|
|
|
By James E. Powell
The thing I've missed most since moving to Windows 95 is Win 3.1x's Recorder application. Fortunately, Keyboard Express not only works in Win95, it also improves on Recorder.
A keyboard macro utility, Keyboard Express lets you substitute a couple of hotkeys for a series of keystrokes, and also lets you edit your keystrokes within the macro. You can define 288 hotkeys of up to 5,000 keystrokes apiece, although you won't be able to use any hotkey combinations already used by your applications' shortcut keys.
You can capture strokes as you type or enter key presses directly. If you make a mistake during a macro recording session, you simply finish the macro, then edit. Keyboard Express' editor has its own shortcuts for commonly used keys. You can add, modify, delete, copy and move hotkeys as well. The program also lets you add system data, such as the date and time, as part of your macro.
I've found this utility especially handy for adding my name and address to the end of e-mail messages. I had no trouble running Keyboard Express in any program I tried, from Word 7.0 and WordPerfect 6.1 to Netscape, America Online and Prodigy e-mail.
Keyboard Express won't respond to mouse movements. But since most of the macros I've created so far replace repetitive keystrokes, and menu commands have been available for most tasks, key-only support has been a minor inconvenience.
Repetitive typing is a drag. Keyboard Express lightens the load considerably.
Info File
Keyboard Express 1.1
Price: $24.95 (direct)
Pros: Editable macros
Cons: Doesn't capture mouse movements
Platforms: Windows 95, 3.1x
Disk Space: 765KB
RAM: 4MB
Insight Software Solutions
801-295-1890, fax 801-299-1781
WinMag Box Score: 4.0
|
|
|