Strange failure

[terrypin]

Some (at least two) of my running programs are not included in MX Pro's list of Running Processes.

 

Earlier today one of the major programs I was using, Movie Edit Pro, was missing from the list, but that returned after restarting MX Pro.

 

But another, Google Earh, remains absent despite several restarts of both GE and MX Pro.

 

Naturally this is causing various types of macro failure. Here's a very simple example:

 

If Program "GOOGLEEARTH.EXE" is running
Text Box Display: GE is running // This is never displayed, although GE is running.
Macro Stop
End If
// Rest of macro

<IF PROGRAM Option="\x01" Program="GOOGLEEARTH.EXE"/>
<TEXT BOX DISPLAY Title="GE is running" Content="{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang2057{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil\\fcharset0 Tahoma;}{\\f1\\fnil Tahoma;}}\r\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\f0\\fs16 It is, but this message is never displayed!\r\n\\par \r\n\\par Clearly something to do with absence of googleearth.exe from MX Pro's  list of running processes.\r\n\\par \r\n\\par Remains the same after re-starting MX Pro and GE several times.\\f1 \r\n\\par }\r\n" Left="Center" Top="Center" Width="278" Height="200" Monitor="0" OnTop="TRUE" Keep_Focus="TRUE" Mode="\x00" Delay="0" _COMMENT="This is never displayed, although GE is running."/>
<MACRO STOP/>
<END IF/>
<COMMENT Value="Rest of macro"/>

Note that, to create that If Program command, I browsed to the location of GE, in its absence from Running Processes.

 

Anyone noticed similar behaviour please, or have any likely explanation?

 

-- Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Cory]

I tried it on mine and found the same thing. I can see googleearth.exe in the processes but MEP doe not. I tried using the correct case as well. No luck. Report it as a bug.

[terrypin]

I tried it on mine and found the same thing. I can see googleearth.exe in the processes but MEP doe not. I tried using the correct case as well. No luck. Report it as a bug.

 

Thanks for testing, Cory. I've formally reported it.

 

-- Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[michaelkenward]

I find the MEP "Running Processes" list to be iffy at best.

 

It cannot see website watcher, a program I use to monitor websites for changes. Task manager see website watcher just fine.

 

And in trying to automate work in Outlook 2016, a very basic keyboard macro has a habit of bringing website watcher to the foreground, when Outlook should be there.

[Samrae]

Terry, have you tried it while running Macro Express Pro as Admin?

[Cory]

I tried the same experiment running MEP as an administrator and it still doesn't see GE. I used repeat with process and wrote each to a file. It didn't contain Google Earth. Additionally there were only 48 processes in that file. According to Process Explorer I have 173 processes running. That means MEP is only seeing 28% of the processes. If PE can see these while not being elevated then MEP should be able to as well.

[Cory]

I just noticed the MEP processes are not apparent either in the list.

[terrypin]

I tried the same experiment running MEP as an administrator and it still doesn't see GE. I used repeat with process and wrote each to a file. It didn't contain Google Earth. Additionally there were only 48 processes in that file. According to Process Explorer I have 173 processes running. That means MEP is only seeing 28% of the processes. If PE can see these while not being elevated then MEP should be able to as well.

 

Agreed and rather worrying. Have you asked Insight about it?

 

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Cory]

No. It was my impression they were aware of the problem but you might want to submit a bug report just in case.

[terrypin]

For assigning an activation hotkey to a new macro (with so many altready in use), this ability to scope to a specific program is, of course, an almost essential feature. It's becoming a frequent issue for me now. The first two I've encountered this morning, prompting this further gripe, are Firefox and Google Earth.

 

I see I first raised it six years ago in Ticket [iSS9710], 11th Apr 2011. One suggestion was the same that Samrae made up-thread, but so far uing 'Run as Administrator' makes no difference here.

 

I've submitted another ticket.

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK