Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

I have a power automate desktop, where i am using the windows "text to Column" in ExceL

When I am using then flow, its stop working, when I have sendt the Action "Send keys" with right arrow. {Right}

hwo do I keep focus on the window, when I an using send keys:

the code is

UIAutomation.Click.Click Element: appmask['Window \'Log_5.csv - Excel\'']['Data Item \'A\''] ClickType: UIAutomation.ClickType.LeftClick OffsetX: 5 OffsetY: -6 MousePositionRelativeToElement: UIAutomation.RectangleEdgePoint.BottomCenter

MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}X1K3''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True

MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}N''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True
MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}K''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True
MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}N''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True
MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}s''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True
MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}v''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True
MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeys TextToSend: $'''{Right}''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 50 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True
WAIT 0.2
MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}({e})''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True
MouseAndKeyboard.SendKeys.FocusAndSendKeysByInstanceOrHandle WindowInstance: ExcelInstance3 TextToSend: $'''{Alt}({u})''' DelayBetweenKeystrokes: 5 SendTextAsHardwareKeys: True

Categories:

Building flows

Hi @jjmccoydk,

Can you please follow anterantive path like instead of sending {Right}, consider using UI automation actions like “Send key press” with arrow keys or “Move cursor and click” to navigate cells?

Some common causes you can troubleshoot:

Focus vs Active Window: Let's ensure the target application or Excel window is active and focused before sending the {Right} key. Let's use the “Activate window” or “Focus window” action right before sending keys.
Timing and Delays: If we can add a delay of say 100ms-300 ms before and/or after the “Send keys” action to allow the UI to process previous actions and be ready for the next keystroke.
Send Keys Method: PAD offers different send keys modes (e.g., “Send window messages” vs. “Send physical keystrokes”). Try switching the send keys method in the action properties to see if one works better for your scenario.
Mix of Uppercase and Lowercase: Please confirm that the syntax {Right} is correct and supported in your PAD version. Sometimes using uppercase or lowercase ({RIGHT} vs {Right}) can matter, we need to test variations here.
Interference from Other Actions: Check if any previous action in the flow is causing the UI to become unresponsive or changing focus unexpectedly.

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