Question

Keboard macro / remapper?

Asked by: Lisa0812

Can anyone recommend a shareware program that will allow to to assign a few key sequences to say a function key for speeding up certain input tasks? it must work in dos (in win xp) ?

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Asked On
2004-12-01 at 06:02:54ID21226073
Tags

macro

Topic

MS DOS

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2
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Answers

 

by: SteveGTRPosted on 2004-12-01 at 06:50:47ID: 12716174

Use DOSKEY. Here is the help for DOSKEY (available with /? parm):

Edits command lines, recalls Windows 2000 commands, and creates macros.

DOSKEY [/REINSTALL] [/LISTSIZE=size] [/MACROS[:ALL | :exename]]
  [/HISTORY] [/INSERT | /OVERSTRIKE] [/EXENAME=exename] [/MACROFILE=filename]
  [macroname=[text]]

  /REINSTALL          Installs a new copy of Doskey.
  /LISTSIZE=size      Sets size of command history buffer.
  /MACROS             Displays all Doskey macros.
  /MACROS:ALL         Displays all Doskey macros for all executables which have
                      Doskey macros.
  /MACROS:exename     Displays all Doskey macros for the given executable.
  /HISTORY            Displays all commands stored in memory.
  /INSERT             Specifies that new text you type is inserted in old text.
  /OVERSTRIKE         Specifies that new text overwrites old text.
  /EXENAME=exename    Specifies the executable.
  /MACROFILE=filename Specifies a file of macros to install.
  macroname           Specifies a name for a macro you create.
  text                Specifies commands you want to record.

UP and DOWN ARROWS recall commands; ESC clears command line; F7 displays
command history; ALT+F7 clears command history; F8 searches command
history; F9 selects a command by number; ALT+F10 clears macro definitions.

The following are some special codes in Doskey macro definitions:
$T     Command separator.  Allows multiple commands in a macro.
$1-$9  Batch parameters.  Equivalent to %1-%9 in batch programs.
$*     Symbol replaced by everything following macro name on command line.

You can create a macrofile with a list of commands. I adjusted my Command prompt shortcut to call a batch file where I do stuff. One of the things I do is call DOSKEY with a macro file:

%SystemRoot%\SYSTEM32\CMD.EXE /x /k c:\util\ntdos.bat

Inside ntdos.bat I have the following command:

doskey /macrofile=c:\util\doskey.mac

Here are some examples from my macro file:

winhot=r:$Tcd\hotline$Techo Executing FINDSTR, please wait...$Tfindstr /c:"Key: WN" hotdump.dat | findstr $* | more
s=c:$Tcd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\MFC\SRC"

Good Luck,
Steve

 

by: Lisa0812Posted on 2004-12-01 at 20:22:04ID: 12723065

say  wanted to make the F12 key to be '9' + enter + arrow-down how would I do that?

 

by: SteveGTRPosted on 2004-12-01 at 20:40:26ID: 12723147

Well I don't believe that DOSKEY would do that. I'll look into this some more tomorrow.

 

by: pbarrettePosted on 2004-12-04 at 08:06:57ID: 12744562

Hi Lisa,

One simple way would be to find "recorder.exe" and "recorder.dll" from a copy of Windows 3.1 or Windows 3.11

This is the good-old-fashioned macro recorder from the "good 'ol days" of windows.

It will allow you to record and playback keyboard macros even in WinXP. Mouse support is a bit shaky, but keystrokes are no problem.

pb

 

by: Lisa0812Posted on 2004-12-04 at 20:31:45ID: 12746722

pbarrette

and would this work in xp/DOS ?

 

by: pbarrettePosted on 2004-12-05 at 23:26:15ID: 12751772

Hi Lisa,

Yes.. I tested it myself just before posting.

While recorder is running, you can record and playback keystroke macros in the WinXP command-prompt.

Oh.. And hi Steve..

pb

 

by: SteveGTRPosted on 2004-12-06 at 05:44:48ID: 12753850

pb great to see you again :)

 

by: SteveGTRPosted on 2005-01-04 at 11:34:53ID: 12955495

pbarrette offered a good avenue for solving the problem.

 

by: pbarrettePosted on 2005-01-05 at 05:43:00ID: 12961681

Hi Steve, TLO,

The solution I posted works.

It's not the best solution since it requires some digging to find an old copy of Win3.1 and running the horrible macro recorder interface, but it does work.

I tested the exact scenario: "make the F12 key to be '9' + enter + arrow-down" using recorder.exe to record the keystrokes (9 <ENTER> <DOWN>) and then play them back into a WinXP command-prompt (both at command line and in "edit.exe") using the F12 key.

I'm sure there are other, newer, freeware keystroke macro recorders around as well which would work the same. The basic premise being that there is no native way for WinXP to do this and a macro recorder/playback utility would be needed.

pb

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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