If want to know how to use an earlier version of WinMacro, scroll down to the bottom of this page.
Using WinMacro v1.21
You can use this version just like the previous versions as documented below. Thanks to Christian Gross, WinMacro now comes with command line support. You can run it from the command line using the syntax
WinMacro [filename]
Suppose the recorded filename was sample.log, then you can do
WinMacro sample.log
WinMacro will run sample.log and close by itself.
Using WinMacro v1.2
WinMacro v1.2 adds to the features of the previous version of WinMacro. To download the new version, go to Download.
To Record
Type the filename to record to (or use Browse to select an existing file). Existing files will be overwritten.
Click Record to record to the file
When you want to stop recording, press the Pause/Break key. You may also use Ctrl+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del.
To Playback
Type the filename or use Browse to select an existing file to playback.
Click Playback to playback from the file. WinMacro minimizes itself to the taskbar and starts playing back events from the file.
After playback is over, WinMacro restores itself to the desktop and pops a message box indicating "Playback Over". In case you want to interrupt playback midway, press Ctrl+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Screenshot of WinMacro v1.2
The Options button throws up a dialog box like this. This is what has been added to this version, UI wise.
To Repeat Playback
To repeat playback, check the "Repeat Playback" checkbox and type in the no. of times you want to repeat playback in the "No. of Repetitions" textbox. Remember, it's the number of repetitions, so if you type 1 in there, WinMacro will play back the file twice.
To Adjust Playback Speed Warning: Speeding up playback may not exactly reproduce recorded events. Read on to know why.
The default setting is "Playback Events at Normal Speed", which means events are played back at the same speed at which they occurred while recording. Click the "Playback Events at My Own Speed" to adjust playback speed. The value you give in the "Time Interval" textbox determines the speed. Positive values slow playback by increasing delay between events, while negative values reduce them, thereby speeding things up.
The "Add to Recorded Time" checkbox is checked by default. This option adds the time interval value you give (positive or negative) to the original delay occurred while recording. So this speeds or slows things relative to the original speed.
If you uncheck the "Add to Recorded Time" checkbox, WinMacro plays events at a constant speed as determined by the Time Interval value. The original delay while recording is not taken into account at all, the delay between events is now constant and equal to "Time Interval".
The reason why increasing playback speed may not replay events correctly is this. Assume that while recording, you opened Notepad and typed something into it. If you playback at normal speed, the delay between clicking Notepad and opening of application is preserved. But if you playback at increased speed and the delay gets lesser than the time required by Notepad to load, keystrokes and mouse events to the application will not reach it until it loads. In general, if your speed is too quick for other things to happen (like applications loading, or a menu expanding), it might cause trouble, so please take care while running at increased speed.
Using WinMacro v1.0
If you are going to record,
Type the name of the file you want to record into, directly or by selecting it by clicking Browse in the Record section.
Click the Start Recording button. Once you click it, the button will get disabled.
Do whatever you wanted to record.
When you are finished, press Ctrl+Esc.
If you're going to playback
Type the name of the file you want to playback, directly or by selecting it by clicking Browse in the playback section.
Click the Playback button.
The application then takes control of the mouse and keyboard and begins to play back the actions stored in the file. Once it's finished, a message box pops out, which says "Playback Over". The application returns control back to you.
If you ever wanted to interrupt playback (or recording), press Ctrl+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del
