IEDriverServer does not send chords correctly

[lukeis]

Originally reported on Google Code with ID 7571

We have a javascript application that, among other things, logs events that it receives.
We need to send chords (eg, CTRL+HOME) to Internet Explorer.

When we execute the following:
webElement.sendKeys(Keys.chord(Keys.CONTROL, Keys.HOME))

our application logs that it receieved a HOME key press, but w/out a control.

We have also tried composing the key strokes using actions:
new Actions(webDriver).keyDown(webElement, Keys.CONTROL).sendKeys(webElement, Keys.HOME).keyUp(webElement,
Keys.CONTROL)
but that produces the same result.

We are using IE 11 and IEDriverServer.exe version 2.33

Reported by cwellsta on 2014-07-07 19:26:31

[lukeis]

Reported by barancev on 2014-07-07 19:58:50

• Labels added: Browser-IE

[lukeis]

Have same issue (2.42.2 and IE 11)

Found this (ugly) workaround http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13384208/selenium-webdrivers-keys-chord-function-does-not-work-in-internet-explorer-9

Reported by tim.romberg on 2014-08-27 09:29:59

[lukeis]

This solution is only good for selenium written in java. It doesn't help with javascript

Reported by omer727 on 2014-09-06 14:47:16

[lukeis]

I have taken a look at the code. With default options the bug is caused by using PostMessage
to send modifier keys which won't work for simulating keyboard [1] [2]. If you set
the IE option "RequireWindowFocus" to true then the driver will use SendInput instead
which will work. e.g. if using C#

  var options = new InternetExplorerOptions();
  options.RequireWindowFocus = true;

  var driver = new InternetExplorerDriver(options);

[1] http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2005/05/30/423202.aspx
[2] http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7732633/postmessage-wm-keydown-send-multiply-keys

Reported by duncan.woods@cliftoninteractive.com on 2015-04-28 15:26:32

[lukeis]

And this is where I point out that the issues using SendMessage for simulating user
input are well known, and have been for over two years. A full accounting of that knowledge
and what the mitigating choices are for users of the IE driver (including the requireWindowFocus
capability) can be found here: http://jimevansmusic.blogspot.com/2013/01/revisiting-native-events-in-ie-driver.html

Reported by james.h.evans.jr on 2015-04-28 15:33:25

[lukeis]

Thanks Jim, much appreciated. So the bottom line is that this isn't fixable without
requiring window focus which introduces all manner of other fragilities.

I would have found it helpful if RequireWindowFocus flag and known limitations of keyboard
testing were in the wiki. The section "Native Events and Internet Explorer" mentions
mouse events and although it discusses issues about foreground focus, it doesn't actually
tell you can enable it.

https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium/wiki/InternetExplorerDriver#native-events-and-internet-explorer

Reported by duncan.woods@cliftoninteractive.com on 2015-04-28 16:02:57

[lukeis]

Reported by luke.semerau on 2015-09-17 17:47:03

• Labels added: Restrict-AddIssueComment-Commit