Robot class exclamation mark error

[sirlink99]

I am writing code that opens notepad, but when I want to write an exclamation mark it throws an error; here is the code I am using to write the exclamation mark.

robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK);
 robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK);

Why is it giving me the error?

[stultuske]

what error is thrown? what is the complete code? you're not giving us a lot to work with

[sirlink99]

This is the error

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Invalid key code
	at sun.awt.windows.WRobotPeer.keyPress(Native Method)
	at java.awt.Robot.keyPress(Unknown Source)
	at test2.Frame.<init>(Frame.java:68)
	at test2.Frame.main(Frame.java:83)

and the code looks like this

package test2;

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.io.IOException;
public class Frame {

	Frame (){
		 try {
	            
	            Robot robot = new Robot();
	            // Creates the delay of 2 sec so that it can open notepad before
	            // Robot start writting
				Runtime.getRuntime().exec("notepad");
	            robot.delay(2000);
	            robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_H);
	            robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_H);
	            robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_I);
	            robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_I);
	            robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK);
	            robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK);
	            
	        } catch (AWTException e) {
	            e.printStackTrace();
	        } catch (IOException e) {
				// TODO Auto-generated catch block
				e.printStackTrace();
			}
	}
	
	
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
		Frame f = new Frame ();
	}

}

[JamesCherrill]

This is just a guess, but anyway...
depending on your keyboard layout, there probably isn't a key that has ! as its primary meaning. For example, on my UK keyboard I have to:
press VK_Shift, press VK_1, release VK_1, release VK_Shift

[hiddepolen]

Did VK_EXCLAMATION_MARK come up as an autocomplete option?

I think you have run into the problem that has also been asked on this thread: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6634375/why-are-some-keyevent-keycodes-throwing-illegalargumentexception-invalid-key-c.

James' solution will work, if I have to believe StackOverflow.

[JamesCherrill]

Yes, I hadn't seen that StackOverflow entry, but it confirms what I suspected. Thanks.