Implementing the UI Automation Window Control Pattern

  • Article

This topic introduces guidelines and conventions for implementing IWindowProvider, including information about WindowPattern properties, methods, and events. Links to additional references are listed at the end of the topic.

The WindowPattern control pattern is used to support controls that provide fundamental window-based functionality within a traditional graphical user interface (GUI). Examples of controls that must implement this control pattern include top-level application windows, multiple-document interface (MDI) child windows, resizable split pane controls, modal dialogs and balloon help windows.

This topic contains the following sections.

  • Implementation Guidelines and Conventions
  • Required Members for IWindowProvider
  • Exceptions
  • Related Topics

Implementation Guidelines and Conventions

When implementing the Window control pattern, note the following guidelines and conventions:

  • To support the ability to modify both window size and screen position using UI Automation, a control must implement ITransformProvider in addition to IWindowProvider.

  • Controls that contain title bars and title bar elements that enable the control to be moved, resized, maximized, minimized, or closed are typically required to implement IWindowProvider.

  • Controls such as tooltip pop-ups and combo-box or menu drop-downs do not typically implement IWindowProvider.

  • Balloon help windows are differentiated from basic tooltip pop-ups by the provision of a window-like Close button.

  • Full-screen mode is not supported by IWindowProvider as it is feature-specific to an application and is not typical window behavior.

Required Members for IWindowProvider

The following properties, methods, and events are required for the IWindowProvider interface.

Required member Member type Notes

InteractionState

Property

None

IsModal

Property

None

IsTopmost

Property

None

Maximizable

Property

None

Minimizable

Property

None

VisualState

Property

None

Close

Method

None

SetVisualState

Method

None

WaitForInputIdle

Method

None

WindowClosedEvent

Event

None

WindowOpenedEvent

Event

None

WindowInteractionState

Event

Is not guaranteed to be ReadyForUserInteraction

Exceptions

Providers must throw the following exceptions.

Exception type Condition

InvalidOperationException

SetVisualState

  • When a control does not support a requested behavior.

ArgumentOutOfRangeException

WaitForInputIdle

  • When the parameter is not a valid number.

See Also

Tasks

Support Control Patterns in a UI Automation Provider
Use Caching in UI Automation

Concepts

UI Automation Control Patterns Overview
UI Automation Control Patterns for Clients
UI Automation Tree Overview