Problem:
Automation of application developed about
1980-1990 and intended to run under MS-DOS.

Automation of the Windows calculator with Windows
XP Pro's JScript works fine but it seems
impossible to utilise JScript to automate 1980's
applications that were intended to run under
MS-DOS.

A DOS batch file can be used to launch the
application by clicking on an icon on the Windows
desktop but additional lines in a DOS batch file,
although intended to simulate keypresses, seem to
have no effect.

Is there any economical solution to work around this
problem - a special utility program or whatever?

Des67

Take a look at the Windows Scripting Host objects, in particular the WScript.Shell object and its Exec method. When you use the Exec method to run a program, it returns a WshScriptExec object which provides access to stdin (and stdout) which you can use to send inputs to the program while its running.

hth
Phil