by GaryLake (2 Submissions)
Category: Windows API Call/Explanation
Compatability: Visual Basic 3.0
Difficulty: Beginner
Date Added: Wed 3rd February 2021
Rating: 
(3 Votes)
Monitor mouse movement and key presses globel wide.
This code will check for mouse movement or
keyboard presses. Works like a screen saver.
It is globel wide. Not window dependent.
You could use it to monitor input or to detect
whats keys have been pressed.
You could use it as a independent screensaver.
You could use it to shutdown your computer
after certain amount of time has passed without
any key or mouse movement.
I can think of lots of things it could be used
for.
VBcoders'##### Setup ##########
'Start a standard project with one form.
'Make the form Height 2200 twips
'and Width 4400 twips.
'Put a Label on the form and
'make it cover the top
'2/3 of the form.
'Put a command button on the
'bottom of the form.
'Add a Timer to the form.
'Paste the code into the code window.
'Have your Immediate window
'showing to see what its doing.
Option Explicit
Private Declare Function GetAsyncKeyState Lib "user32" (ByVal vKey As Long) As Integer
Private Declare Function GetCursorPos Lib "user32" (lpPoint As POINTAPI) As Long
Private Type POINTAPI
x As Long
y As Long
End Type
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Timer1.Interval = 100
Timer1.Enabled = True
Me.Visible = False
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Load()
Timer1.Enabled = False
Label1.Caption = "Press the button and this form will disappear. " _
& "You can work all you want and the form will stay hidden " _
& "as long as the computer is not sitting idel. " _
& "After a number of seconds have passed without " _
& "keyboard or mouse movement it will reappear."
End Sub
Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
Dim MouseMoved As Boolean
Dim KeyPressed As Boolean
Dim KeyCounter As Integer
Dim CurrentCursorPosition As POINTAPI
Static LastCursorPosition As POINTAPI
Static TimePassed As Date
'Loop through every key on keyboard
For KeyCounter = 1 To 256
'Check with API for keypress
If GetAsyncKeyState(KeyCounter) <> 0 Then
Debug.Print "Key Pressed"
Debug.Print Chr$(KeyCounter)
KeyPressed = True
Exit For
End If
Next
'Get the cursor position from API call
GetCursorPos CurrentCursorPosition
'Check the new cursor position with
'the last cursor position
If CurrentCursorPosition.x <> LastCursorPosition.x Or _
CurrentCursorPosition.y <> LastCursorPosition.y Then
Debug.Print "Mouse Moved"
Debug.Print "x= " & CurrentCursorPosition.x
Debug.Print "y= " & CurrentCursorPosition.y
MouseMoved = True
End If
'Save the present cursor position to
'check against new position on next pass
LastCursorPosition = CurrentCursorPosition
Debug.Print DateDiff("s", TimePassed, Now)
'if movement then reset TimePassed
'back to 0
If KeyPressed Or MouseMoved = True Then
TimePassed = Now
End If
'if no movement then
If KeyPressed Or MouseMoved = False Then
'check how much time has passed
'against the time present time
'in seconds and if more than 5
'then make the form visiable
'and shut the time off.
'The more than 100000 is
'required for the first pass.
If DateDiff("s", TimePassed, Now) > 5 And _
DateDiff("s", TimePassed, Now) < 100000 Then
Me.Visible = True
Timer1.Enabled = False
Exit Sub
End If
End If
KeyPressed = False
MouseMoved = False
End Sub