How to Use Keyboard Commands in Virtuoso

Article Overview:

This article will cover how you can achieve the following:

How to use keyboard commands or special keys in Virtuoso.

Problem Statement:

How can a user effectively use keyboard commands or special key combinations, such as Ctrl+P, within Virtuoso to interact with elements on a webpage?

Solution:

To execute single or combined key presses, use the "Press" command in Virtuoso.

Key Points to Remember:

• Simultaneous Key Presses: Use underscores (_) to link keys that should be pressed simultaneously (e.g., Press CTRL_SHIFT_ALT).
• Text Sequences: To input sequences of text, separate each character with a space. For example, to type "SpotQA", the NLP step would be: Press “S p o t Q A"
• Spaces: To include a space, explicitly write "SPACE." For example, to type "Spot QA", the NLP step would be: Press "S p o t SPACE Q A"

How the Press Command Works:

Active Element: The active element is the currently focused element on the web page where actions (like key presses) will be executed. In the absence of a specified target, the press command operates on this active element.

Examples of pressing buttons on an active element

• Press TAB
• Press CTRL_SHIFT_X
• Press X
• Press '1 2 3 4'
• Press "Hello SPACE world"
• Press 'TAB First Name TAB Last N a m e TAB ENTER'

Target Element: The target element is the specific element you want to interact with. To specify a target, include it in the command.

Examples of Pressing Keys on a Target Element:

• Press ENTER in "Search"
• Press SHIFT_A in "target"
• Press 'H E L L O SPACE W O R L D' in "Element"
• Press $variable

Using Expression: The Press command currently doesn't support expressions directly. As a workaround, store value ${expression} in a variable and then use this variable in the press command.

Examples of using Expressions:

• Store value ${"TAB DELETE TAB DELETE TAB DELETE "} in $events
• Press $events

Notes:

1. Special Keys: Special keys (e.g., ENTER, SHIFT, CTRL, SPACE, UNDERSCORE, COMMAND) must be in ALL CAPS.

2. Default Target: Press commands will act on the active element if no specific target is mentioned.