How do I create a mouse and keyboard macro and launch it with a single hot key?

1. Click the <Add> button and a wizard will guide you through the steps. 

2. Choose "Remember mouse and keyboard events" and click <Next>

3. First choose how you will launch the macro. See the window below.

4a. If you choose "Press a hot key"  you will see the window below.

Make sure that the cursor is blinking in the field.  Then strike the key(s) that you will use to run your new macro.  We recommend that you choose key combinations like <Ctrl+B>, or <Shift+F8>, etc.   If you choose keys like <E> or <0>, this could interfere with the way you use your other software.  For example, if you are using a word processor and you type

"Every good boy does fine"

and you have a macro set up for the <E> key, then your 'E' macro would run instead of the 'E' appearing in your word processor's window.

4b. If you choose "Use Type-A-Macro" to launch a macro you will see the window below.

This is where you type the keysequence you want to use to launch your macro.   Be sure you use a key sequence that you won't use very much in another program.  For example, typing "ing" will appear in a lot of words you type.  It would not be a good candidate for a Type-A-Macro key sequence.  Something like "nP" would be very handy since you won't be mixing a lowercase n and capital P very often.  Mixing capitalization is a handy trick.

4c. If you choose "Wait for a certain window to appear..." you will see the window below.

You can type all or part of the title of a window you will be setting up this macro to watch for.  For example if you enter  'Notepad', this macro will launch  when the Notepad program starts.

5. You now see the default settings for this new macro. 

By default you will be recording keystrokes and mouse movements and clicks.  Keystrokes and mouse movements and clicks are also known as 'events'.  You can click the "Record keyboard events" box to record keystrokes, the "Record mouse events" box to record mouse information, or you can click both boxes to capture both.

Notice the 'Repeat' button.  By clicking this you can set the macro to repeat

. a certain number of times

. over and over again for a certain period of time

. or repeat for ever until you hit the <Pause> key to stop it.

See the window below.

6. When all of your settings are the way you like them, you may either create the macro by hand or record your keystrokes. 

If you want to record your keystrokes click the <Record> button.  The EZ Macros window disappears, and a green light appears in the tray window (the clock window).  When the green light is on you are recording a macro.  Now is the time to type and/or move your mouse for your macro.  When you are finished recording your macro, hit the "macro stop hot key" on your keyboard.  (This is the <Pause> key be default.  But you can change it in the File..Preferences..Program window.)The EZ Macros window will reappear, and the green light in the system tray will turn to a red light.

If you want simply to create the macro by typing the text in a text editor, click the <Create/Edit> button.   You will be presented with a window like this.

This is a simple method for typing macros exactly the way you want them to appear in your macro.  If you want to insert special keys, like F1, click the <F1> b+utton.   Notice the buttons on the right of the window called:

Activate Window

Insert Sound

Include

Insert Delay

Insert Date/Time

Insert Pause

Insert Comment

Call Macro - Allows you to call another macro from the current macro

Call DLL

Reboot - Allows you to log off, shutdown or  restart the computer from the macro

Copy/Ren/Del File - Allows you to copy, rename or delete a file in your macro

Email - Allows you to automatically generate and send an email, or automatically start an email and allow you (or a macro) to edit it.

Enter Data - Used for allowing you to stop the macro while playing, typing some data for the macro to insert for you, then continuing the macro.

Click on these button names above to learn about each function. 

8. After you record or create your macro the first time, you can click the <Edit> button to see the list of events stored in your macro. 

You can insert a recording into the existing one.  Just highlight the row that you want, click the <Insert Recording> button, and the new instructions will be inserted before the highlighted row.

You can append a recording onto the end of the existing one by clicking the <Append Recording> button.   When you are finished recording your macro, hit the "macro stop hot key" on your keyboard.  (This is the <Pause> key be default.  But you can change it in the File..Preferences..Program window.) You will see the new events in the list.

9. After you click the <Next> button, you can enter a description for this macro.  This will help you to remember what this macro does when you come back to it later.