Native Windows Apps

Use this guide for Win32, WPF, WinForms, MFC, Delphi/VCL, and similar Windows desktop applications.

Choose A Backend

App type	Start with	Notes
WPF	uia	Prefer AutomationId selectors when developers set them
WinForms	uia	Use win32 for older controls that expose poor UIA data
Modern Win32	uia	Inspect with dolphin spy before choosing selectors
MFC, Delphi/VCL, VB6	win32	Class names are often more useful than UIA roles

from dolphin_desktop import Desktop

desktop = Desktop(backend="uia")

For legacy applications:

desktop = Desktop.for_legacy_apps()

WPF / WinForms Example

from dolphin_desktop import Desktop

desktop = Desktop()
app = desktop.launch("MyApp.exe")
win = app.window(title_re=".*My Application.*")

win.get_by_automation_id("txtUsername").type_text("admin")
win.get_by_automation_id("txtPassword").type_text("secret")
win.get_by_automation_id("btnSignIn").click()

assert win.get_by_automation_id("lblStatus").text() == "Signed in"

Legacy Win32 Example

from dolphin_desktop import Desktop

desktop = Desktop(backend="win32")
app = desktop.launch("LegacyApp.exe")
win = app.window(title="Main Window")

win.get_by_class("Edit").type_text("hello")
win.get_by_class("Button").click()

Inspect The UI Tree

dolphin spy --window "My Application" --depth 3
dolphin spy --pick

Prefer stable selectors:

1. get_by_automation_id(...)
2. get_by_role(..., name=...)
3. get_by_title(...)
4. get_by_class(...)

Common Dialogs

from dolphin_desktop import FileDialog, MessageBox

win.get_by_title("Open").click()
dlg = FileDialog.wait_for(timeout=10)
dlg.set_path(r"C:\Temp\input.txt")
dlg.confirm()

win.get_by_title("Delete").click()
msg = MessageBox.wait_for(timeout=10)
msg.click_yes()

Tips

• Avoid title-only selectors for localized applications.
• If the application runs as Administrator, run the test process as Administrator too.
• If UIA shows little useful information, try --dolphin-backend=win32 or Desktop.for_legacy_apps().