How do you get started with FlaUI for Windows desktop automation?

General Discussions
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1

FlaUI is a .NET library used for automating Windows applications through UIA2 or UIA3 frameworks. Beginners often face challenges setting it up and writing their first automation script. What are the basic steps to install FlaUI, initialize the automation framework, and interact with desktop elements like buttons or text fields?

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Getting started with FlaUI is pretty simple once you know the basics. First, you’ll want to install FlaUI via NuGet:

Install-Package FlaUI.UIA3

Then, in your C# project, you can write a simple automation script like this:

using FlaUI.Core;
using FlaUI.UIA3;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        using var app = Application.Launch("notepad.exe"); // launch an app
        using var automation = new UIA3Automation();
        var window = app.GetMainWindow(automation);

        var edit = window.FindFirstDescendant(cf => cf.ByControlType(FlaUI.Core.Definitions.ControlType.Edit)).AsTextBox();
        edit.Enter("Hello FlaUI!");
        
        var fileMenu = window.FindFirstDescendant(cf => cf.ByText("File")).AsMenuItem();
        fileMenu.Click();
    }
}

So, this FlaUI tutorial essentially sets up UIA3, launches Notepad, types a message, and clicks on a menu item. It’s a great place to start if you want to get familiar with the basics. You’re diving into the world of automation with just these few lines, and it’s pretty intuitive once you have the setup right.

3

To take it a step further, you don’t always need to launch a new app. FlaUI allows you to attach to a running process, which is useful when you’re working with already open apps:

var app = Application.Attach("notepad"); // process name without .exe
using var automation = new UIA3Automation();
var window = app.GetMainWindow(automation);

var edit = window.FindFirstDescendant(cf => cf.ByAutomationId("15")).AsTextBox(); // typical Notepad edit field ID
edit.Enter("Automating an existing app!");

This FlaUI tutorial shows how you can interact with an app that’s already running. It makes things even more flexible, especially if you want to automate an app without starting it fresh every time. It’s a real-time saver when testing or working with already opened applications.

4

Building on the earlier answers, FlaUI offers flexible options to find controls in a UI, which is essential when dealing with more complex interfaces. You can identify elements not just by name but also by automation ID, control type, or even combinations of these:

var button = window.FindFirstDescendant(cf => cf.ByAutomationId("submitBtn")).AsButton();
button.Click();

var textBox = window.FindFirstDescendant(cf => cf.ByName("Username")).AsTextBox();
textBox.Enter("myUser");

In this FlaUI tutorial, we see how to interact with a button and a text box by searching for the right identifiers. Understanding how to target controls reliably is key for successful automation, especially when you’re dealing with dynamic UIs. The more flexible your search criteria, the more resilient your tests will be.