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Virtual Desktops


Nikon

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Maybe farfetched but ...

can Macro express work in virtual desktop environemt, hence, i can run a macro that uses keys, switch to another desktop to work on something else while the other Macro works virtually in the other desktop?

 

 

I have found some virtual desktop freewares ... I am just wondeing if anyone tried this before.

 

Thanks.

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Sure you can, I do all the time. However with some there are limitations.

 

One application I use is VNC. It's nice because it's cross platform and free. The other nice thing about it is that instead of creating a virtual desktop session it connects to the console. Many techs will admonish you for troubleshooting a system with Terminal Services (Remote Desktop) or Citrix but there is no problem with VNC. The other nice thing about VNC is that the limitations I will mention in a bit with RD don’t exist with VNC. You can minimize or even close the session and the macro will run with no problems. There have been several times when I needed to run the same macro on several computers in parallel in order to accomplish a tas and VNC has proven invaluable.

 

I also use Terminal Services via the Remote Desktop client with a fair amount of success. The major limitation here his that commands like “Wait For Window Title” and controls will fail if you minimize or disconnect. I think RD is smart enough not to paint this activity when you’re minimized because obviously there’s no audience. I like TS/RD better than VNC though and have a work-a-round. If you several windows open you and resize and move other things in front of that RD window and it will continue to work. Just don’t minimize or disconnect. Oh, another nice thing about RD is that you can share your local hard drive so you can have ME on the remote run off your local drive which avoids shuttling them around.

 

I’m not suite about other software like PC Anywhere or Citrix but I’m sure they’re similar.

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Sorry about that. Usually when one says “virtual desktop” I think remote applications like Remote Desktop. To me running multiple desktops on one machine are “virtual machines”. Hence the name VMware.

 

I would be interested in this answer to this as well. I can tell you this though: On a Windows Terminal Server running multiple desktop sessions for multiple users ME runs fine in all of them and as far as I know they don’t mess with each other.

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I use ME and Virtual Dimension (virtual desktop utility). I've also used ME with the virtual desktop software that came with Windows XP Powertoys (Desktop Manager).

Both work fine with ME.

 

i can run a macro that uses keys, switch to another desktop to work on something else while the other Macro works virtually in the other desktop?

 

but virtual desktops won't do that since the same instance of ME is running in all the virtual desktops, and you can only run one macro at a time.

 

Virtual machines are something else I think.

 

What were the "virtual desktop freewares" you found?

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I just tried Virtual Dimension, it doesnt work in parallel neither, i run a macro on desk0 and when i change to desk1 it tries to run it there, i am wondering if any virtual desktop program could do this segregation and retain keystrokes.

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i am wondering if any virtual desktop program could do this segregation and retain keystrokes.

 

No, not the generally accepted definition of "virtual desktop program" if you are running a macro program like ME that can only run one macro at a time.

 

The "virtual desktops" you are looking at are essentially the same desktop displayed graphically to be bigger/more than one screen's worth.

 

So if you can't run two ME macros at the same time in one window/desktop, just adding another virtual desktop isn't going to allow you to process a second macro in a different thread - no more than you would be able to run a second macro in a second window on the same desktop.

 

You might look into the virtual machines mentioned earlier, or a macro program that can run more than one macro at a time.

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