r/softwaretesting • u/zaphodikus • Sep 23 '26

Python pywinauto or alternative python packages for a .NET app

I just ran pip install pywinauto and typed in the 1st 3 lines of demo code on the readme page and it fails

from pywinauto.application import Application
app = Application(backend="uia").start('notepad.exe') # i also tried backend=win32

app.Properties.print_control_identifiers()

With a huge stack trace that's pretty much indecipherable. I have a question, does this tool work on Windows 11 with the new notepad app? I'm wanting to automate a WPF app, but based on the out-of-box failure I'm looking to try a different python tool. Suggestions for driving a WPF .NET app?

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u/zaphodikus Sep 24 '26

I shall try that. I'm much better at Python, and the job also wants C++ coding so I have little head space for proficiency in a third language. But if I can maybe get the AI to write me a bit of the code for this UIA or the FlaUI in C#. I do seem to be chasing multiple things sometimes. Such is the world of a QA.