and windowList elements

You must order window and windowList elements as follows:

  • When multiple window elements appear as children in a windowList or dialog element, order those window elements in descending order, with the lengths of the caption names indicating the position in the order.

  • When multiple windowList elements appear in a window element, order those windowList elements in descending order, with the lengths of the caption attributes of the first indexes/element indicating the position in the order.

Ordering window elements in a dialog file

<!-- The caption attribute in the following window element is 40 characters long. It is the longest caption in this example, so its parent window element appears before the others. --> 
<window caption="Unexpected Failure in DebugActiveProcess"> 
    <…> 
</window> 
 
<!-- Caption length is 33 characters. --> 
<window caption="Adobe Acrobat - License Agreement"> 
    <…> 
</window> 
 
<!-- Caption length is 33 characters. --> 
<window caption="Microsoft Visual.*Runtime Library"> 
    <…> 
</window> 
 
<!-- The caption attribute in the following window element is 28 characters long. It is the shortest caption in this example, so its parent window element appears after the others. --> 
<window caption="Adobe Acrobat - Registration"> 
    <…> 
</window>

Ordering window elements within a windowList element

<!-- The caption attribute in the following indexes element is 56 characters long. It is the longest caption in this example, so its parent window element appears before the others. --> 
<windowList> 
    <window caption="Can&apos;t exit design mode because.* cannot be created"/> 
    <window className="Button" caption="OK" action="press"/> 
</windowList> 
<windowList> 
    <window caption="Do you want to continue loading the project?"/> 
    <window className="Button" caption="No" action="press"/> 
</windowList> 
<windowList> 
    <window caption="The macros in this project are disabled"/> 
    <window className="Button" caption="OK" action="press"/> 
</windowList>

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