pepanee

I see. The Windows Control method seems pretty complex. It has a lot of stuff that I don't know much about. It looks more like something which I would need some basic understanding of programming. Dunno anything about programming. The method that I used is using logic & steps. It seems to be the best for me, and also, I have set up the steps for my project, and the steps seem to work pretty nicely so far. Also I am, at times, making slight changes to my method that I set up. I understand all my steps, and am able to easily modify certain parts to "perfectify" my script. And I use Microsoft Paint, because this project works really much better with Microsoft Paint. I've tried Irfanview, and I prefer Paint much more. For now, my question has been answered. Thanks.

Okay, I guess I can give the Windows Controls a try. So how would I write the first section of that Macro? (The part where it's in between 1280 & 1599). Thanks

Cool! Thank you for the replies. And thanks so much Acantor. By using your example, I was able to expand on a few more things that were part of the script. I did some test and trialing, and it all seems to work so nicely!! I'm sure there's a way I can compress it, (I think I can keep the variable as one name, no need to define all the ones I did in the script, but it's okay. It's more descriptive this way so I can analyze it easily if I need to edit it). Here's the part of the script that's relevant:

Hello. I am looking for the command to change a highlighted number to a certain number. Example: I have a Macro that ends up highlighting a number. Once the number gets highlighted, if it is in between 1280 & 1599, then it will replace that highlighted number to 1280. If that number is greater than 2560 (say it's 5460), then that highlighted number will be replaced with 2560. Which command can I use to accomplish this? Thanks

I was looking at the whole "Control" idea. I tried setting a Control and dragged the X to the Desktop. It shows a bunch of unique information after I set it there (in comparison to if I dragged the X to a File Explorer window [you know, because they're both referred to as EXPLORER.EXE] ). From here, can't I make that Control be that specific unique Windows Desktop information instead of any regular EXPLORER.EXE process?

Update: So I tried changing the first option from "If Window ... is focused" to "If Program ... is focused" (Also terrypin, now I see what you mean. In the "If Program" options, I see a select few Running Processes, yet for the first one I was using, "If Window" there's many more different windows that are running.) I tried setting all the running processes that I saw to see which ones worked and which didn't, and was able to narrow it down that when selecting EXPLORER.EXE: [If Program "EXPLORER.EXE" is focused] then left click on the Desktop (to make the Desktop the active window), then using the middle mouse button to activate the macro... IT WORKED! BUT.... one tiny issue. EXPLORER.EXE refers to any open File Explorer window, which is not feasable. You see, I have other macros that use that same button when I'm in specific File Explorer windows with specific names. Also, I will not want to change the activation of the macro to anything other than the middle mouse. So... this is a lame math problem, but can anyone help me figure out what to do from here? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. michaelkenward: The Windows Desktop itself. Once you turn on your computer and it's done loading, you see the Windows Desktop. rberq: Thanks so much for your suggestion, I actually got it closer to working! The thing is in the "If Window" options, I changed it to if it's running (visible or hidden), then the macro worked. It's possible that the Desktop is not called Program Manager, because the macro worked while that hidden program is running, which could refer to a different program. Also, how do I do this: "If Program Manager is On Top"? I cannot find this option. terrypin: Yes, the Windows Desktop itself, not the folder. (Yet not necessarily all windows are closed; maybe all windows are minimized and I left click on the Desktop to make the Desktop the "active window"). I found "Program Manager" in the Hidden list of running processes.

As a test, I did the Scope as the window: Program Manager Script is: 1) If Window "Program Manager" is focused 2) Mouse Right Click 3) End If yet it didn't work. What do you suggest for the settings of the macro? (EDIT: I already have an activation for it; it's the middle mouse button)

Hi, I want to know what the Desktop is called. I want to run a macro when the Windows 10 Desktop is the active window. Thanks

Thanks for the reply Cory. I was able to make a macro that works the way that I want it to by using "Set Window Order Always On Top". If I decide I want to change it up I'll try your method.

Ok cool that's exactly what I was looking for, (as an alternative to running programs behind a forced active window). The "Set Window Order Always on top" is a perfect alternative so far. Thanks for mentioning that one.

rberq: thanks for the reply, but yes, I want that program to stay full screen. I am assuming that if I want to run File Explorer commands in the background, then this main window will become inactive, yet I still want it to stay on the screen. Samrae: In that post, I did eventually find a solution that actually works. I just needed to have some hidden running Operating System program to focused so I can run a keyboard shortcut, which actually works. This scenario is different though. I took a quick glance at the whole Window Control thing. Can this idea send a command to File Explorer running behind the active window to do things? Also, can anyone suggest a good app that can keep a certain window on top of everything? I actually did find programs that can do that. But I need a good one. I find this: always-on-top.exe I'm still trying to test out.

Hello, so I have a program that's open that's on top of everything (it's the Active Window also). While this program is open on top, how can I run macros that can run commands in the background, behind the Active Window? For example, while this program is on top, I want Macro Express to open File Explorer in the background, behind the app. I want it to go to C:\ Then I want it to select the 3rd item down that list, for example. So I want all this happening behind the program that's open on the screen. How is this possible please? Thanks

Hi, thanks! And you're welcome. =) Yes, this works without having Program Manager flash on the screen at all, which is exactly what I was hoping for! It is some Operating System window that is 'hidden'. So when I run the macro, all I see on the screen is the Image Viewer program (JPEGView) become inactive [the top bar of the program becomes gray], then less than a second later, JPEGView becomes the active window again, and the Left Arrow key is pressed to go to the previous image (which is the image that was just recovered when the Ctrl+Z command was run).

So a random idea popped in my head! I said, what if I set focus to some "hidden" window that's part of the operating system, Control + Z, refocus my image program, press the left key to go to previous image (the one that I just recovered)? That idea seems to be working! (If it stops working, which it shouldn't, then I'll post back on that). But I will post a screen shot of that macro. The bottom part was my original method stated earlier. (I'm holding on to it for now just in case)

Yes, File Explorer works to recover any file that I deleted. The thing is that I want to avoid a macro to set focus to File Explorer whenever I need to recover a deleted file. Is there no other work-around for that?

Whenever I'm going through the pictures and deleting the ones I don't want, Right clicking on the Desktop, for example, will always have the Undo Delete option, because there is nothing else that's running in the background that could interfere with this process. I am only asking for a method that could run the Undo command through Macro Express without going through the process of the set up that I posted earlier. Or in other words, how can I do Ctrl+Z without having File Explorer focused?

The application is a Picture Viewer. I download a collection of wallpaper images. I go through the pictures and press the Delete button to the pictures that I don't want to keep. The Delete button deletes a picture, yet there is no Undo Delete function within the application. So suppose I delete a picture accidentally, and I want to recover that picture, I cannot press CTRL+Z in the application, because that is not supported in there. Yet I have a Macro Express macro that when I press Backspace (specifically in that application), it will minimize everything, it will send the mouse to the top left corner of the Desktop, it will Right-Click the mouse, Text Type U [for undo], and then restore the picture viewer application. I want to avoid all that from happening, and only to undo the delete while the application is open on the screen (not minimized). I hope this post makes what I'm trying to say, clearer.

... doing "Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>z" while my app is focused does not Undo Delete...

Thanks for the reply. Yea I tried thinking of other alternate solutions to this, and I did think of your idea. The thing about Focusing File Explorer is rather messy too, because I would have to open File Explorer and wait for it to load (which isn't that long, but you know how when you open it, it fades in), and after that I actually tried sending the File Explorer window to the bottom-right section of the screen (to hide the File Explorer window from showing up on screen). The only thing is that once I open File Explorer, it shows up in the middle of the screen for a split milli-second, then gets thrown off to the bottom right corner. Also another bug I encountered after having the window sent to that corner is that, sometimes the Undo Delete worked and sometimes it didn't. So that method is also a bit "messy" for the visual on screen. I asked on the TenForums site to see if anyone knows how to create a shortcut [while in File Explorer, Right Click > New > Shortcut] for a command that can execute the "Undo" function. So something along the lines of: "C:\Windows\explorer.exe" [and an argument to run the Undo function in Explorer] Yet I haven't gotten a solution for that. You see, if I can figure out a shortcut that I can make that does this, that would be so much more convenient, since I can set up a macro to execute that file easily! Does anyone here know how to do that? Anyways, thanks for your help!

Hello, I'll try to keep this simple. I want to run the "Undo Delete" command that's in File Explorer while I have a program running. Is there a way to do that? Currently the macro that I have is: 1) to minimize everything 2) move the mouse to the top-left pixel of the screen 3) right-click & text type: u [to Undo Delete] 4) then restore the program I have that was working in Is there a way to keep the program running on the screen & have Macro Express run the "Undo Delete" command without anything changing visually on-screen? Thanks

I tried it just now. It seems like it doesn't work either. But thanks for mentioning that reply for me to try out.

Yea. The whole general idea for me to use this special "space" character is in order to organize the contents of files inside a folder in a specific order (also, you can set the names of folders in a specific chronological order. You can practically set the order of almost any item in File Explorer the way you want to). There is no built-in method in Windows to let you do that. It would be nice to organize files in a specific order in File Explorer the way that you want to. For example: a file called "Test4.txt" to always show as the 1st file in the list of files, and "Test1.txt" to always show as the 2nd file in the list of files. Notice how the files are named? File Explorer will make Test1 show as the first file in the list, and Test4 as the second file... (when the files are listed by file name). But it would be very nice to organize them the way you want to! As a matter of fact, there is an 'invisible' space that looks like it didn't do anything to the file name, yet it exists there! This could be confusing since you don't know if there's a special character in that file name. Yet in my scenario, I can see that there's a space in the front, implying that I put that special Unicode character in the front, in order to re-order the files inside the folder. But thanks for testing it out earlier; I sent in a request =)

Okay thank you for the reply for letting me know if 4.7.1.1 supports Unicode characters or not. So I will post a request in the appropriate location. And about the whole Organization methods I use, are very simple and eye appealing. Using other characters to reorganize files in folders is very unorganized and unprofessional; It doesn't look good at all. I use logic, mathematics & a LOT of testing and trials to make things look the best that they possibly could. For example, check out the picture I attached. Organizing those files in that manner took a lot of tests and trials with combinations of many different Unicode 'space' characters & regular space characters. In the attached image, I like the way the files are organized above that last line in the folder. I like things reasonable.

Hello, I am using version 4.2.1.1. I have a question about the latest version. Does Macro Express Pro support Unicode characters yet? If not, can someone forward this message to the developers to add that feature in the next version? Read the example below. So here's an example. 1) Open your Macro Express version 4.7.1.1. 2) Create a New Macro, give it any available HotKey, and name it whatever name you want, press OK. 3) For the script, maximize Windows/Programs, double click Activate or Launch, press the Browse button. 4) At the bottom for Window Title, copy and paste the following spaces inside the quotes: "     " (don't type the spaces with your spacebar; instead select the spaces inside the quotes, and do Ctrl+C, or right click -> copy, and paste in Macro Express). 5) Press OK 6) Now do you see "?????" (question marks) for Window Title? If so, that means version 4.7.1.1 still doesn't support Unicode characters. Can you please add this feature? If it actually shows spaces, then this version supports it, I'll install it whenever I get the time. Reason why I want to use Unicode characters in Macro Express is because I now use that "space" in front of certain file names, in order to organize them the way I want to in folders. You should try it; they actually allow you to add spaces in front of file names in File Explorer.