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keypresser/README.md

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Jarvis Key Press Utility

A robust Python-based utility with a Tkinter GUI to automate single key press/release actions in a specific target window, leveraging AutoHotkey v2 for precise control. Designed with the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern for enhanced modularity and maintainability.

Table of Contents

Features

  • Proactive Window Activation: Automatically activates the specified target window before sending key presses, ensuring commands are directed correctly.
  • Precise Key Control: Sends a single keydown event when the target window is active, and a single keyup event when it becomes inactive or the script/application exits.
  • Configurable Stop Key: Uses a global hotkey (default: F6) to immediately stop the automated key presses and terminate the AutoHotkey script.
  • Graphical User Interface (GUI):: Intuitive Tkinter interface for selecting the key to press and the target window.
  • Modular Architecture (MVC): Clearly separates Model (application logic & state), View (GUI), and Controller (event handling) into distinct files.
  • Centralized Logging: Detailed logging to console and a dynamically named file (.log), with configurable verbosity via config.ini.
  • External AutoHotkey Template: The core AutoHotkey script logic is kept in a separate template.ahk file for easier AHK-specific debugging and modification.
  • Robust AutoHotkey.exe Discovery: Automatically searches for the AutoHotkey executable in common installation paths or within the PyInstaller bundle.
  • Executable Compilation: Includes a batch script for easy compilation into a standalone .exe with PyInstaller, bundling AutoHotkey.exe and necessary resources.

Project Structure

The project is organized to separate concerns and facilitate development:

project_root/
├── main.py                     # Application entry point (initializes MVC, logging)
├── model/                      # Contains core application logic and data management
│   ├── key_press_model.py      # The main Model class (orchestrates sub-models)
│   ├── constants.py            # Global constants, mappings (e.g., STOP_KEY, AHK_KEY_MAP)
│   ├── app_logger.py           # Centralized logging setup and message queue management
│   ├── ahk_process_manager.py  # Handles AHK script generation, execution, monitoring, cleanup, pynput listener
│   └── window_manager.py       # Utility for retrieving active window titles
├── view/                       # Contains all Tkinter GUI elements and layout
│   └── view.py
├── controller/                 # Handles user input and orchestrates Model/View updates
│   ├── controller.py           # Main Controller class (high-level application logic)
│   └── ui_controller.py        # UI-specific interactions (e.g., button state, validation display)
├── resources/                  # Contains static assets
│   └── template.ahk            # AutoHotkey script template loaded by the Python script
├── scripts/                    # Contains utility scripts for development/deployment
│   └── exe_compile.cmd         # Batch script for building the standalone .exe
├── config.ini                  # Logging configuration file (generated on first run if not present)
└── bin/                        # Output directory for compiled executable and build artifacts
    ├── build/                  # PyInstaller's temporary build directory
    └── dist/                   # PyInstaller's output directory (contains JarvisKeyPressUtility.exe)
    └── JarvisKeyPressUtility.spec  # PyInstaller's spec file

Setup & Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8+: Download from python.org. Ensure pip is included in your installation.
  • AutoHotkey v2: Download and install from autohotkey.com. The utility expects it to be in its default installation path (C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey.exe), or detectable via system PATH.

Cloning the Repository

git clone [https://wiccafe.de/kuro/KeyPresser.git](https://wiccafe.de/kuro/KeyPresser.git)
cd KeyPresser

Installing Python Dependencies

Navigate to your project's root directory in your terminal or command prompt (where main.py is located) and run:

pip install -r requirements.txt

(Note: You might need to create a requirements.txt file by running pip freeze > requirements.txt after installing pynput, pyautogui, pygetwindow manually, or simply install them directly if preferred):

pip install pynput pyautogui pygetwindow

Usage

Running the Python Script

To run the application directly from the source code:

python main.py

The GUI window will appear, and console output will show log messages. A .log file will also be created in the execution directory.

Configuring Logging

On the first run, a config.ini file will be generated in the project root. You can modify this file to adjust logging verbosity:

[Logging]
file_log_level = DEBUG    ; e.g., DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL
console_log_level = INFO  ; e.g., DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL
  • file_log_level: Controls the minimum level of messages written to the .log file.
  • console_log_level: Controls the minimum level of messages displayed in the console.

Building the Executable

To create a standalone executable (.exe), use the provided batch script:

  1. Navigate to the scripts/ directory in your terminal:

    cd scripts/

  2. Run the compilation batch script:

    exe_compile.cmd

This script will:

  • Clean up previous build artifacts in the bin/ directory.
  • Run PyInstaller to compile main.py into a single executable.
  • Bundle AutoHotkey.exe and the resources/ folder (containing template.ahk) inside the .exe.
  • Place the compiled executable (JarvisKeyPressUtility.exe) in the bin/dist/ folder.

Debugging Tips

  • Python Console Output: When running main.py, pay attention to the console output. This provides immediate feedback from the Python application.
  • Application Log File: Check the .log file (e.g., JarvisKeyPressUtility_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS.log) generated in the execution directory. This contains more detailed Python logging, especially if file_log_level in config.ini is set to DEBUG.
  • AutoHotkey Log File: The AutoHotkey script itself generates a temporary log file (jarvis_ahk_log_*.log) in your user's temporary directory (e.g., C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Temp). This log provides direct insights into AutoHotkey's actions (window activation, key sends). The Python UI's log window also displays [AHK] messages from this file.
  • UI Feedback: The GUI's log area will show [AHK] messages from the AutoHotkey script and Python warnings/errors (configured via ui_log_level in config.ini, default: WARNING). Validation labels will also guide correct input.
  • AHT Hotkey Issues: If AutoHotkey errors persist, you can temporarily copy the generated jarvis_ahk_*.ahk file from your temp directory and run it directly with AutoHotkey to get more specific AHK error messages from its built-in debugger.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.