IndigoJon

I don't know if it is a UWP program, but the strange thing was that it worked OK for a while and then as I continued editing and refining the commands, suddenly Act! would no longer let MEP have any control over it's window...

It's as if Act! doesn't even recognize that MEP is running! I tried to create a test macro...get control of the Act! window and have the mouse move there. I make a variable called "Act! Window", activate the locator utility, select the control area...and then when I try to save it, a message pops up saying "You must select a control!" So MEP is not seeing the Act! window at all. Any ideas why that would be?

Just when I thought I had it figured out, and after I had been editing the macro several times to get it to work exactly as planned, now all of a sudden it won't even activate the first window! The first two command are "Window Activate", followed by a short delay, and then "Window Resize". If I place a "Macro Stop" right after the second command, do a test debug, nothing happens! It's as if MEP doesn't even know the program is running. Any idea what could cause that to suddenly happen, when the macro seemed to be functioning almost perfectly a few minutes before?

Update: I think I have figured out why I've been having so many problems. It turns out that Act! has two platforms...one is the standalone version which installs on various workstations and then these workstations sync with the main server to keep the database updated. The other platform is called Act! for Web, and even though it can be accessed via the web, it can also live on an individual machine, and the interface looks exactly like the standalone version. I have the standalone version on my laptop, which is where I created the macros, but on the remote server, where I am trying to run them, the Act! for Web platform is installed, and lots of things are different...Winforms for example, which explains I think why I couldn't get controls to work. I have solved the problem by installing a standalone version on a different machine at the remote location, and giving RDP access to it for the person who needs to use the macro function. I am just about to test that capability and will report. In the meantime, although I want MEP to start when Windows starts, I want to disable the two screens that popup each time I log in...there is a hyperlink that says something like click here to disable these screens from displaying, but that neither works nor is there a preference or option I can find to disable them from popping up. Can you tell me how to do that?

I don't think so, but I have an idea. My buddy at whose house the server sits, also has a laptop at the same desk, and it's also running Act!. We can install MEP on his laptop, I can remote in and test the macro there. I will report the results...

It's just strange that the macro works perfectly when I run it on my own desktop. It performs all the keystrokes etc, and sends the merge letters. But over RDP or VNC, it won't even execute the first command in the macro sequence.

I tried using Get Control, but instead of the Write item, the locator puts a box around the whole bar...File, Edit, View, Lookup, Contacts, etc, etc I will try what you said about a command to grab topmost window title.

Yes, I added Delay and that doesn't seem to fix the problem. It looks as if for some reason, the Act! window never gets activated, so nothing works. I created a sample macro using the commands you suggested (posted below) and ran it while logged in via RDP, and again logged in via VNC Viewer, and neither one clicked on the Write command. So it's not just <Alt+i> that fails...no command works because the window never gets active as far as I can tell. But I can't figure out why.

Logging into the remote computer with RDP, I can create a macro that activates the Notepad window, opens the File dropdown (ALT-f), types the letter n, types the word "Test", ALT-e and then types a to select all of the "Test" text. Works perfectly. Tried a 3-line macro to do similar typing in Act! (see below) and it neither runs in RDP or VNC. I don't see a debug choice to record what window is active...among the "catch error" options

Yes, both MEP and the macro are running on the remote, NOT through the RDP connection. MEP is running in Administrator mode. The first command is to Activate Window. Scope is set to that specific window. Second command is <ALT>i . That should open the Write drop-down menu, but nothing happens.

On the laptop, it works to just say "Activate Window". But nothing works over RDP. The macro really is pretty simple. Opens the "Write" menu, opens a template, copies the template, opens the copy for editing, pauses for user input, merges the document to a group of people and emails it. Works perfectly on the laptop but not on the remote. I have tried several things that others have suggested, and I can create (on the remote) a macro that opens Notepad and types into it, but trying the same thing with Act! does nothing, as you see from my replies above. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "controlling focus", other than I activate the window.

I tried Samrae's <AltD>i<AltU> and that did not work. I created a short macro on my laptop that activates the Act! window, types Alt-i, then Alt-t and saved it as a playable macro. On the laptop it opens the Write drop-down, then opens the list of Templates (the Alt-t). So on the laptop it works fine. I sent it to me as an email attachment, opened the email on the RDP remote machine, dragged the playable to the desktop, and opened the same Act! window. Clicking on the playable shortcut does nothing! Maybe this is just some problem with Act! ? As Samrae had suggested, I copied the Notepad macro he created, put it into a new macro on the Remote machine, and it played fine, opened Notepad etc., etc. I don't know what else to do, but pretty frustrated.

So I tried it with just a few lines. Nothing happens. I have found it best if I actually launch the program manually, put in the password etc, and get to the screen that you see attached here. With that screen visible, if I hit <Alt>i, the Write button opens. But with the commands you see both in Script Editor and Direct Editor view, nothing happens. The Act! program doesn't see the keyboard command <Alt>i for some reason. I'm tearing out my hair!!! Here is the Direct Editor file: <MACRO PLAYBACK SPEED Speed="1"/> <ACTIVATE OR LAUNCH Title="Act! Premium - NeahNewServer" Exact_Match="TRUE" Wildcards="TRUE" Path="C:\\ProgramData\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Act! Premium (Web)\\Act! Premium (Web).lnk" Mode="\x00" Default_Path="TRUE" Wait="10" Wait_For_Program="15"/> <DELAY Flags="\x01" Time="5"/> <WINDOW ACTIVATE Title="Act! Premium - NeahNewServer" Exact_Match="TRUE" Wildcards="FALSE" _PROMPT="0x0006" _PROMPT="0x0007" _PROMPT="0x0008" _PROMPT="0x0003"/> <KEYSTROKE SPEED Delay="500"/> <TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<ALT>i"/> <DELAY Flags="\x03" Time="500"/> <TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="t"/> <DELAY Flags="\x03" Time="500"/> <MACRO STOP/>

I will try that..

I'll answer your questions in order: 1. I changed the keystroke speed to 500, and it did not correct the problem. I am assuming a person just enters that speed command at the beginning of he macro, not before each command. 2. I can launch Notepad and type text into it with no problem. I was able to copy the Notepad macro and it runs without problem. I can also type commands over RDP like <Alt> i, and the Write menu in Act opens. 3. I am running Macro Express as Administrator. Is there somewhere that I can find a tutorial on using Windows Controls that is written for someone who is not a programmer? Thanks for all of your help...I really appreciate it!

Cory, Here is the situation. I help manage the database for our neighborhood association, and the database (Act!) lives on a Win 10 machine at my friend's house. I set up the router to port forward to the database computer and then we set up RDP so that each of the Board members could be a User and work on the database remotely. They mainly use it to update contact information, but also to send merge letters (emails) to our Members. That's where I had the macro idea. One of the Board members is "intimidated by computers, intimidated by Act!" and I was trying to find a way to automate a plain-vanilla merge document so that all she would have to do would be click on the macro icon and at the appropriate place (the complex pause in the macro) she would only need to enter the text she wants, click <Resume> and the macro would do the merge and send the email. So the macro I created, which works on the local machine, selects <Write>, opens a template, makes a copy of the template and then opens that copy for her to insert text. When she hits <Resume> the macro finishes the merge and send the email. As I said, it works perfectly on my local laptop, but not over RDP (or for that matter neither VNC Viewer nor Team Viewer) on the remote machine. I have been trying to work with the Controls you mentioned, but I am NOT a programmer, and it's going to take way too much time for me to become familiar enough to get it to work that way...and after all, I am just trying to create one macro...I may not create another one for months! So if I could just solve this one problem of getting it to run on the database (remote) machine, I'd be all set. I'm attaching a snip of the results of "Query Session" run on the remote machine when I logged in with VNC Viewer. It says I am logged into the console, but not ID=0. I read that now Windows reserves ID=0 for "Services".

Thanks, Samrae, for some reason on the remote machine, only some of the commands are being acted on...for example "Alt-i" should open the Write drop-down, then "t" opens the Template folder, etc, etc. But those commands are not acting on the window, and the only command that produces a visible output on the desktop is the complex pause!

Yes, I took your advice on both counts and created macros on my laptop here using keyboard commands only. They both run perfectly on the laptop and do exactly as I intended so I was excited to run them on the remote machine, where they need to interact with the program installed there. So I then exported them to my laptop desktop and emailed them to myself at the remote machine. But I cannot get either one to run on the remote computer, and I have logged in to that machine with RDP. VNC Viewer and Team Viewer. The result is the same with any of the remote access methods...when I select <Debug> <Test Run>, the only activity that ever shows up is a complex pause, and sometimes the typing of text in strange places.I will attach the files and maybe you will see something right awa y that I did incorrectly... I appreciate your help, Cory, and I'm glad to be using the Windows keyboard shortcuts. F & F Emailer.mex Activities Emailer.mex

I could never get logged into the console with RDP so I installed a trial of VNC. Tried to capture the macro again, but still it only records mouse click, not the keystrokes. I'm sure I must be doing something to cause this behavior, but as I said, I'm new to MEP.

Sorry forgot to answer...yes I installed MEP on the remote box and had logged in with the credentials above. Is there a setting directly from RDP to log into the console? I appreciate your help!

Here is a snip of the query return..I am logged in as Neah Grounds and I thought I had administrator privileges, but maybe not. What do you think about connecting with Team Viewer?

Have good computer knowledge but new to MacroExpress. Want to create macros on a remote Win 10 computer to which I log in with Remote Desktop. I installed MEPro trial. I want the macros to automate some processes in Act! database program, but I am having trouble with the "Capture" mode. I have been able to capture mouse movements but no keystrokes, and when I run the macro, it minimizes the Act! window and I don't see that anything is happening. As a test, I am trying to capture just the following in Act!: Alt-i to on Write tab, "T" to Edit Template, double-click mouse on a template, mouse click on "X" to close template and "Enter" to save the template. Is there something about capturing mouse and keystrokes on a remote box via Remote Desktop?