acantor

If you delete something while in the application, what happens if you immediately press Ctrl + z? Does "Undo delete" appear as a command in a menu or on a ribbon? If yes, which menu/ribbon?

This may be the easiest way to undo: Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>z

Hi Terry, Do you have a choice of operating systems? You may be able to workaround the problem by reverting back to Windows 7. Because of the kinds of problems you are encountering, I have assiduously avoided Windows 8 and 10. Using an older operating system is a temporary solution, as Microsoft will, in time, discontinue support for Windows 7. But for now it is supported, and in Windows 7, pixel colour checks run acceptably fast.

If moving the mouse cursor is unavoidable, try testing every other pixel; or every five, ten or even 100 pixels.

I wonder whether Windows 10 is making this worse. Moving the mouse cursor can be slow. To test, for example, 1000 pixels, you need to do two steps: move the cursor; and test the pixel under it. So that's 2000 steps to perform 1000 tests. Because computers are fast at performing mathematics, I try, as much as is practical, to avoid the step of moving the cursor, at least until the target pixel colour has been located: Repeat Start (Repeat %xLength% times) Get Pixel Color at (%xCurrent%, %yCurrent%) Relative to Current Window into %PixelColour% If Variable %PixelColour% Does not Equal "%PixelTarget%" // Increment x so we test next pixel to the right... Variable Modify Integer %xCurrent%: Increment Else // Pixel found... now it's OK to move the mouse cursor.... Mouse Move: %xCurrent%, %yCurrent% Relative to Current Window Text Box Display: Found! Macro Stop End If End Repeat

Maybe this? If Variable %x% Contains "BQ" Or this? Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>c // Copy text to clipboard... If Clipboard Contains "BQ"

If you sink enough time and effort into the problem, you may come up with a solution that almost always works. But you gotta love experimenting and tweaking, or you will likely find the experience a miserable drudge! I use a combination of techniques, including: - Clicking on a "neutral" part of the screen that resets the tab order. Then send tabs/shift tabs to the control. - Searching for a pixel colour on a control, or to something near the target, and then tabbing and/or clicking. - Searching for text on the screen. Then give the word or phrase focus, and then tab to the target. - Searching for text on the screen and then selecting it. Then search for the pixel colour of the selection,and click. Some of my Macro Express scripts perform thousands of actions to zero in on a target on a web app, and are almost 100% reliable. But they were labours of love. I was willing to put in the time to get them to work. And some of them are a bit brittle.

Congratulations on getting so far! There are many ways to make the script more reliable and robust. For the next iteration, consider substituting "Window Activate" commands for Alt + Tab commands. Alt + Tabs work reliably when only two windows are open. But if you more than two open windows, you may end up in the wrong one. "Window Activate" is more likely to bring up the windows you actually want to act on

You are probably on the right track by using program launch and window activate commands. 1. For now, forget about looping through multiple files. Simplify. Get it to work for one file. 2. Insert long pauses after each command. 1 or 1.5 seconds should be plenty. Commands that bring up windows and programs take time to work. Once you get the macro to work. use trial and error experimentation to figure out how short delays can be. Sometimes delays can be omitted. Sometimes they need to be longer than you might imagine. 3. Once you get the script functional, use it as often as possible for a day or two or three to ensure it's reliable. Then, make a copy of the macro, and start adding the code to loop through multiple files, which will add another layer of complexity.

When inserting the Window Activate command, click the "Browse" and select the specific CintaNotes windows you want to activate. Then set the "window title" drop down to "Exact Match." Save the macro and test. If it works, edit the command to work more generally. For example, if the window title is "CintaNotes - Document001" but you want it to work for Document 001, 002, 003, etc., delete "001" and then change the drop down to "Partial Match."

I run Macro Express remotely through a VPN. Macro Express is installed on both machines. If I am interacting with the remote desktop, the remote version of ME is running and I can use it from my local machine. If I am interacting with my local desktop, the local version of ME is recognized. Sometimes there are timing issues when running ME remotely. A script that works reliably may need additional "time shims" when accessed remotely due to internet bottlenecks.

Hi Terry, I wonder if something got corrupted in your installation. Make sure your macro file or files have been backed up. Uninstall Macro Express Pro, reinstall it, and reload your macro files.

The setting in Options > View has been a permanent solution. I checked Options > Preferences and found no settings for the sidebar. Odd that the Sidebar setting doesn't stick for you. Hope you sort it out!

I have kept the sidebar hidden for so long that I forgot it existed! Like you, I find it takes up too much UI real estate. The only thing I might use it for is a shortcut for creating a new macro, but I already have a hotkey macro that creates a new macro. What I did years ago was choose Options > View > Sidebar. The Sidebar hasn't appeared since.

This will get you close, although this version is written in Macro Express Pro instead of Macro Express. So you will need to recreate the code from scratch. Clipboard Copy Variable Set String %T1% from the clipboard contents Variable Set Integer %N1% to the position of "-" in %T1% Variable Set Integer %N2% to the length of variable %T1% Variable Modify String: Copy a substring in %T1%, starting at 1 and %N1% characters long to %T2% Variable Modify String: Copy a substring in %T1%, starting at %N1% and %N2% characters long to %T3% The code works, but it may not be quite what you want. The results, T2 and T3, each contain a hyphen and an extra space. If you want to strip out the hyphen and/or the spaces around it, you will need to add extra lines. There are several ways to do it, but I would likely use a "fudge factor" of 1 or 2, depending on whether there are spaces surrounding the hyphen in the input, and/or whether you are OK with leading or trailing spaces in the output. But let's assume 1. The extra lines will do this: N3 = N1 - 1, and N4 = N1 + 1. Then calculate T2 using N3 instead of N1, and T3 using N4 instead of N1. I hope you enjoy learning about string manipulation! The best way to learn is through trial and error experimentation.

Yes it can be done -- using string manipulation. There are actually several ways to do it, and Rberq has eloquently outlined one approach. I would do it somewhat the same way: 1. Copy the text to the clipboard. 2. Copy the clipboard to a string variable, say, T1. 3. Identify the position of the hyphen with T1, which is an integer, so let's call it N1. 4. Get the length of T1, an integer, so let's call it N2. 5. To obtain the first part, copy from position 1 to N1, and place it in variable T2. 6. To obtain the second part, copy from position N1 to N2, and place it in variable T3. You may need to adjust N1 and N2 to make the script do exactly what you want, e.g., N1 = N1 + 1 or N1 = N1 - 1.

Terry, I believe the shortcut must be on the DESKTOP if you want to activate it via hotkey, not in a folder. (Recognizing that the desktop IS a folder... in Windows 7, it's C:\Users\[Your Name]\Desktop) Ctrl + Alt + 8 is a fine hotkey, and no fancy finger work is needed! For this combo, it's easiest to hold Ctrl and Alt with two fingers with your left hand -- I use (piano) fingers 2 and 4 (or 1 and 2). Then press and release 8 with your right hand, which is free. Finally, release the two fingers on the left hand. It's a bit of a stumble at first, but practice slowly and deliberately, and you will likely find you can orchestrate the presses automatically, in a second or less. It's a skill that nobody is born with. It takes a bit of time to master. These skills are not as hard as acquire as learning to touch type or playing the baritone bassoon!

About 1000 key combinations are available, so keep trying! Most function keys are available, as are many keys on the numeric keypad. But the safest combos are Ctrl + Shift + Alt + something. Few programs require a user to press and hold three modifiers at the same time. Other combos you can use are Ctrl + Alt + something, Shift + Alt + something, and Ctrl + Shift + something. If the shortcut key can be assigned, it will instantly appear in the field as you press that key combination.

That's a tried-and-true debugging technique!

It's unclear from your description exactly what you are trying to do, but let me take a stab at it. It sounds like you want to save a file with a new name, xxx.jpg to xxxCR.jpg. In many "Save As" dialogs, you do not need to include the file extension in the file name. If no extension is specified, the extension is added automatically when you save. Assuming the file name field has focus, you might be able to do this (in pseudo code): TEXT TYPE <END> // Move cursor to the end of the line TEXT TYPE <BACKSPACE><BACKSPACE><BACKSPACE><BACKSPACE> // Delete the three-letter extension and the period TEXT TYPE "CR" // Add the letters C and R TEXT TYPE <ENTER> // Pressing Enter activates the "Save" button in many "Save As" dialog boxes. An alternative to the last line might be something like this: TEXT TYPE <TAB><TAB><TAB><TAB><ENTER> // Tab to the "Save" button, and activate it by pressing Enter

Terry, What happens if you bypass Macro Express's program launching capability, but fool Macro Express into launching the application? 1. Create a desktop shortcut to excel.exe and assign it a shortcut key via its Properties (as described above). 2. Use Macro Express to simulate the shortcut key. For example, if the shortcut key is Ctrl + Alt + E, the Macro Express Script will be: Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL><ALT>e Are you still seeing delays?

Check the delay when launching Excel natively. 1. Terminate Macro Express. 2. Find EXCEL.EXE on the hard drive, and add a shortcut to it on the desktop. 3. Edit the Properties of the desktop shortcut. Specify a "Shortcut key." Most function keys are available, but I suggest using two modifier keys + an alphanumeric key, e.g., Ctrl + Alt + E. Click OK. 4. Press your new shortcut key, and time how long it takes to launch Excel. Now you can compare the two activation methods -- a Windows-specific technique, and via Macro Express.

You do not need a macro to do this. Old-style DOS commands make short work of the job of renaming files en masse. 1. In the "Run" dialog type "cmd" and press Enter. 2. You should now be at a DOS prompt. 3. Navigate to the folder you want to act on using "cd" (change directory) commands, e.g., cd c:\Users\SSmith\Links 4. To rename every file in the folder, type this at the prompt: ren *.* *.*.txt and then press Enter. Translation: rename (ren) every file in this format: name.extension to this: name.extension.txt The "ren" command will rename the files in a blink of an eye.

Agreed, that would be a helpful feature, especially when debugging. Did you submit a feature request?

If there is consistency in the clipboard text, delete everything that is not a macro name. For example, let's say the clipboard text always is something like this... " 0123456789Colour = Brown " or this... " 0987654321Colour = Red " or this... " 3.14159265Colour = Turquoise " Variable Set String %Clip% from the Clipboard // A series of statements to parse out unwanted text... // e.g., delete leading/trailing white space, the first 10 characters, and the phrase "Colour = " Variable Modify String %Clip%: Trim Variable Modify String %Clip%: Delete a substring starting at 1 and 10 characters long Variable Modify String: Replace "Colour = " in %Clip% with "" Macro Run: %Clip%