Macro Express challenge - system tray icons

[MacroPolo]

Does anyone know how to accomplish the following with Macro Express? :

 

We all know that when a macro is running, the icon for Macro Express changes from an M to a running stick figure. (This icon is located down in the system tray near the clock).

 

I have been trying to figure out how to manipulate icons in the system tray (preferably using Macro Express) whenever a specific system process launches.

 

For lack of a better example, if Notepad were to be opened up, I would like Macro Express to show an icon in the system tray. And when Notepad closes, I would like the icon to disappear from the system tray.

 

What I will be using the macro for is to troubleshoot my computer. Every so often, when i look in the task manager, I notice certain applications running. I'm not certain what causes these application to launch, so I would like to visually see when they are active and when they stop running.

 

I'm certain if a macro can be created to show an icon in the system tray when notepad is active, that it can be applied to any running process on the computer.

 

Anyone have a solution?

[stan]

Unfortunately I'm not aware of a way for Macro Express to create a system tray icon. It can move the mouse to a specific icon in the system tray, right click on it and close it. But I don't see a way to create the icon.

[kevin]

You might try using Popup Menu macros to display the icons. When you create a Popup Menu macro you have a choice to put an icon in the system tray and you can select an icon to use. When the Popup Menu macro is enabled, the icon appears in the system tray, when it is disabled, the icon is removed from the system tray. Use the Macro Enable and Macro Disable commands to enable and disable the Popup Menu macro.

 

I can think of a few things to determine when to enable or disable a Popup Menu macro.

 

If you use macros to run the program (eg notepad) then you can have the macro enable the Popup Menu macro. Using this method it might get a little tricky to determine when the program (eg notepad) is closed so you can disable the Popup Menu macro (to remove the icon).

 

You could create a macro that checks the processes that are running and enable and disable Popup Menu macros according to what is running. This macro could be activated with a hotkey that you would press to check things or it could be a scheduled macro that runs periodically.

 

Let us know what you decide and whether the result is acceptable. I am curious to hear how it works for you.

[Cory]

I don't know if this helps but there are applications that allow one to 'iconize' applications ot the system tray instead of the Taskbar. PCMag has one I was just looking at called TrayManager. Does many other things as well.