Macro in Win XP

[ignatius_lensi]

I have a repeatedly steps when i work with an application.

for 1st file:
1. type "001"
2. press button A
3. select menu B
4. select sub-menu B1
5. press button C

for 2nd file:
6. type "002"
7. press button A
8. select menu B
9. select sub-menu B1
10. press button C

for 3rd file:
11. type "003"
12. press button A
13. select menu B
14. select sub-menu B1
15. press button C
....
 
Is it impossible to convert the steps above to a "macro" in windows XP?
thanks.

[Geek-9pm]

Yes, but without knowing what program it is I can not say for sure. Some programs resist automation.Others allow options to be posted on the command line. See the documentation for the program.

In general, most Windows programs will allow keyboard automation. You can create your own or install a free program. Or even buy a commercial program if you want.

I would suggest you try a free program or a trial program to see if it will work for you.

http://www.keyboardexpress.com/
http://keytext.com/      <<== recommended
http://www.mavrsoft.com/products/apis_macro_recorder/articles/keyboard_automation.html
http://www.autohotkey.com/   <<== FREE

[ignatius_lensi]

thanks, Geek-9pm

I'm sure that the program doesn't resist automation because I have tried it with Easy Macro Recorder and work well. But, Easy Macro and some similar program just "read" cursor location, not the components, like form's name, combo button's name, or list's name. I haven't tried your address link above, but I wonder there is a "macro" program that runs by "reading" what form name/menu name/button name that user choose. Not by identify cursor location.

I hope you understand what I talking about.

Thanks.

[Geek-9pm]

Yes, I understand what you mean. There are programs that do 'smart' automation. They can identify elements in a HTML or some other presentation that trigger an macro action. KeyText does that. You can get the full Key Text  documentation in PDF.

    Pros
    Compact but powerful utility. Unobtrusive. Dozens of customization options. Pricey.
    Cons
    Steep learning curve for advanced features.
    Bottom Line
    KeyText represents the best combination of compactness and power in a keyboard automation utility.

From http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358993,00.asp

Read over the article well. Key Text is virtual a programming language. Hard to learn, but with nit you can walk on water.

[Salmon Trout]

Auto-It 3 is free:

http://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/

AutoIt was initially designed for PC “roll out” situations to reliably automate and configure thousands of PCs. Over time it has become a powerful language that supports complex expressions, user functions, loops and everything else that veteran scripters would expect.

Features:

    Easy to learn BASIC-like syntax
    Simulate keystrokes and mouse movements
    Manipulate windows and processes
    Interact with all standard windows controls
    Scripts can be compiled into standalone executables
    Create Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
    COM support
    Regular expressions
    Directly call external DLL and Windows API functions
    Scriptable RunAs functions
    Detailed helpfile and large community-based support forums
    Compatible with Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista / 2008 / Windows 7 / 2008 R2
    Unicode and x64 support
    Digitally signed for peace of mind
    Works with Windows Vista’s User Account Control (UAC)

Window Management

You can expect to move, hide, show, resize, activate, close and pretty much do what you want with windows. Windows can be referenced by title, text on the window, size, position, class and even internal Win32 API handles.

Controls

Directly get information on and interact with edit boxes, check boxes, list boxes, combos, buttons, status bars without the risk of keystrokes getting lost.  Even work with controls in windows that aren’t active!

Auto-It has a very active forum, with some of the most pro-active moderation I have ever seen - bans are posted on a public board; in the original post which I quote here, the bold parts are links to the offending behaviour (criticising another member).

example (user "Alupis"):

3 days posting ban.

If a Mod tells you to stop doing something - then stop doing it and do not do it again. It does not matter if you feel it is unfair - this is not a democracy.

It is quite amusing to read the moderation board

http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/forum/28-user-moderation/

One way to get a permanent ban is to ignore the rules about game bots (Don't ask how to write one, don't respond with help to people who do). They are very hot on any kind of script kiddie ideas that posters may have, and very very quick to spot those to try to hide what they are really asking about.