Problem Trouble Shooting

My macros do not play back.  

Below is a list of things to consider that may cause the program to not play back macros.
 

1)Make sure Keyboard Express is running.
 

2)If using the shortkey activation, check the Prefix Keys and Suffix Keys settings found under Options > Preferences > Shortkeys to make sure the program reacts the way you expect it to.
 

3)It is also possible that another program started, after running Keyboard Express, that installs itself improperly into the Windows Keyboard Hooks. This usually exhibits itself most often when Keyboard Express and other programs are loaded in the startup group. One of the other programs is being loaded after Keyboard Express and is effectively blocking access to the keyboard. After determining the program causing the conflict, there are three solutions.

A)  Make sure Keyboard Express is loaded after the program that is causing the problem loads.
B)  Select 'Tools' and 'Restore Keyboard Hooks' from the main menu of Keyboard Express.
C)  The real solution is to get an updated copy of the problem program from the manufacturer (or have them correct it if they haven’t already).
 

4)Some malware such as viruses, trojans, and worms can prevent the activation of shortkeys. Make sure that the anti-virus, anti-adware and anti-spyware utilities are up to date and the computer and perform a scan.
 

5)If the macros do not work in Internet Explorer (IE), but function correctly in other programs, then the problem may be a Browser Helper Object (BHO). A BHO is a small program that runs when Internet Explorer is running and modifies its behavior in some way. While many are helpful and are typically installed by other programs, some will interfere with applications such as a macro program.

There are several options for handling Browser Helper Objects:

A)  There are programs available that will search the computer for Browser Helper Objects. IE7 and IE8 both display what add-ons are installed and running.
B)   Uninstall the program that created the Browser Helper Object. As there is no way to detect which program installs these Browser Helper Objects, it is important to keep a log of dates that new software is installed. If the macros worked for some time, and then stopped working, it is most likely a recently installed program.
C)  Other browsers such as Firefox, Netscape and Opera do not support Browser Helper Objects.
 

6)Keyboard Express will no longer function once the 30-day trial has expired. A license must be purchased to use beyond the 30 day trial period.

 

My macro does not seem to invoke the menu commands.

Some programs appear to interpret ALT keystroke sequences as something other than menu commands. This exhibits itself when certain menu commands work from Keyboard Express and others do not. There are two methods for working around this problem.

1. Use the ALT Key Down and ALT Key Up keystrokes in the Text Type command or Direct Editor. This option holds down the ALT key while the letter is pressed and then the releases the key. The syntax would look like the following if attempting to execute an ALT f - <ALTD>f<ALTU>.

2. The other option is to use a double ALT (<ALT><ALT>). Two ALTs in a row is the equivalent of pressing the ALT Key and releasing it. Doing so activates the menu and the next letter activates the appropriate menu option. The syntax would look like the following if attempting to execute an ALT f - <ALT><ALT>f.
 
My macro seems to go bonkers or plays out of sequence 
The problem is a timing issue. It is sometimes possible for the keystrokes themselves to be sent too quickly for the desired actions. The program or window may not be ready to accept the keystrokes from the macro. There are several ways to work around this problem.

1.Use one of the Wait commands to instruct the macro to wait until ready to proceed.

2.Insert a Delay at the necessary spot in the script.

3.Use the Keystroke or Macro Speed command to slow down the keystrokes in the macro.

4.Apply a system wide delay for all keystrokes played back via macros.

My macro stops playing back during the middle of the macro
This is usually caused by a macro that either launches or switches to another window. Keyboard Express relies on the "Window Title" or a partial match thereof to find the correct window. If the window cannot be found, then Keyboard Express will automatically abort the macro. It does this on the presumption that the remainder of the macro is only intended for the specified window/application. The solution is to double check and make sure that the "Window Title" is filled in correctly.
 
Where has Keyboard Express gone - I started it but I can't see it!

Most likely the system tray icon has been turned off in the Options > Preferences > Activation menu. The program essentially runs hidden. The default hotkey to open the Keyboard Express - Explorer window is Ctrl + Up Arrow. This hotkey combination may be changed in the Options > Preferences > Activation menu.

 

Another possibility is that Windows 7 hides a number of system tray icons. Press the ^ button near the icons to see an expanded list of icons. Click on the Keyboard Express icon to open the program window.

 

It is also possible that another program is interfering with Keyboard Express on Windows startup and preventing the icon from being placed in the system tray. Click on Options > Preferences > Startup. The Run on Windows Startup option should already be selected. Select the Wait for ___ Seconds option and enter 10 in the field.

 
I have a sound file that I want to play 5 times in a repeat loop, but it only plays once. Why? 

Make sure that the "Wait for the sound file to finish before continuing the macro" check box is selected in the Sound command.
 
How Do I...

How do I include Keyboard Express in my startup menu and not have it appear upon the startup of Windows.

Open the program and click on Options > Preferences > Startup. Turn off the "Show Quick Start Guide" and "Start Explorer on Startup" options. Make sure that the "Run when Windows starts up" option is turned on.
     
How do I abort out of a macro?
Hold down the <Scroll Lock> key and press the <Pause> key. This will cancel a macro that is playing. Or open Options > Preferences > Playback and choose from several different combinations. Another way to stop the macro is to right click on the Keyboard Express running man icon in the System Tray.

 

Note: Macros consisting of numerous keystrokes can send the keystrokes rather quickly and Windows will buffer up the keystrokes. Once such commands have been buffered up in Windows, aborting a macro will not cancel them. In these cases, it may appear that the abort command did not work when in reality the macro has already finished issuing its commands and Windows is now processing them.

 
How do I click on a button on a web page?
Once the cursor is positioned over a button (via the tab key), issue a space command. Either use the <SPACE> option or just hit the space bar when entering your macro. For example, if you had a form that requested your name, street address, city, state and zip code followed by a submit button, you could create a macro as follows: "Fred Smith<TAB>123 Apple Lane<TAB>Small Town<TAB>UT<TAB>80000<TAB><SPACE>". When invoked, this would tab through the fields filling them in and then trigger the submit button. The space will work equally well with checkbox and radio type buttons on web page forms.
 
How do I ensure the CTRL, ALT or SHIFT keys are held down in a macro?
There are two methods that you can employ. They are listed below.
 

1. The first method is to use the CTRL, ALT and SHIFT Keys that can be accessed in the Keyboard Express - Editor. By default, anything that follows <CTRL>, <ALT> or <SHIFT> is acted upon as if it were being held down. For example, if the macro contains <CTRL>a, then this is the same as holding down the CTRL key and pressing the "a" key. If the macro contained <CTRL><ALT>a, then this would be the same as holding down the CTRL key and the ALT key at the same time and then pressing the "a" key. The same works with the SHIFT key.

 

There are a couple of things to keep in mind:

a.  If an upper case letter is used such as <CTRL>A, then most likely the results will vary from what is expected. The program interprets the sequence as Ctrl + Shift + a.

b.  There are certain system keystroke commands that are built into the operating system at a low level, such as CTRL+ALT+DELETE. Placing these commands in macros will not be recognized by Windows at this low level and will not work as intended.

 

2. In some cases it may be necessary to have the key held down and released after pressing the other key. From the choice of keys in the Editor select the Control Down and Control Up options. To have the macro press Ctrl + f, the macro sequence would look like the following: <CTRLD>f<CTRLU>. The Control key is held down, the f key is pressed and then the Control key is released. The same would apply for the Alt, Shift and Windows keys. Note: Make sure that there is always a corresponding Up key after using the Down key. Otherwise the keyboard will behave erratically after the macro has finished, or for the remainder of the macro playback.

How do I dynamically change the contents of a macro?
Use the Load Text File command. This allows the macro to load in a text file at any point during the macro and execute the text as part of the macro. The dynamic portion of the macro is stored in the text file. Change the text file that is inserted into the macro to dynamically change the macro contents.
 
How do I remove CTRL+ Up Arrow from opening the program window?
Click on Options > Preferences > Activation from the Keyboard Express - Explorer menu and select a different option.

 
How do I run the program over a network?
Click on Options > Preferences  > Network and choose the "File Locking of Macro Files" option. This  enables the networking capabilities of the program. File locking will be performed preventing overwriting of data by 2 or more users.
 
How do I prevent my network users from changing the macro data?
Use the Browse mode /B command line parameter to place Keyboard Express in a browse only mode. All macros still function, but they cannot be changed by the user.
 
How do I switch between applications for repetitive tasks such as copy and paste?
See the tutorial entitled Copy and Paste Routine for an example of how to do this.
 
Limitations

Can I capture mouse movements and clicks?
Keyboard Express does not support mouse movements and clicks. This really is not as big a shortcoming as you may think. It is a rare case that something cannot be done via the keyboard that can be done with the mouse. And in fact, it is much more reliable via the keyboard.
 
Playback of mouse movements and clicks becomes tricky business as it is usually dependent on positioning and size of a given window which can change from one instance to another. However, if you find this a necessity, then you may wish to look at our Macro Express product at www.macros.com which is our more robust macro utility.
 
Can I use macros in DOS programs?
Keyboard Express currently only works with Windows programs. You cannot call up Keyboard Express (CTRL+Up Arrow) while in a DOS program nor can you paste keystrokes into a DOS program. The global Windows "keyboard hooks" that we tap into are not relayed onto DOS programs even if they are running under Windows. With MS-DOS slowly fading away, it is unlikely we will attempt to make something work with DOS programs.
 
Can I remap my keyboard?
No. Keyboard Express is not intended to be a keyboard remapping program. Our Macro Express program, www.macros.com, has some remapping functions available.
 
Can I auto repeat keystrokes?
This question references the "Why can't I hold down the CTRL key and continue to press and release the "a" key for multiple CTRL+A macros to be played?". The real answer deals with the "global" nature of our program--that is our macros will work in any program at any time. For this to occur, we actually send the keystrokes through the Windows internal keystroke processing system just as if the key were pressed from the keyboard. Because of this, all keys must be released before the macro plays back. This is to ensure that no adverse keyboard effects will affect the playback of the macro.
 
Let's take an example. Suppose you assigned your company name of "My Company, Inc." to the hotkey "Alt-A". You hold down the ALT key and press the "A" key. If the macro were to start playing immediately upon doing this, the ALT key would still be held down by you and the macro would play back as ALT-M, ALT-y, etc until you released the ALT key. To prevent this from occurring, we require all keys to be released before the macro will start. We've looked at this issue several times and have not yet come up with a solution that will please the numerous requests we've had to change the way this works. We will continue looking.