Keyboard macros for Communicators?

msiivola wrote:Are there any keyboard macro programs yet for Communicators?

No, unfortunately not.

Btw., which applications do you find to have a badly designed interface?

Raven wrote:No, unfortunately not.

Btw., which applications do you find to have a badly designed interface?

The worst irritating design flaw is in SmallBase (or I have not simply found the right way). I would use macros in SmallBase which cannot search through the records but either forwards or backwards meaning that if you are somewhere else than in the beginning or end, you have to guess at which direction you should search, and at the wrong guess you have to push keys seven times to change directions. I make a lot of searches. A simple macro could repeat those irritating repeating seven pushes again and again on behalf of me.

I cannot claim that Communicators' interface is flawed, but very arid it is, partly understandable because of the obvious miniature machine limitations. It is so simple that macros could patch up tasks a little bit here and there. I have used massively Macro Express's and Total Commander's lovely ways to shortcut many tasks, and they being indispensable for me I wish even some, even simple kind of macro programs for Communicators, too.

For example I would like to command 9300:s File manager to go to certain files/folders, copy files via chosen ways to certain targets inside 9300 and to another computers. 9300:s Backup&Restore is far too bulky & optionless for this kind of specific work. The same is valid for Transfer Files -function, too.

I would like Documents be able to get certain groups of files which are repetitively used, but not so often that they would stay in Recent Documents menu.

Only a simple dumb macro without any own inference capacity could handle most of these tasks. This is my first impression wishlist after using 9300 about five days. I hope that I have missed some tricks which you could reveal to me.

On the other hand I have had seven Psions, and because Communicators use the same language as Psions, they have helped me to find some shortcuts inherited from Psions, which are not so obvious in Communicators like ctrl-space for today day view in Calendar, and the menus in all applications working with number keys, the active applications drop-down list being zero in all menus.

Raven, do you know if it is only a question of time before somebody writes a macro program, or are there some inherent factors in Communicators, which make writing macro programs especially hard? Because Psions had some macro programs, perhaps Communicators's design makes it possible, too?

Hmm, SmallBase is a third party program though. Perhaps you could try contacting 'Corisoft' about your suggestions on how to make their app more useful?

I agree that a macros app would be perfect for many Communicator users. In fact, the more I think about it the more I want it! 😊 I don't know of anyone working on such a program, but you could always start e-mailing developers with the request. I'll ask around a little too. I don't see why it should be especially hard to write for the 9500/9300. SymbianWave have something similar for the 9210 - AppMan - which lets you assign keyboard shortcuts to any app or document. I don't think it's fully compatible with the 9500/9300 though.

Good news about keyboard macros! I wrote to Steve Lichtfield, http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/, the big Psion authority figure for me since the faraway times when Psions blossomed.

He answered to me, that the good old Macro5 is currently being ported across to the 9500! Watch www.freepoc.org, he said.

See http://www.freepoc.org/viewapp.php?id=55 to see Macro5 for Psion versions.

Eagerly, impatiently waiting!