Welcome to Macro Express 5

Macro Express is the premier macro utility on the market. Use Macro Express to record, edit and play back mouse and keyboard macros. Its powerful tools and robust features will noticeably boost productivity.

What is a Macro?

A macro is a set of written or recorded commands that can be played back at will to perform a specific task. These tasks can be as simple as inserting a name and address into a word processor to something more complex such as launching a program, copying data from it, activating another program, pasting the data into it and repeating the steps several times.

Tasks performed by macros are typically repetitive in nature allowing significant savings in time by executing the macro instead of manually repeating the commands.

Creating a Macro

There are several methods available to create macros with Macro Express. The simplest is to capture (record) keystrokes and mouse movements. Another method is to use the Quick Wizards to build a macro through a series of questions and prompts. Or build more complex macros with the easy to use Script Editor or Direct Editor. The tutorial provides examples of creating macros using each of these methods.

Playing Back a Macro

Macro Express provides a number of methods for executing macros. These include the use of Hot Keys, Shortkeys, Scheduled Macros, Window Activation, Mouse Clicks, Popup/Floating Menus and others described below.

1.A Hot Key is a set of keys on the keyboard that are pressed to initiate the macro. This could include pressing CTRL+ALT+R or CTRL+F12 or any number of combinations.
 

2.A Shortkey is a small string of characters. When a matching combination is typed on the keyboard, it is erased and the assigned macro executes. For example, type #add to insert an address into another application.
 

3.A Scheduled Macro executes on a given time schedule.
 

4.A Window Activated macro runs when a specific window gains focus (appears) on the computer screen.
 

5.Run macros by clicking on a specific area of the screen with the left, right or middle Mouse button.
 

6.A Popup Menu or Floating Menu is basically a list of defined macros. Once the list is displayed, click on the desired macro or press an associated number or letter to execute the macro.
 

7.Activate a macro through a Batch File or Command Line.
 

8.Execute macros by using Windows API calls or Windows Explorer.
 

9.Run a macro from the Macro Explorer by using the Run Macro Now option.

Macro Scopes

Macro scopes may be used to place restrictions on macros. Assign macros to play back in all Windows programs, in one specific window or program, or in every program except the one selected. The tutorial section also provides a few examples of how to do this.