AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'windll' in python

Question

I am trying to automate a web application.I am supposed to click on a link and it opens an print window.I cant acheive that in selenium automation.So i used ctypes to do the keypress like tab,enter key events.Below is the library that i have developed to acheive that.I do the events by calling the respective methods.

import ctypes
import time

SendInput = ctypes.windll.user32.SendInput

# C struct redefinitions 
PUL = ctypes.POINTER(ctypes.c_ulong)
class KeyBdInput(ctypes.Structure):
    _fields_ = [("wVk", ctypes.c_ushort),
                ("wScan", ctypes.c_ushort),
                ("dwFlags", ctypes.c_ulong),
                ("time", ctypes.c_ulong),
                ("dwExtraInfo", PUL)]

class HardwareInput(ctypes.Structure):
    _fields_ = [("uMsg", ctypes.c_ulong),
                ("wParamL", ctypes.c_short),
                ("wParamH", ctypes.c_ushort)]

class MouseInput(ctypes.Structure):
    _fields_ = [("dx", ctypes.c_long),
                ("dy", ctypes.c_long),
                ("mouseData", ctypes.c_ulong),
                ("dwFlags", ctypes.c_ulong),
                ("time",ctypes.c_ulong),
                ("dwExtraInfo", PUL)]

class Input_I(ctypes.Union):
    _fields_ = [("ki", KeyBdInput),
                 ("mi", MouseInput),
                 ("hi", HardwareInput)]

class Input(ctypes.Structure):
    _fields_ = [("type", ctypes.c_ulong),
                ("ii", Input_I)]

# Actuals Functions
class KeyEvents :
    def PressKey(self,hexKeyCode):

        extra = ctypes.c_ulong(0)
        ii_ = Input_I()
        ii_.ki = KeyBdInput( hexKeyCode, 0x48, 0, 0, ctypes.pointer(extra) )
        x = Input( ctypes.c_ulong(1), ii_ )
        SendInput(1, ctypes.pointer(x), ctypes.sizeof(x))

    def ReleaseKey(self,hexKeyCode):

        extra = ctypes.c_ulong(0)
        ii_ = Input_I()
        ii_.ki = KeyBdInput( hexKeyCode, 0x48, 0x0002,0,ctypes.pointer(extra) )
        x = Input( ctypes.c_ulong(1), ii_ )
        SendInput(1, ctypes.pointer(x), ctypes.sizeof(x))


    def PressAltTab(self):
        '''
        Press Alt+Tab and hold Alt key for 2 seconds in order to see the     overlay
        '''

        self.PressKey(0x012) #Alt
        self.PressKey(0x09) #Tab
        self.ReleaseKey(0x09) #~Tab
        time.sleep(2)       
        self.ReleaseKey(0x012)

    def PressTab(self):
        '''
        Press Tab Key
        '''
        #self.AltTab()          
        self.PressKey(0x09) #Tab
        self.ReleaseKey(0x09)

def PressEnter(self):
    '''
    PressEnter
    '''
    #self.AltTab()
    self.PressKey(0x0D)#Enter Key
    self.ReleaseKey(0x0D)

But now when i use the code in linux i get the below error

File "KeyEvents.py", line 4, in <module>
SendInput = ctypes.windll.user32.SendInput
AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'windll'

I dont understand what had gone wrong here.I am very new to python.Kindly help me out here.What should i be doing to acheive the keypress events in linux?

Answer 1

I'm stucked at the same problem with this code too running on Raspian Jessie (Raspberry Pi). I think this is because windll.user32.SendInput is meant for Windows only. Seems like it don't have the cross platform flexibility..

If you need to do Keypress event on Linux, you can try xdotools. I think it's super easy and should can fit all your needs.

To install, just do

sudo apt-get install xdotool

, and

xdotool key alt+Tab

for alt+Tab key press.

For more detail, you can refer to http://xmodulo.com/simulate-key-press-mouse-movement-linux.html