CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#visual-studiowinforms
RMWTH
RMWTH

Reputation: 31

Autoclicker calculation

I'm making autoclicker program and I already have an issue. I want my program to be able to change the clicks per second field just how the user wants it. So I made this.

private void textBoxCps_TextChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    try
    {
        time = Convert.ToDouble(textBoxCps.Text);
        time = 1000 / time;
        Math.Round(time);
    }
    catch (Exception)
    {

    }
}

The math is right(I think...)

while (IsRunning)
{
    if ((Control.ModifierKeys & Keys.Alt) != 0)
    {
        DoMouseClicks();
        Thread.Sleep(Convert.ToInt32(time));
    }
    else
    {

    }
}

When I try to put 1 CPS into the textbox it does 1 click per second, the same for 2 and 3 but when it's 4 and higher I'm getting 3.80 and lower CPS.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 264

Answers (1)

Harald Coppoolse
Harald Coppoolse

Reputation: 30464

So the operator types some text that should represent a period of time (TimeSpan), and after running is started, you want to call method DoMouseClicks every TimeSpan, until running is stopped.

One of the problems is, that while you are doing this procedure you want your user input to be responsive.

Instead of Sleep, you should use one of the windows timers. There are several of them, and each have their advantages and disadvantages. In your case, the timer that you use depends on the accuracy that you need. See this article for a comparison between the various timers

Is it a problem if the clicks are a bit delayed if the user thread is busy? If not, the easiest is a System.Timers.Timer

System.Timers.Timer timer = new System.Timers.Timer()
timer.Elapsed += TimerElapsed;

private void TimerElapsed(object sender, ...)
{
    DoMouseClicks();
}

To change the interval:

TimeSpan TimerInterval
{
    get => TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(this.timer.Interval);
    set => this.Timer.Interval = value.TotalMilliseconds;
}

I decided to use a TimeSpan as interval time. This way you code changes are minimal if in future versions you decide to let the operator type his interval times in seconds, or in time format ("01:00")

To start and stop the timer:

private bool IsTimerStarted
{
    get => this.timer.Enable;
    set => this.timer.Enabled = value;
}

Now we are ready to react on operator input. You decided to act on TextBoxChanged. Are you sure you want this? What happens if an operator wants to type "1000", to indicate one second time interval. He starts by typing "1", you immediately start the mouse clicks with a frequency of 1 msec. Is this what you want?

Another problem: if the operator makes a typing error: "10)0", instead of "1000"?

A proper user interface would let the operator indicate that he finished typing the interval by pressing a button. When the button is pressed you read the text. If there is an error, you notify the operator, if not, you start the timer.

An alternative is to disable the button as long as the text box contains invalid text. Although this seems nice, the disadvantage is that the operator does not know why his button is not enabled.

private void OnButtonStart_Clicked(object sender, ...)
{
    TimeSpan intervalTime = this.ReadTextBoxInterval();
    this.TimerInterval = intervalTime;
    this.IsTimerStarted = true;

    // if desired: show the operator that the action is running
}
private void OnButtonStop_Clicked(object sender, ...)
{
    this.IsTimerStarted = false;
    // if the timer was handling event Elapsed, it is finished neatly.

    // if desired show the operator that the action is stopped.
}

I decided to separate the action from the interpretation of the operator input. This way, code changes are minimal if you decide to change the operator input from msec to seconds, or even time format ("00:01"). Or if you decide to use a ComboBox instead of an edit box.

TimeSpan ReadTextBoxInterval()
{
    string textBoxText = this.TextBoxInterval.Text;
    return IntervalFromMsecText(textBoxText);
}

TimeSpan IntervalFromMsecText(string intervalText)
{
    if (Double.TryParse(intervalText, NumberStyles.Any, CultureInfo.CurrentCulture,
        out double msecInterval))
    {
        // input is a proper double
        return TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(msecInterval);
    }
    else
    {
        // invalid input. Notify the operator?
    }
}

Upvotes: 2

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