A program for automating manual actions on a computer. Automation of routine computer tasks: Windows and Mac

Hello dear friends! Recently I needed a program that could record all the mouse actions and repeat my movements. Don't think that I was trying to spam. I just decided to experiment with one Internet game, which, according to folk craftsmen, can bring quite a lot of income. If you use certain tricks, of course.

Today I will tell you about what the RoboMouse mouse recording program is, why you need it and how to use it.

To start recording actions, you must click on the "Record" button or "ALT" + "F9". After that, the program will be minimized to tray. You can now move to record. When you have done all the necessary actions, press the key combinations "ALT" + "F10" and the recording will stop.

If you want to check if the actions were recorded correctly, click on the "Play" button or the combination of buttons "ALT" + "F11". After making sure that everything went well, save the entry by clicking on the "Save" button. If the recording is not successful, then click on the "Clear" button and try to play the process again.

If you need this entry to be repeated several times, specify the number of repetitions in the right part of the program window.

P.S.: Who did not understand how to work with it:

Hello everybody!
I wanted an invite to Habr ( thanks to user Nast for the invite), and finally this fact became the engine for writing an article, which is based on a history of personal experience in the field of automation of tasks related to PCs.
I am an automator, I love that most tasks (software, hardware) are performed automatically without the intervention of me or other people.

Target:

1. Tell and, possibly, teach how to optimize work on a PC.
2. Anyone who was looking for such information will have the knowledge to start and develop a task optimizer in himself.
3. Give an additional opportunity to overcome laziness, and do something really useful for yourself and others.
4. Show an example of how to make a program that automatically executes the recorded sequence of actions for your convenience.
5. To prove that automation is not boring, but as a result it is useful and even very interesting.

At first. I often face the fact that most users do not know how to organize their working hours, specifically on a PC. It's funny to watch when a user is distracted, from really expensive paid work, to small software (sometimes hardware) actions, and then, indignantly looks at the boss, who, in the current month, reduced the academic failure premium relative to previous results.

Secondly. Before, I often had routine tasks that I made to be automatically executed using different software products. But no matter how many software options exist, there are always functions that are not so easy to execute in one package. And I had to use several automation programs in the complex along with programs for the standard purpose of office or not quite office work.

Thirdly. The time has come when a real routine task appeared. It was connected with the fact that it was necessary to extract text, tables, images from a PDF file, with copy protection installed on it, recognition by any software, printing, and something else. In general, the author of the file set the maximum protection in some (I can't remember) program for creating PDF files. And another important point, there are 202 pages in the file, the background is blue, and the text is sometimes yellow, sometimes blue. And the most important thing is that the time frame for receiving the finished text is only 3 days. I sometimes suffer from laziness, therefore, I immediately threw away all physical labor, and also, I did not look for a team of a dozen fans to manually type text from a picture. As always, I turned to software products for automating tasks. After spending one hour writing the correct algorithm, you can do more pleasant actions for half a day.

But not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. I already said above that one program can do a maximum of 99.9% of the required work. So I started looking on the Internet and using in turn the most fashionable, in terms of rating and reviews, automation programs, of course, provided that, firstly, they could perform the functions I needed in the GUI environment, and not in the console, and secondly, they are free. By the way, we are talking about Win-applications. I will not recommend which application is better and which is worse - you can try it yourself, according to your goals and habits for convenience. In principle, I can automate on BASIC better than any program special for this business, but I did not want to install Visual Studio - this is a waste of time and hard disk space. Moreover, you need a program that already has all the options for controlling a PC, where you just need to select all the necessary actions in the list and change several parameters for yourself. And for a typical user this is exactly what is required, there is no need to learn programming languages, everything must already be created in advance and work.

So that's it. I opted for the xStarter program (at that time v.1.9.2). Approached 90%. I will not praise, I will only say that the application really has a very convenient environment for the wide implementation of the automation algorithm. The only bad thing is that some functions are not configurable, for example, the screenshot function loses quality due to compression - it is not suitable for text recognition. And I also did not like that there is no separate window that would show the coordinates of the mouse cursor; I had to download the Mouse Pointer Locator gadget for the sidebar in Vista OS. And, of course, the third - not very important for an advanced user, but in some controversial issues necessary - this is a reference to the functionality of the application. It feels like the help file is from the old version, and there is only part of the functionality in the description.

At the time of this writing, I checked the new version of xStarter v.1.9.3 - the help file is now complete, there are scopes for determining the start and end points of the cursor on the screen, and the quality of the screen shot has improved markedly, now you can also recognize the text. Well done guys! I will be happy to wait for new releases of this program, where I will get even more functionality.

And I implemented the PDF file recognition algorithm (with Protection) very simply:

1. PDF file in full screen
2. Screenshot of “Print Screen”
3. Paste into “Photoshop”
4. Cycle up to 202nd page
5. Macro in “Photoshop”: crop, save
6. Picture folder in “Fine Reader”

• Manually, text analysis and error correction.
• Saving to "Word"
• Editing a DOC file

• Creation of an automation algorithm - 25-30 min.
• Algorithm tuning - 30-60 min.
• Recognition and editing of text - 4-5 hours

• With automation (1 person only edits the text, the rest is automatic) - 5-7 hours.
• Without automation (1 person does everything manually) - 3-5 days.

Practical example: (not about what was written just above!)

I will show you not just an example of the "Hello World" type, I will show you how to create a bot (that is, an automation algorithm) for the game "Friends Factory" on the site vkontakte.ru

I was attracted to this game precisely because it allows you to wind up virtual money using a bot, despite the fact that the game works in a browser and is a Flash object. I have no competence in flash technologies, therefore, specially formed requests for controlling the game without a browser (if they exist at all?), Were immediately thrown aside, my bot will only use the mouse cursor specifically for the game, and a few more functions for control browser, screenshot, variables, loops, and nothing else.

The bot consists of 2 tasks:

1. Friends Factory - Purchase (Firefox) is the main bot algorithm. "Firefox" is simply a designation of the browser with which the algorithm will work. Can be adjusted to fit any.
2. "Read_Compare_ff" - an additional algorithm for checking the image for the fact of its change.

1. Finds a browser window with a running game and opens it full screen.
2. Next, the 2nd task is launched, which takes a screenshot of the area of ​​the screen, exactly in the place where the figure with the amount of money in the game is located.
3. Now the bot should hover the cursor and click on the "Nursery" then "All" and buy the first pet it comes across.
4. When the pet is purchased, the amount of money decreases - this will be checked by our 2nd task under item 2.
5. If there are no pets at all in the Vse kennel (often happens), then repeat step 3 endlessly.
6. After the purchase, the bot, after a while, checks (clause 2) the fact of the sale of the pet - that is, an increase in the amount of money.
7. If the pet is sold, then the bot repeats step 3, if not sold, then the bot presses the "Nursery" button, to update the game result, an infinite number of times.

And finally ...

Pros of automation:

1. Increase in productivity of work with a PC (first of all, it concerns repetitive tasks).
2. There is more time for rest or other activities.
3. Overcoming the threshold of initial laziness, that is, the intention to make an algorithm to facilitate one's own existence.
4. Usefulness for personal purposes.
5. Additional knowledge of technology is only beneficial.

1. People do not want to learn and develop, they are satisfied with doing what they have been doing for decades. Laziness prevails!
2. People are afraid to get the job done faster because the boss will immediately fill up with more additional work. Again, laziness is more than premium!
3. People are taught from school to work, not earn!

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Main functions

• easy-to-learn syntax like Basic;
• emulation of computer mouse movements and keystrokes;
• process management;
• managing windows of active applications;
• launching certain actions by pressing hot keys;
• creation of GUI - graphical user interface;
• work with the registry, clipboard, network;
• processing functions, loops, logical conditions, etc.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

• free distribution;
• small size and independence;
• simple syntax;
• support for unicode;
• editor with syntax highlighting;
• imitation of cursor movements, keystrokes in any application;
• interact with controls even in inactive windows.

Disadvantages:

• you need to spend some time learning the language.

Analogs

AutoHotkey. Free set of professional tools for automating work on a PC. This program is self-sufficient, can customize keystrokes, and has its own programming language. All this makes it possible to create complex workflows and graphical dialog boxes. Also, the program can use COM, with the help of which other applications are controlled. But this solution also has its drawbacks: the lack of an editor with syntax highlighting and the inability to debug scripts.

xStarter. A free automation program that even novice users can figure out. In its visual designer, you can record a sequence of actions. It is also possible to create a graphical interface, dialog boxes. The program has a task scheduler. Of the minuses: not always the correct setting of the keyboard layout, the lack of a text-based programming function.

Work principles

To create a script, assign a folder for it and install AutoIt. Click on the free space in this folder and check the items "Create", "AutoIt v3 Script":

Script creation

Then set a name for the script, and then open it for writing commands by calling the context menu and selecting the "Edit Script" item. After that, the editor for the program should open - SciTe:

Editor for the program

The script will be empty at first. Comments in it are highlighted in green. There are single and multi-line comments.

To add the ability to display text to the script, use the "MsgBox" function by entering the line MsgBox (0, "Tutorial", "Hello World!") At the end of the file. The values ​​in parentheses are parameters to the function.

There are two ways to run the file:

1. Via the context menu:

Run script

2. Through the editor:

Running through the editor

To learn how to work with files in the program, we suggest watching the video:

AutoIt is a functional scripting program.

nnCron is a very unusual task scheduler. Unlike most of the considered competitors, this program does not have a traditional working window of the application. The scheduler is controlled from the context menu invoked by right-clicking on the application icon in the system tray.

It should be noted right away that the ability to launch programs at a specified time, traditional for all schedulers, is far from the only function of nnCron.

Stopping at the launch of applications on a schedule, it is worth noting the possibility of launching programs as services. You can configure the launch of tasks on behalf of any user on the system.

nnCron can monitor and restart overdue tasks and reminders, shutdown or hibernate the computer. Of course, the reverse operation is also available - you can wake up the system in order to start a task.

The scheduler allows you to flexibly manage the state of application windows. You can hide, close, kill, minimize, maximize and hide in the system tray windows specified in the scheduler settings. In addition, it is allowed to change the size and location of windows, change their transparency mode.

nnCron can add arbitrary application icons to the system tray, as well as remove them from there. You can also display any messages on the screen and in the log file, including requests to perform the actions specified in the settings.

The scheduler is able to work with the clipboard, registry, as well as emulate keyboard input and mouse operations.

Dial-up users can use the ability to automatically dial to the provider, as well as forced termination of the telephone connection.

But this is far from all the capabilities of the scheduler. If you really want to, you can make nnCron beep through the system speaker with a specified duration and frequency, play audio files, synchronize the system time, assign a specified priority to processes, and interrupt their work. The scheduler has options for tracking files, windows, processes, mouse movements, computer idle time, keyboard shortcuts, the appearance of a disk in the drive, the presence of a host on the network, changing a remote resource via the HTTP protocol, the amount of free disk space and the load of RAM.

The program can automatically start after fatal errors. nnCron allows using VBScript and JScript languages, as well as regular expressions in tasks. The scheduler can execute arbitrary programs in the Forth language (SP-Forth), extend its capabilities through plug-ins.

The nnCron distribution includes two utilities intended exclusively for programmers.

WinSpy allows you to find out the current coordinates of the mouse, find out the class of the object over which the mouse is, get information about the coordinates of the main and child windows.

Console is a tool for interactive communication with nnCron for those who know the Forth language. You can also remotely administer nnCron using the console.

The program understands the cron format (UNIX) and is controlled using text files. Developers see only advantages in this way of storing settings.

For example, tasks will not be lost in the event of a forced reinstallation of the system. However, a similar solution can be viewed from the other side. Managing the program graphically is much easier than having to learn the syntax of text-based configuration files. At the same time, no one forbids developers to write settings not to the registry, but to the same text files.

The wide use of the high-level language Forth in setting up nnCron speaks even more about the orientation of the product towards advanced users. The program does not have Wizards, Helpers and other tools that make it easier to master, initial setup. Russian-language help and other documentation are downloaded separately from the main program module.

Official site:
Size: 5207 KB
Price: Free
Purpose: Automation of everyday tasks

During the creation of any software product aimed at an unprepared user, developers are faced with the task of implementing the maximum number of useful functions in combination with ensuring ease of use. And if, as a bonus, the distribution is also compact, then the program is simply doomed to success.

Many programs for process automation have a significant drawback - the complexity of mastering. You are tired of routine operations, you just want to automate some of them. Why study high-level languages ​​for this, compose intricate scripts on your own? Of course, if you are a system administrator of a large enterprise, then such knowledge has long occupied the gray matter of the brain. But most of the users of personal computers have other working specialties, often not related to high technologies. And it is unlikely that they will take on weighty tomes of descriptions of multi-tiered algorithms just for the sake of something running on their own computer.

xStarter compares favorably with many programs considered in the framework of process automation in that, having the broadest possibilities, the program is mastered without any titanic efforts. The reason for this is a well-organized user experience combined with a large number of sample tasks, based on which you can automate your own, unique operations.

The working window of the application consists of a side panel, which contains many examples of typical automation tasks, and a main area containing all the information and settings for the current task. Tasks launched for execution have a green check mark next to the main icon. All available xStarter actions are divided into several groups. Each item in the list has its own icon. All this suggests that the developers have ensured the maximum visibility of all operations, simplifying the visual perception of the information issued by the software product. A quick glance at the list of actions is enough to understand what the active task is about.

All tasks can be grouped according to arbitrary criteria, the program implements a true tree structure. The list of task properties is grouped in four tabs - schedule and information, actions, additionally, task log.

The choice of the schedule is carried out from three main points and one additional (complex). Any task can be performed once, after some time and periodically. You just enter the required times and the schedule is set up.

When configuring actions, first of all, you need to create a new list item. This opens a new window, where the list of available operations is presented in the form of a tree structure. Each group and each element of the list have their own unique icons, text descriptions. When setting up custom actions, you practically do not need to strain, delve into the intricacies of the processes themselves. For example, you want to open a web page regularly. To do this, just select the "Internet" group, then select the "Open web page" item. You enter her address. The setup is complete. The rest of the automation examples are not much more complex than the one described above.

Additional settings allow you to manually specify the priority of the launched processes, specify the exact conditions for launching. You can also run applications on behalf of any of the users in the system, change the values ​​of the Windows environment variables.

And finally, in the window of the last tab, a report on the work done is displayed. If desired, you can turn off the logging of all events.

What operations can xStarter automate? The complete list of program features is too long to blindly quote official information. Still, it is worth noting some of the tasks available for automation. First of all, this is any execution of any file operations. Flexible backup settings allow you to assert good data security. The program can track changes to files and directories, synchronize them, record and run Windows macros.

xStarter allows you to work with e-mail and files using the FTP and HTTP protocols. And finally, the backbone of all schedulers - you can run any program on a schedule.

The program is free for us, Russian-speaking users.

Some tasks that are regularly performed on the computer, for example, checking the disk for viruses and / or spyware, backing up and synchronizing data, cleaning the disk from unnecessary files, etc., take a lot of time from the user, which can be used with much greater benefit. after all, it is not at all difficult to configure a computer to automatically perform the specified tasks, and at a time convenient for loading the system.

However, the range of repetitive day-to-day tasks that can be automated is by no means limited to the above. So, a computer can be instructed to independently perform a variety of operations: launching applications, checking and cleaning the system registry, updating antivirus databases and other necessary data, downloading files, checking, receiving and sending e-mail, archiving data, copying files, generating, sending by e-mail. mail, printing documents, etc. At the same time, the PC can perform the tasks specified by the user at strictly defined moments: every time Windows starts, when the computer is turned off, daily, weekly and monthly at specified hours, etc., as well as when some system events occur. In other words, the computer is able to perform many actions on its own, and even in the absence of the user - you just need to configure the PC accordingly.

Automating tasks that are regularly performed on a computer is important from two points of view. Firstly, it will allow you to perform many daily operations almost or completely without user intervention and thus save a lot of time. For example, at the beginning of the working day, a PC can automatically launch the applications necessary for work, independently open certain documents and folders, download mail, etc. In some cases, it makes sense to configure your computer to track changes - files and directories on the disk (in particular, when changes in a given directory, you can synchronize the entire contents of a directory with another directory) and certain Web pages (for example, notify a letter about the presence of changes on the controlled Web -pages) on the Internet. Of particular interest is the automation of work using macros, which contain a sequence of recorded movements and mouse clicks and keystrokes of the keyboard in any Windows applications and can be played at any time on a schedule or by pressing a certain key combination. In this way, for example, you can quickly set up a computer for a certain type of activity by opening the necessary applications and / or documents and performing some frequently repeated operations.

Secondly, the automation of a number of operations, the need for regular performance of which users are well aware, but nevertheless neglected to perform them, will make work on a PC much more reliable and prevent many stressful situations. Examples of such operations are backup, synchronization, checking the disk for malicious components, preventive cleaning of the disk and the system registry, etc. And if in reputable companies qualified administrators are responsible for these operations, then in small offices and even more so at home, users have to independently deal with these tasks. And if you entrust their execution to a computer, then the stability of the work will significantly increase. So, you can instruct the computer to regularly automatically back up or even just copy the archive of mail messages and folders with important documents, for example, once a week, due to which the possibility of their loss will be significantly reduced. If you configure the system for automatic computer spring cleaning, then there will be no unnecessary files on the disk, no obsolete data in the registry, and the computer's speed will be stable.

Ways to solve the problem of automation

There are three ways to solve the automation problem. The first way is to choose applications that have a built-in scheduler for performing repetitive tasks that allows you to carry out certain actions on a schedule. Most packages for backing up and / or synchronizing data, as well as for checking the disk for viruses and / or spyware, have a built-in scheduler. Quite often, applications to clean up the disk from unnecessary files and to eliminate obsolete entries in the system registry have the ability to perform scheduled tasks. It is not difficult to set up download managers to work on a schedule, which can download the necessary files in automatic mode, independently connect to the Internet, download the data, and then disconnect and turn off the computer. Some professional bookmark managers can optionally set up automatic checking of Web pages for changes, and a specific schedule can be defined for different pages. Some programs for monitoring Internet news, etc. may also run on schedule.

The second way is to take advantage of the standard features of the Windows operating system, where there is a built-in scheduler that allows you to automatically launch program files at system startup or according to a specified schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly). This allows you to automate such time-consuming and regularly performed operations as disk backup, cleaning it of various file junk, testing the disk for viruses and / or spyware, etc. In this case, it is not at all necessary to create your own task for each operation - you can first prepare a batch file with the required sequence of commands, which will subsequently launch the scheduler at a time specified by the user. To create the corresponding tasks in the Windows Scheduler, the Scheduled Tasks panel is used, which can be opened from the Control Panel or invoked by the command Start => Programs => Accessories => System Tools => Scheduled Tasks (Fig. 1). To create the required tasks, you must click on the Add task object, which will launch the built-in task wizard, which will guide the user through all the stages of its formation. To automatically start programs through the Windows Scheduler, the Task Scheduler service must run in automatic startup mode, and if it is disabled for some reason, select Start => Run and start the services.msc service administration editor. Double-click on the name of the Task Scheduler service and on the General tab, set the automatic startup type (Fig. 2).

Rice. 1. Creating a new task using Windows Scheduler

Rice. 2. Enabling the automatic start of the Task Scheduler service

And finally, the third way is the use of third-party task schedulers, which opens up much more possibilities for users. These programs allow you to automatically perform a variety of actions - from opening the necessary folders, applications and documents to performing various operations with files for synchronizing directories, archiving data, for reproducing certain sequences of keystrokes and manipulating the mouse, downloading files, turning off the PC, and etc. To solve all these tasks in an automatic mode, neither programming skills nor the ability to create batch files are required at all. With task schedulers running in the background, you can automate processes visually by simply telling the system what to do and when and specifying execution options. This helps to configure the system to automatically solve certain tasks much faster, more convenient and more reliable and save users a lot of time. The range of scheduling programs is quite large and includes both serious expensive packages for automating a wide range of network and computing operations, for example AutoMate, and designed for IT professionals, as well as more affordable solutions aimed at the general user.

To automate many operations today on the mass market, a huge number of programs are offered to the user: some allow you to launch the necessary applications at a certain time, others speed up and simplify access to various functions using hotkeys, others provide a more comfortable and quick installation of applications, and others are able to close applications on their own. , turn off the computer, etc. In addition, there are complex solutions that allow you to automate many computer processes - we will tell you about them. Most of these applications allow you to automate complex computer tasks without programming knowledge, and any task in them is modeled on the basis of a certain set of actions specified and configured by the user in a visual editor. All applications from this group are quite simple and accessible, do not require much time to master and allow you to achieve results very quickly, however, the range of automation tasks solved with their help is limited to the list of supported actions. The most popular in this group are the Automize and Workspace Macro Pro applications.

A number of software packages, in addition to visual development of tasks, provide the user with the ability to create tasks and edit them at the level of the program code. Of course, this implies that users have the appropriate knowledge and skills, and the development of each task is a long process, but such packages allow you to automate almost any task. Macro Scheduler is the only popular and well-proven product.

Automation software

Macro Scheduler 8.0

Developer: MJT Net Ltd

Distribution size: 3.2 MB

Price: Professional $ 197, Standard $ 87

Work under control: Windows 95/98 / Me / NT / 2000 / XP / 2003 Server

Macro Scheduler is one of the best solutions for automating tasks through macros. The application has, among others, a Russian-language interface and is presented in two versions: Professional and Standard (the latter lacks the ability to compile scripts into EXE files).

This application allows you to create macros automatically - by memorizing the program of all actions performed by the user and generating the corresponding program code, and therefore is available even to beginners. True, the list of tasks that can be automated in this way is limited. In addition, Macro Scheduler implements the ability to develop macros in a visual editor and directly write program code by the user manually (Fig. 3), which allows you to automate almost any task, even the most laborious. In this regard, the program can become indispensable for automating a variety of regularly performed tasks - for performing a variety of work with a disk (backup, copying, synchronization, cleaning, etc.), for generating financial reports, for controlling file movements and downloading e-mail , for testing and installing software, for transferring files over a local network and downloading files from the Internet, for generating responses to emails, etc. Macro Scheduler is a software-independent solution and can compile scripts into standalone EXE files that can be run on any computer running Windows. Of course, all this should be of interest to professionals.

Rice. 3. Editing a macro at the program code level in Macro Scheduler

Automatic creation of scripts is implemented in Macro Scheduler in the same way as in other applications, the only difference is that it is possible to edit the script generated by the program at the program code level. Writing a script by hand resembles the development of a program, so knowledge of the MacroScript scripting language is indispensable in this case. Moreover, if necessary, you can include VBScript code in scripts, which makes it possible to use the program to automate OLE / ActiveX tasks. The MacroScript language contains over 200 scripting commands and standard programming constructs, including the ability to send messages about keystrokes and mouse operations to other applications, wait for windows to open and close, give focus to a specific window, perform Internet operations, launch programs and execute commands, read, writing, copying, moving, deleting and executing files, application management using Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), and more. The ready-made macros included in the delivery (starting defragmentation, writing a mail message, shutting down the computer, etc.), the availability of a complete list of language operators with detailed examples in the help system, and support for a built-in debugger, which will help in creating complex scripts, will help speed up the process of mastering the scripting language.

Automize 6.31

Developer: HiTek Software

Distribution size: 10.25 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price: $ 79.95

Runs on: Windows 95/98 / Me / NT / 2000 / XP / 2003 Server with support for Suns Java 1.3, Mac OS X 10.1 and above, and Linux Redhat

This popular multi-platform task scheduler is a powerful and reliable (albeit overly cumbersome) tool for automating processes. Automize has a convenient, intuitive interface, provides visual creation of tasks, does not require programming skills, contains templates for performing the most common tasks - so it can be used by a wide range of users.

Due to the presence of a large number of built-in actions, support for dynamic data exchange and the ability to monitor the status of folders, files, sites, tasks, etc., Automize allows you to automate a very wide range of processes (Fig. 4), the main of which are the following:

Rice. 4. Creating a task in Automize

• management of bat files, scripts and applications (scheduled launch, interruption of work when some events occur);
• backup and synchronization of files and folders, archiving folders and files, printing documents and deleting files on a schedule;
• loading a list of web pages with regularly studied information; transfer and download of files via FTP, synchronization with remote FTP-servers;
• checking, receiving and sending e-mail, including with attachments (you can also impose various restrictions on received messages);
• control of updates of Web-pages with the ability to automatically download the changed pages for further offline viewing, monitoring folders for changes;
• launching Telnet commands on a schedule and saving data on the results of their work;
• testing the TCP / IP network configuration, diagnosing connection errors using the ping command;
• displaying notifications on the screen, reminding the user about the beginning of some events and tasks scheduled by him.

Automize allows you to manage tasks remotely and can notify you of their progress by email. Tasks can be performed both at a given time and periodically: daily, weekly, monthly, and, if necessary, also under certain conditions. For example, the program's support for dynamic variables, which provide dynamic data exchange between applications and tasks, makes it possible to launch certain actions and tasks only if the previous actions or tasks have been successfully completed.

Workspace Macro Pro - Automation Edition 6.0

Developer: Tethys Solutions, LLC

Distribution size: 2.91 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price: Commercial license $ 64.95, Personal license $ 39.95

Work under control: Windows NT / 2000 / XP / 2003

Workspace Macro Pro is a robust tool for automating repetitive tasks using macros that you can create from built-in templates using a wizard, or by directly performing specific actions using the mouse and / or pressing specific keyboard shortcuts. Both options are extremely simple and allow you to generate the required macros in a matter of minutes, which makes it possible to recommend Workspace Macro Pro to the general user. At the same time, the package supports the development of macros in the visual macro designer by selecting and configuring valid actions from the list (Fig. 5). Although it is more difficult and time-consuming, it can automate more complex tasks, and therefore may be of interest to professionals.

Rice. 5. Editing a macro in the built-in designer of the Workspace Macro Pro application

The templates cover standard tasks most often encountered by users and allow you to quickly generate macros for downloading files via FTP, for removing traces of the Internet in the system, for shutting down the computer, etc. The list of acceptable actions when developing macros in the visual designer is wider and includes downloading applications and opening documents, launching other macros, closing windows, connecting to the Internet, opening Web pages, downloading files via FTP, etc. by pressing a certain key combination, when loading the operating system and when exiting it, it is also possible to rerun macros at user-defined intervals and during computer idle moments.

Regardless of the method of creation, macros can be launched automatically in accordance with the launch mode defined for them or from the system tray via the context menu. For a macro on the desktop, you can additionally automatically create a shortcut corresponding to it for quick launch and / or copy the corresponding shortcut to the startup folder to automatically execute the macro when Windows starts up. For any macro, you can specify the speed of its execution, as well as the number of repeated executions and the conditions for them. If necessary, macros can be password protected from editing by other users; it is possible to ask for a password when executing macros.

VistaTask 5.0

Developer: Vista Software

Distribution size: 2.03 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price: $ 99

Work under control: Windows 95/98 / Me / NT / 2000 / XP / 2003

VistaTask is an efficient and reliable tool for quickly automating most of the tasks arising while working in Windows. The application has a convenient, intuitive and easily customizable user interface, provides a wide range of supported actions and allows users to create action scripts without programming skills - by visually selecting actions and configuring their parameters. The number of actions allowed in scenarios ensures the automation of both simple tasks that arise for home users and some business processes, which is already relevant for companies. The package comes with detailed documentation, complete with a series of tutorials that you can take as a basis and edit to solve your specific problems. The program is relatively easy to learn, although for beginners it is still better to opt for a cheaper and simpler application.

VistaTask supports a very wide range of tasks, the main of which are the following:

• quick launch - launching programs, opening documents, executing MS-DOS programs, starting and stopping services, opening the control panel, etc.;
• working with windows - activating, opening to full screen, minimizing the working window or all open windows, resizing the working window, etc.;
• using the keyboard, working with the mouse and using the menu - pressing a certain key combination, blocking / unblocking input, various options for moving and pressing the mouse, highlighting an item in the system or user menu, etc.;
• working with files and folders - creating a new file, reading, saving and deleting files, copying, renaming and moving files, creating and deleting a folder, etc .;
• working on the Internet - loading an Internet browser, opening and saving a Web page, creating, sending and deleting a mail message, downloading, deleting files via FTP, etc.;
• performing system actions - copying text to the clipboard and pasting text from the clipboard, clearing the clipboard, taking a screenshot of the active window, restarting and shutting down the computer, etc.

The list of actions can also contain If and TextLoop statements - the first one provides actions depending on the results of comparison of parameters with some specified values, and the second one allows you to perform cyclically repeating actions. In addition, operations such as checking for the existence of a specific file, loading a certain program, opening a specific window, etc. can appear as actions. The resulting script can be compiled into an EXE file (Fig. 6), which will allow you to later use it outside VistaTask. For successful debugging of complex scenarios, the program provides the possibility of introducing checkpoints and step-by-step execution.

Rice. 6. Compiling the script into an executable file in the VistaTask environment

It should be noted that the ability to run scripts on a schedule is not provided in this program, since it is assumed that the scripts are launched directly by the user. This to some extent limits the range of tasks to be solved, but it is quite possible to get out of the situation and automate in VistaTask even those operations that must be performed strictly on schedule or in the absence of a user, for which it is enough to prepare the necessary script in the form of an EXE file, and in the Windows Scheduler set the start time.

AutoTask 2000 3.68

Developer: Cypress Technologies

Distribution size: 3.68 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price: $ 59.95

Work under control: Windows 95/98 / Me / NT4 / 2000 / XP / 2003

This very simple tool for automating common tasks is designed for the general user because it has a user-friendly interface (Figure 7) and is easy to learn. The program will be able to help automate processes such as creating backups, loading applications, cleaning the disk from computer junk, checking email, etc.

Rice. 7. Task management in the AutoTask 2000 program

Tasks created in the AutoTask 2000 environment are a set of linear actions and are created in the task editor by selecting and configuring the parameters of the desired action using a wizard. Directly in the task editor, any task action or the entire task can be tested. If necessary, you can immediately edit any of the actions by changing its content and / or position in the list of actions, which is very convenient in practice. Tasks can be executed according to a schedule that is quite flexible and allows, in addition to the usual features, to set time intervals for restarting tasks and clearly define the time limits when a task may or may not be performed. In addition, it is possible to execute tasks if certain logical conditions are met: for example, you can ensure that a task is launched if a specific file exists, or a specific program is launched, or a specific window is open, etc. The list of actions allowed in tasks includes starting and closing programs, executing DOS commands, opening a window with a message, pressing a key combination, actions with windows (minimizing, maximizing, closing, etc.), system operations (ending a session, restarting and shutting down the computer ), Internet operations (connecting, disconnecting, forming a mail message). In addition, it provides for the use of actions associated with checking various conditions (the state of a program or task), as well as with the transfer of DDE commands that provide dynamic data exchange between applications.

xStarter 1.82

Developer: xStarter Solutions, Inc.

Distribution size: 3.83 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price: $ 39.5, free for Russian users

Work under control: Windows NT4 / 2000 / XP / 2003

xStarter is an easy-to-use and very convenient task scheduler that allows you to quickly automate frequently repeated operations (Figure 8). The program has a Russian-language interface, is accompanied by a detailed help system in Russian and a series of examples, and therefore can become a good automation tool for a wide category of Russian users.

Rice. 8. Automation of redundancy in the xStarter program

Tasks can run on a schedule or run when Windows boots, when a user logs on to the system, when certain events occur, and can also be called from the context menu. Events are understood as pressing a certain key combination, creating / activating / closing a Windows window, the presence of file changes in specified directories, etc. The actions in tasks can include launching applications, starting and stopping services, performing file operations (copying, deleting, etc.). synchronizing directories, archiving data, recording and playing macros, downloading or sending files via FTP and HTTP protocols, displaying a message on a computer screen, establishing a connection to the Internet, etc. depending on the results of comparing parameters with specified values) and TextLoop (for cyclic execution of actions).