AutoIt [1] is a simple tool that can simulate key presses, mouse movements and window commands (maximize, minimize, wait for, etc.) in order to automate any windows based task (or even windowed DOS tasks).
Download just the DLL at http://www.hiddensoft.com/cgi-bin/countdown.pl?AutoIt/AutoItDLL.zip
'Nother example of why it's handy to have AutoIt around: suppose you've launched a program that puts itself in the background. Rather than use Win32 calls to bring it to the foreground and make it active, you can
exec AutoIt focus.aut '+self.filename' -$TheApplication
where focus.aut has contents
WinShow,%1%,
WinActivate,%1%,Michael Jacobson 09/2002 ~ Ffidl wrapper code of the AutoIt DLL.
load ffidl05.dll ;# load the ffidl package
set DLL AutoItDLL.dll ;# save instead of retypeing this name in for each function
# This dll needs to be in the path or system directory (so it is found by ffidl)
# below are all the public interfaces to AutoIt
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_BlockInput {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_BlockInput]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_ClipGet {pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_ClipGet]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_ClipPut {pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_ClipPut]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_DetectHiddenText {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_DetectHiddenText]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_IfWinActive {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_IfWinActive]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_IfWinExist {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_IfWinExist]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_Init {} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_Init]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_IniDelete {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_IniDelete]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_IniRead {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_IniRead]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_IniWrite {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_IniWrite]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_LeftClick {int int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_LeftClick]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_LeftClickDrag {int int int int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_LeftClickDrag]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_MouseMove {int int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_MouseMove]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_MouseGetPosX {} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_MouseGetPosX]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_MouseGetPosY {} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_MouseGetPosY]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_RightClick {int int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_RightClick]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_RightClickDrag {int int int int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_RightClickDrag]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_Send {pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_Send]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_SetCapslockState {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_SetCapslockState]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_SetKeyDelay {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_SetKeyDelay]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_SetStoreCapslockMode {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_SetStoreCapslockMode]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_SetTitleMatchMode {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_SetTitleMatchMode]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_SetWinDelay {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_SetWinDelay]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_Shutdown {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_Shutdown]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_Sleep {int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_Sleep]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinWait {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinWait]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinWaitActive {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinWaitActive]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinWaitNotActive {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinWaitNotActive]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinWaitClose {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinWaitClose]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinHide {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinHide]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinRestore {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinRestore]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinMinimize {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinMinimize]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinMaximize {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinMaximize]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinMinimizeAll {} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinMinimizeAll]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinActivate {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinActivate]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinClose {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinClose]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinMove {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 int int int int} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinMove]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinSetTitle {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinSetTitle]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinGetActiveTitle {pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinGetActiveTitle]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinShow {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinShow]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinKill {pointer-utf8 pointer-utf8} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinKill]
ffidl::callout AUTOIT_WinMinimizeAllUndo {} int [ffidl::symbol $DLL AUTOIT_WinMinimizeAllUndo]
# to use any of these fucntion in Tcl just use the assign Tcl proc name (after callout)
# example below will minize all the windows on the screen ;-)
AUTOIT_WinMinimizeAllThose familiar with AutoIt might want to take a peek at PowerPro [2], which also features countless ways to automate stuff in Windows.