How to get the text cursor position in Windows?
Question:
Is it possible to get the overall cursor position in Windows using the standard Python libraries?
Answers:
win32gui.GetCursorPos(point)
This retrieves the cursor’s position, in screen coordinates – point = (x,y)
flags, hcursor, (x,y) = win32gui.GetCursorInfo()
Retrieves information about the global cursor.
Links:
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms648389(VS.85).aspx
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms648390(VS.85).aspx
I am assuming that you would be using python win32 API bindings or pywin32.
You will not find such function in standard Python libraries, while this function is Windows specific. However if you use ActiveState Python, or just install win32api
module to standard Python Windows installation you can use:
x, y = win32api.GetCursorPos()
I found a way to do it that doesn’t depend on non-standard libraries!
Found this in Tkinter
self.winfo_pointerxy()
Using the standard ctypes library, this should yield the current on screen mouse coordinates without any third party modules:
from ctypes import windll, Structure, c_long, byref
class POINT(Structure):
_fields_ = [("x", c_long), ("y", c_long)]
def queryMousePosition():
pt = POINT()
windll.user32.GetCursorPos(byref(pt))
return { "x": pt.x, "y": pt.y}
pos = queryMousePosition()
print(pos)
I should mention that this code was taken from an example found here
So credit goes to Nullege.com for this solution.
Prerequisites
Install Tkinter
. I’ve included the win32api for as a Windows-only solution.
Script
#!/usr/bin/env python
"""Get the current mouse position."""
import logging
import sys
logging.basicConfig(format='%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(message)s',
level=logging.DEBUG,
stream=sys.stdout)
def get_mouse_position():
"""
Get the current position of the mouse.
Returns
-------
dict :
With keys 'x' and 'y'
"""
mouse_position = None
import sys
if sys.platform in ['linux', 'linux2']:
pass
elif sys.platform == 'Windows':
try:
import win32api
except ImportError:
logging.info("win32api not installed")
win32api = None
if win32api is not None:
x, y = win32api.GetCursorPos()
mouse_position = {'x': x, 'y': y}
elif sys.platform == 'Mac':
pass
else:
try:
import Tkinter # Tkinter could be supported by all systems
except ImportError:
logging.info("Tkinter not installed")
Tkinter = None
if Tkinter is not None:
p = Tkinter.Tk()
x, y = p.winfo_pointerxy()
mouse_position = {'x': x, 'y': y}
print("sys.platform={platform} is unknown. Please report."
.format(platform=sys.platform))
print(sys.version)
return mouse_position
print(get_mouse_position())
Use pygame
import pygame
mouse_pos = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
This returns the x and y position of the mouse.
See this website: https://www.pygame.org/docs/ref/mouse.html#pygame.mouse.set_pos
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3.5 python3.5-tk
# or 2.7, 3.6 etc
# sudo apt-get install python2.7 python2.7-tk
# mouse_position.py
import Tkinter
p=Tkinter.Tk()
print(p.winfo_pointerxy()
Or with one-liner from the command line:
python -c "import Tkinter; p=Tkinter.Tk(); print(p.winfo_pointerxy())"
(1377, 379)
Using pyautogui
To install
pip install pyautogui
and to find the location of the mouse pointer
import pyautogui
print(pyautogui.position())
This will give the pixel location to which mouse pointer is at.
For Mac using native library:
import Quartz as q
q.NSEvent.mouseLocation()
#x and y individually
q.NSEvent.mouseLocation().x
q.NSEvent.mouseLocation().y
If the Quartz-wrapper is not installed:
python3 -m pip install -U pyobjc-framework-Quartz
(The question specify Windows, but a lot of Mac users come here because of the title)
If you’re doing automation and want to get coordinates of where to click, simplest and shortest approach would be:
import pyautogui
while True:
print(pyautogui.position())
This will track your mouse position and would keep on printing coordinates.
This could be a possible code for your problem :
# Note you need to install PyAutoGUI for it to work
import pyautogui
w = pyautogui.position()
x_mouse = w.x
y_mouse = w.y
print(x_mouse, y_mouse)
It’s possible, and not even that messy! Just use:
from ctypes import windll, wintypes, byref
def get_cursor_pos():
cursor = wintypes.POINT()
windll.user32.GetCursorPos(byref(cursor))
return (cursor.x, cursor.y)
The answer using pyautogui
made me wonder how that module was doing it, so I looked and this is how.
I know this is an old thread, but have been having hard time figuring out how to do this with JUST the python standard libraries.
I think the code below will work to get the cursor position in a windows terminal:
import sys
import msvcrt
print('ABCDEF',end='')
sys.stdout.write("x1b[6n")
sys.stdout.flush()
buffer = bytes()
while msvcrt.kbhit():
buffer += msvcrt.getch()
hex_loc = buffer.decode()
hex_loc = hex_loc.replace('x1b[','').replace('R','')
token = hex_loc.split(';')
print(f' Row: {token[0]} Col: {token[1]}')
Is it possible to get the overall cursor position in Windows using the standard Python libraries?
win32gui.GetCursorPos(point)
This retrieves the cursor’s position, in screen coordinates – point = (x,y)
flags, hcursor, (x,y) = win32gui.GetCursorInfo()
Retrieves information about the global cursor.
Links:
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms648389(VS.85).aspx
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms648390(VS.85).aspx
I am assuming that you would be using python win32 API bindings or pywin32.
You will not find such function in standard Python libraries, while this function is Windows specific. However if you use ActiveState Python, or just install win32api
module to standard Python Windows installation you can use:
x, y = win32api.GetCursorPos()
I found a way to do it that doesn’t depend on non-standard libraries!
Found this in Tkinter
self.winfo_pointerxy()
Using the standard ctypes library, this should yield the current on screen mouse coordinates without any third party modules:
from ctypes import windll, Structure, c_long, byref
class POINT(Structure):
_fields_ = [("x", c_long), ("y", c_long)]
def queryMousePosition():
pt = POINT()
windll.user32.GetCursorPos(byref(pt))
return { "x": pt.x, "y": pt.y}
pos = queryMousePosition()
print(pos)
I should mention that this code was taken from an example found here
So credit goes to Nullege.com for this solution.
Prerequisites
Install Tkinter
. I’ve included the win32api for as a Windows-only solution.
Script
#!/usr/bin/env python
"""Get the current mouse position."""
import logging
import sys
logging.basicConfig(format='%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(message)s',
level=logging.DEBUG,
stream=sys.stdout)
def get_mouse_position():
"""
Get the current position of the mouse.
Returns
-------
dict :
With keys 'x' and 'y'
"""
mouse_position = None
import sys
if sys.platform in ['linux', 'linux2']:
pass
elif sys.platform == 'Windows':
try:
import win32api
except ImportError:
logging.info("win32api not installed")
win32api = None
if win32api is not None:
x, y = win32api.GetCursorPos()
mouse_position = {'x': x, 'y': y}
elif sys.platform == 'Mac':
pass
else:
try:
import Tkinter # Tkinter could be supported by all systems
except ImportError:
logging.info("Tkinter not installed")
Tkinter = None
if Tkinter is not None:
p = Tkinter.Tk()
x, y = p.winfo_pointerxy()
mouse_position = {'x': x, 'y': y}
print("sys.platform={platform} is unknown. Please report."
.format(platform=sys.platform))
print(sys.version)
return mouse_position
print(get_mouse_position())
Use pygame
import pygame
mouse_pos = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
This returns the x and y position of the mouse.
See this website: https://www.pygame.org/docs/ref/mouse.html#pygame.mouse.set_pos
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3.5 python3.5-tk
# or 2.7, 3.6 etc
# sudo apt-get install python2.7 python2.7-tk
# mouse_position.py
import Tkinter
p=Tkinter.Tk()
print(p.winfo_pointerxy()
Or with one-liner from the command line:
python -c "import Tkinter; p=Tkinter.Tk(); print(p.winfo_pointerxy())"
(1377, 379)
Using pyautogui
To install
pip install pyautogui
and to find the location of the mouse pointer
import pyautogui
print(pyautogui.position())
This will give the pixel location to which mouse pointer is at.
For Mac using native library:
import Quartz as q
q.NSEvent.mouseLocation()
#x and y individually
q.NSEvent.mouseLocation().x
q.NSEvent.mouseLocation().y
If the Quartz-wrapper is not installed:
python3 -m pip install -U pyobjc-framework-Quartz
(The question specify Windows, but a lot of Mac users come here because of the title)
If you’re doing automation and want to get coordinates of where to click, simplest and shortest approach would be:
import pyautogui
while True:
print(pyautogui.position())
This will track your mouse position and would keep on printing coordinates.
This could be a possible code for your problem :
# Note you need to install PyAutoGUI for it to work
import pyautogui
w = pyautogui.position()
x_mouse = w.x
y_mouse = w.y
print(x_mouse, y_mouse)
It’s possible, and not even that messy! Just use:
from ctypes import windll, wintypes, byref
def get_cursor_pos():
cursor = wintypes.POINT()
windll.user32.GetCursorPos(byref(cursor))
return (cursor.x, cursor.y)
The answer using pyautogui
made me wonder how that module was doing it, so I looked and this is how.
I know this is an old thread, but have been having hard time figuring out how to do this with JUST the python standard libraries.
I think the code below will work to get the cursor position in a windows terminal:
import sys
import msvcrt
print('ABCDEF',end='')
sys.stdout.write("x1b[6n")
sys.stdout.flush()
buffer = bytes()
while msvcrt.kbhit():
buffer += msvcrt.getch()
hex_loc = buffer.decode()
hex_loc = hex_loc.replace('x1b[','').replace('R','')
token = hex_loc.split(';')
print(f' Row: {token[0]} Col: {token[1]}')