IDEA: block mouse/audio on local network to targeted computers

[flamerz]

Hello. I was trying to acomplish the following idea with autohotkey but I'm stuck on the remote aproach.

I'm a teacher and some of my students have strong atention issues (special needs, autism...).

Sometimes I have to get atention and my idea is to block the mouse and mute their computer on the ones that they are not listening me.

This helps me to stop any music/audio on their headphones and block their primary input, this should be enough.

I get some code from Skrommel, but I'm still thinking how to send the shortcut to their computer. No idea about the best way.

This is the starting code:

#m::                    ;win + m hotkey
if (x != 1)
{
    BlockInput, MouseMove
    x := 1
    Hotkey, LButton, DoNothing
    Hotkey, RButton, DoNothing
    Hotkey, XButton1, DoNothing
    Hotkey, XButton2, DoNothing
    SoundSet, +1, , Mute
    return
}
if (x = 1)
{
 SoundSet, +1, , mute
    reload
}


DoNothing:
return


Any feedback is appreciated.

[highend01]

You can't send "keystrokes" over a network, you need to send "messages" (to a program that listens to them on each client pc).
E.g. with https://autohotkey.c...on-of-winsock-tcpip/
If that still works...

[flamerz]

Thanks for guiding me... Im new with AHK.

[publicdomain]

Hello. I was trying to acomplish the following idea with autohotkey but I'm stuck on the remote aproach.

I'm a teacher and some of my students have strong atention issues (special needs, autism...).

Sometimes I have to get atention and my idea is to block the mouse and mute their computer on the ones that they are not listening me.
[..]

Any feedback is appreciated.

-flamerz (August 15, 2019, 11:56 AM)

Hello flamerz,

This looks like an exciting and most-useful project to assist the children 

I’ve worked with server-client architecture before.

It's very straightforward! These projects are usually “glorified chats” between computers; simply recognizing text patterns to trigger a certain action on the other end (i.e. totally doable!)

If you're still in need of this program, let’s work together toward making it a reality.

Cheers!
Vic

[KodeZwerg]

What Operating System are you using?
What Security Settings (Firewall) are used?

If it's Windows based, and you can give me a Port to communicate with, and if i find proper time to do, i could realize this project.

My idea would be:
on Clients set up a (my) Service to automatic mode, so my listener is always active, total hidden (no GUI or such...)
on Server set up an Application that find listeners, for each found client add two checkboxes "block mouse" & "suspend audio", extendable to more stuff like block internet, lock screen etc etc etc....

But as said.... time is a thingy that i do not have much atm :-( can't even read pm's or mails much.... so sorry

[flamerz]

Hello, sorry for the delayed response.

@publicdomain

My first choice was AHK, but I'm a newbie with that scripting language. Do you have some preference?

@KodeZwerg

We use win10. There are no restrictions and the network settings are free to configure (for example, to set static ip's).

[wraith808]

@publicdomain

My first choice was AHK, but I'm a newbie with that scripting language. Do you have some preference?

-flamerz (September 19, 2019, 01:50 AM)

I think he was asking if you still needed it and any features that you desired, as he has for his other threads.  I think he already has a language of choice to develop in. 

[publicdomain]

@publicdomain

My first choice was AHK, but I'm a newbie with that scripting language. Do you have some preference?

-flamerz (September 19, 2019, 01:50 AM)

Hey! As @wraith808 said (spot-on):

I think he already has a language of choice to develop in. 

-wraith808 (September 19, 2019, 09:53 AM)

The language would be C# for a .NET 4.5 application native to Windows 8+

Anything, just let me know.

Cheers!
Vic

[KodeZwerg]

After getting my schedule for next week(s), i guess no time left for me to do, since i'm interested in that topic i will do it sooner or later.
When finished, i will share in here but count me out as a "do-it-now" helper, sorry!

[flamerz]

Oh.. great.

There are no strong requirements and I can configure whatever is needed on the local network (opening ports or installing databases).

A "backdoor" to unlock the computer manually if something goes wrong would be great (in case something  goes wrong with the network and the computer remains locked).

Not a basic requirement but another beautiful lock would be stopping internet service, not sure the best way to achieve this, remove dns or whatever. This will help me to keep them focused on the task when internet is not required.

My students will not hack this :-)

Im available for testing, of course.

An user interface is NOT a must have.. i can go command line or with a very basic UI.

I think the idea is clear, this is not a punishment software, just a helper for the teacher.

[Shades]

Remove the gateway setting in the network settings and only allow admin(s) to adjust the network settings. That will prevent internet access, while the LAN remains to work in a fashion. Meaning that if you know the IP numbers of the machines in the LAN you want to "talk" to, you can still access them normally. NetBios settings should take care of granting access to computers in the LAN by name, but as I don't know how you have set-up your network, that might not work. Can be problematic with shared printers, depending on how you have shared (a) printer(s) in your network. That is, if you do not run your own (properly configured) DNS server in your LAN. 

Is a pretty brutal solution, but you are sure no-one's attention is diverted to the internet. Maybe with finding ways around the block you just have put in front of your students. But that's another matter.

[KodeZwerg]

Hello again, an extreme tiny but working solution for windows systems is to do the following (no configuration on clients needed, thats why it's dummy proof ^_^)

visit NetCut, download and install it, after successful install you can simply cut off complete network traffic for http/https via your browser,
or limit bandwidth or a combination or or or.... give it a try.

Take care mate, if your students are allowed to install application they can do the same!