![]() But AutoHotkey’s quick-and-dirty nature disguises a mature, powerful programming language that can handle everything from complex math operations to HTML transformations to creating whole user interfaces (windows, buttons, and all).ĪutoHotkey’s Window Spy lets you peer into any window on your system, to better automate it. Much like PhraseExpress, this simple (and free) script processor can respond to hotkeys and “hotstrings” (type wbr and AutoHotkey can replace it with “Best Regards”). On the other hand, PhraseExpress comes packed with useful examples-so if you like to learn by example, you might be able to find a macro similar to the one you need and then just customize it.įor years now, whenever I’ve needed my computer to handle something out of the ordinary, I’ve reached for AutoHotkey. Another problem involves the documentation: Its maker (Bartels Media) does provide some online documentation, but the information isn’t especially thorough. For one thing, it’s not a proper programming language: You can’t easily configure variables, and the built-in editor doesn’t offer line numbers or auto-completion for commands. Powerful though it is, PhraseExpress has some limitations. And after installing a free add-on file from the PhraseExpress website, you can even use PhraseExpress as an inline calculator: Just type something like (10+5)*7= and the app will offer to replace that text with the correct result. It can prompt for variables (like a person’s name) and insert them in the right place in a snippet. It can enter dynamic information into snippets, such as today’s date, or even the date six days from now. ![]() For example, PhraseExpress can recognize when you correct a typo, figure out on its own certain typos that you commonly commit at the keyboard, and start offering corrections before you even notice that you’ve mistyped a word. Yes, you can save common snippets of text and quickly insert them with just a keystroke or two (a very useful feature) but you can do a lot more, too. Saying that PhraseExpress is a text replacement program is a bit like saying that a computer is a typewriter. PhraseExpress can eliminate needless typing, and it supports sophisticated text macros. You can access the VBA editor by pressing Alt-F11 or by using the Developer tab on the Ribbon (though you must make that tab visible first). You can record a macro of yourself doing something (say, selecting some text and making it bold), and then use the built-in VBA editor to see what the macro looks like in code form. ![]() One of VBa’s best features is that how easy it is to get started with. You can use it for just about anything, from entering text to formatting a document to working with external files to creating custom Excel functions.īundled with Microsoft Office, VBA lets you record macros and then customize them to do just about anything Office-related. If you’re looking to automate any work that you do in Word, Excel, or Access, VBA is the tool you need. You can’t download and install VBA, but you probably already have it: It’s built into Microsoft Office. No article on the subject of automating daily work is complete without a mention of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). In other words, Directory Opus can help you automate just about any task that involves manipulating files, and its commands are well documented. You can arrange to select a collection of files and quickly rename all of them according to some scheme, or you can build a macro that selects all of the DOC and JPG files in the current folder, zips them up in an archive with a name and type of your choosing, and emails them. For example, you can designate a single keystroke for creating a new document bearing today’s date in a specific format (, 121213, etc.). This level of customization leads to easy automation: Directory Opus has its own built-in set of commands, making up a simple scripting language. You can also change the layout to look like anything from a dual-pane commander-style application to regular Windows Explorer to something uniquely yours. You can customize all of your buttons, toolbars, menus, and commands, setting your own hotkeys and names for everything. That said, if you work with files all day, Directory Opus is worth every penny. Priced at $69 (in Australian dollars), Directory Opus is one of the costliest file managers around it’s considerably more expensive than, for instance, Total Commander ($44). Directory Opus is extremely customizable and has its own simple scripting language.
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