# AutoIt over Ruby question - How do I call ObjGet()?
**URL:** https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833
**Category:** ruby-talk
**Created:** [12 April 2008 12:45 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833 "2008-04-12T12:45:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sean\_Nakasone](https://rubytalk.org/u/Sean_Nakasone)
#### Post date: [12 April 2008 12:45 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833/1 "2008-04-12T12:45:04Z")
Here's an example of using autoit inside of ruby.
require 'win32ole'
autoit = WIN32OLE.new("AutoItX3.Control")
autoit.WinActivate('Yahoo!')
So if this works, how come this doesn't work?
require 'win32ole'
autoit = WIN32OLE.new("AutoItX3.Control")
obj=autoit.ObjGet('','InternetExplorer.Application')
How do I call the ObjGet() function? In other words, what COM object
contains that method?
---
### Author:  [@David\_Mullet](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_Mullet)
#### Post date: [12 April 2008 15:36 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833/2 "2008-04-12T15:36:34Z")
sean\_n wrote:
> Here's an example of using autoit inside of ruby.
>
> require 'win32ole'
> autoit = WIN32OLE.new("AutoItX3.Control")
> autoit.WinActivate('Yahoo!')
>
> So if this works, how come this doesn't work?
>
> require 'win32ole'
> autoit = WIN32OLE.new("AutoItX3.Control")
> obj=autoit.ObjGet('','InternetExplorer.Application')
>
> How do I call the ObjGet() function? In other words, what COM object
> contains that method?
I can't offer much help with regard to AutoIt, but you can connect to an
existing instance of IE using win32ole and the Shell object's Windows
collection:
ie = nil
for window in WIN32OLE.new('Shell.Application').Windows
begin
if window.Document.Title =~ /Yahoo/
ie = window
end
rescue
end
end
Further details here:
> **[The Shell Windows Collection of Internet Explorer Objects](http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com/2007/05/shell-windows-collection-of-internet.html)**
>
> As mentioned previously , you cannot use the WIN32OLE.connect method to connect to a running instance of Internet Explorer, as you would do...
Hope that helps!
David
> **[Ruby on Windows](http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com)**
>
> On using the Ruby programming language on the Microsoft Windows platform
> **···**
>
> --
> Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C).
---
### Author:  [@W\_James](https://rubytalk.org/u/W_James)
#### Post date: [13 April 2008 08:45 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833/3 "2008-04-13T08:45:06Z")
This seems not to work.
require 'win32ole'
ie = nil
WIN32OLE.new('Shell.Application').Windows.each do |window|
p window.FullName
p window.Name
begin
title = window.Document.Title
p title
if title =~ /Internet Explorer/
ie = window
end
rescue
end
end
p ie
--- output ---
"C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer\\IEXPLORE.EXE"
"Microsoft Internet Explorer"
""
nil
> **···**
>
> On Apr 12, 10:36 am, David Mullet \ wrote:
>
> > sean\_n wrote:
> > \> Here's an example of using autoit inside of ruby.
> >
> > \> require 'win32ole'
> > \> autoit = WIN32OLE.new("AutoItX3.Control")
> > \> autoit.WinActivate('Yahoo!')
> >
> > \> So if this works, how come this doesn't work?
> >
> > \> require 'win32ole'
> > \> autoit = WIN32OLE.new("AutoItX3.Control")
> > \> obj=autoit.ObjGet('','InternetExplorer.Application')
> >
> > \> How do I call the ObjGet() function? In other words, what COM object
> > \> contains that method?
> >
> > I can't offer much help with regard to AutoIt, but you can connect to an
> > existing instance of IE using win32ole and the Shell object's Windows
> > collection:
> >
> > ie = nil
> > for window in WIN32OLE.new('Shell.Application').Windows
> > begin
> > if window.Document.Title =~ /Yahoo/
> > ie = window
> > end
> > rescue
> > end
> > end
---
### Author:  [@David\_Mullet](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_Mullet)
#### Post date: [13 April 2008 12:20 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833/4 "2008-04-13T12:20:44Z")
William James wrote:
> This seems not to work.
>
> require 'win32ole'
> ie = nil
> WIN32OLE.new('Shell.Application').Windows.each do |window|
> p window.FullName
> p window.Name
> begin
> title = window.Document.Title
> p title
> if title =~ /Internet Explorer/
> ie = window
> end
> rescue
> end
> end
> p ie
>
> --- output ---
> "C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer\\IEXPLORE.EXE"
> "Microsoft Internet Explorer"
> ""
> nil
A key distinction here is between window.Name and window.Document.Title
.
window.Document.Title is the Title as defined in the HTML code of a
window with a Type of "HTML Document". This probably equates to the
window.LocationName property. The titlebar text will include both
window.Document.Title and window.Name, so...
if window.Document.Title =~ /Internet Explorer/
will usually NOT work, though...
if window.Name =~ /Internet Explorer/
...would work.
To grab an IE window from the Shell.Application.Windows collection...
You could test the Type property:
if window.Type == 'HTML Document'
or you could test the window.Name property:
if window.Name =~ /Internet Explorer/
But to grab a \*particular\* IE window from the Shell.Application.Windows
collection, you could use the window.Document.Title or
window.LocationName property
if window.Document.Title =~ /Yahoo/
if window.LocationName =~ /Yahoo/
David
> **[Ruby on Windows](http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com)**
>
> On using the Ruby programming language on the Microsoft Windows platform
> **···**
>
> --
> Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C).
---
### Author:  [@David\_Mullet](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_Mullet)
#### Post date: [13 April 2008 23:00 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833/5 "2008-04-13T23:00:34Z")
[Re-posting my reply, as it seems to have been truncated on Google
Groups...]
A key distinction here is between window.Name and
window.Document.Title.
window.Document.Title is the Title as defined in the HTML code of a
window with a Type of "HTML Document". This probably equates to the
window.LocationName property. The titlebar text will include both
window.Document.Title and window.Name, so...
if window.Document.Title =~ /Internet Explorer/
will usually NOT work, though...
if window.Name =~ /Internet Explorer/
...would work.
To grab an IE window from the Shell.Application.Windows collection...
You could test the Type property:
if window.Type == 'HTML Document'
or you could test the window.Name property:
if window.Name =~ /Internet Explorer/
But to grab a \*particular\* IE window from the
Shell.Application.Windows
collection, you could use the window.Document.Title or
window.LocationName property
if window.Document.Title =~ /Yahoo/
if window.LocationName =~ /Yahoo/
David
> **[Ruby on Windows](http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com)**
>
> On using the Ruby programming language on the Microsoft Windows platform
> **···**
>
> On Apr 13, 8:20 am, David Mullet \ wrote:
>
> > William James wrote:
> > \> This seems not to work.
> >
> > \> require 'win32ole'
> > \> ie = nil
> > \> WIN32OLE.new('Shell.Application').Windows.each do |window|
> > \> p window.FullName
> > \> p window.Name
> > \> begin
> > \> title = window.Document.Title
> > \> p title
> > \> if title =~ /Internet Explorer/
> > \> ie = window
> > \> end
> > \> rescue
> > \> end
> > \> end
> > \> p ie
> >
> > \> --- output ---
> > \> "C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer\\IEXPLORE.EXE"
> > \> "Microsoft Internet Explorer"
> > \> ""
> > \> nil
> >
> > A key distinction here is between window.Name and window.Document.Title
---
### Author:  [@W\_James](https://rubytalk.org/u/W_James)
#### Post date: [13 April 2008 23:50 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/autoit-over-ruby-question-how-do-i-call-objget/45833/6 "2008-04-13T23:50:03Z")
The problem was that I had no html document loaded; the titlebar
text was "about:blank - Microsoft Internet Explorer" but
window.Document.Title was simply "".
> **···**
>
> On Apr 13, 5:56 pm, mully \ wrote:
>
> > On Apr 13, 8:20 am, David Mullet \ wrote:
> >
> > \> William James wrote:
> > \> \> This seems not to work.
> >
> > \> \> require 'win32ole'
> > \> \> ie = nil
> > \> \> WIN32OLE.new('Shell.Application').Windows.each do |window|
> > \> \> p window.FullName
> > \> \> p window.Name
> > \> \> begin
> > \> \> title = window.Document.Title
> > \> \> p title
> > \> \> if title =~ /Internet Explorer/
> > \> \> ie = window
> > \> \> end
> > \> \> rescue
> > \> \> end
> > \> \> end
> > \> \> p ie
> >
> > \> \> --- output ---
> > \> \> "C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer\\IEXPLORE.EXE"
> > \> \> "Microsoft Internet Explorer"
> > \> \> ""
> > \> \> nil
> >
> > \> A key distinction here is between window.Name and window.Document.Title
> >
> > [Re-posting my reply, as it seems to have been truncated on Google
> > Groups...]
> >
> > A key distinction here is between window.Name and
> > window.Document.Title.
> >
> > window.Document.Title is the Title as defined in the HTML code of a
> > window with a Type of "HTML Document". This probably equates to the
> > window.LocationName property. The titlebar text will include both
> > window.Document.Title and window.Name, so...