Macro Express News

February 7, 2014

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Macro Express v 3.10

Macro Express v 3.10 (v 3.10.0.1) is now available from www.macros.com/download. This release of Macro Express contains many enhancements and bug fixes including:

  • Added support for Windows 8.1.
  • The Sound File command dialog in the Script Editor now displays a list of system sounds that can be used with this command.
  • Improved reliability of the Text Type command.
  • The correct window now gets focus when the Pause command with the Keep Focus option unchecked is used on some versions of Windows.
  • The If Ping Successful command now works on later versions of Windows when Macro Express is not running as administrator.
  • The Terminate Macro Express command now closes the editor.
  • Fixed a problem that could cause a problem with the LICENSENAME and LICENSECODE advanced installation options.
  • Updated macros in samples.mex to be compatible with newer versions of Windows and to be more reliable.

A complete list of changes is available on the Revision History page.

Send Text Messages to Mobile Phones

Macro Express and Macro Express Pro can send text messages to mobile phones. Most wireless phone providers provide a way to send a text message to a phone using an email address. To do this use the ‘Email Send’ command and set the destination email address to the gateway appropriate for your provider and cell phone number.

Standard or Short Message Service (SMS) text messages are limited to 160 or fewer text characters. If the mobile provider and the destination cell phone support it, longer messages may be sent using Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). You may also be able to attach images or videos to a message sent via MMS.

Here is a list of email addresses to use to send text messages for some providers.

CarrierCountrySMS GatewayMMS Gateway
AT&T MobilityUnited Statesdomestic-number@txt.att.netdomestic-number@mms.att.net
HSL MobileUnited Kingdomnumber@sms.haysystems.com
Iridium (satellite)Internationalnumber@msg.iridium.com
O2Germany0number@o2online.de
OrangeNetherlands0number@sms.orange.nl
OrangeUnited Kingdomnumber@orange.net
PC TelecomCanadanumber@mobiletxt.ca
SprintUnited Statesnumber@messaging.sprintpcs.comnumber@pm.sprint.com
T-MobileUnited Statesnumber@tmomail.netnumber@tmomail.net
T-MobileAustrianumber@sms.t-mobile.at43676domestic-number@sms.t-mobile.at
T-MobileGermanynumber@t-mobile-sms.de
T-MobileNetherlands31number@gin.nl
Verizon WirelessUnited Statesnumber@vtext.comnumber@vzwpix.com

A more complete list of SMS Gateways is available here or via an Internet search.

Tip: Keyboard Shortcuts in macros

A customer wrote to ask “How can I have a macro insert a link in a Gmail message?” The answer is to use Keyboard Shortcuts. Some shortcuts such as Ctrl+c (copy) and Ctrl+v (paste) are well known and common to most Windows applications. Other shortcuts are unique to a specific application. Once you know the shortcut you want, enter it into a Text Type command in your macro. For example, the shortcut Ctrl+k will insert a link in Gmail. This Text Type command will enter a link in Gmail:

    Text Type: <CTRLD>k<CTRLU>www.macros.com<CTRLD>k<CTRLU>

This may also work:
    Text Type: <CONTROL>kwww.macros.com<CONTROL>k

Note: In most cases you should use lower case letters for Keyboard Shortcuts in the Text Type command. If you use an upper case letter in the Keyboard Shortcut some applications may not work as expected because the following keystrokes are sent to the application (note the <SHIFTD> and <SHIFTU>):

     <CTRLD><SHIFTD>k<SHIFTU><CTRLU>

Keyboard Shortcuts for Gmail:

  • Ctrl+b: Make text bold
  • Ctrl+i: Italicize text
  • Ctrl+u: Underline text
  • Ctrl+Shift+l: Left-align text (lower case L)
  • Ctrl+Shift+e: Center text horizontally
  • Ctrl+Shift+r: Right-align text
  • Ctrl+k: Insert a link

Click here for more Gmail Keystroke Shortcuts

Note: To use some Gmail keyboard shortcuts you may need to enable them by clicking on the Settings gear icon, Settings in the menu that appears, select the General tab and make sure Keyboard shortcuts on is selected.

Here are some of the useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows:

  • F1: Help
  • Win+e: Windows Explorer
  • Win+d: Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop
  • Win+l: Lock Workstation (lower case L)
  • CTRL+ESC: Open the Start menu
  • Win+Break: System Properties dialog box

Visit these web pages for Windows Keystroke Shortcuts, Windows 7 Keystroke Shortcuts and Windows 8 Keystroke Shortcuts.

Keyboard Shortcuts can make your macros do things you never thought possible. To find Keyboard Shortcuts for a specific application visit your favorite online search engine and enter “keyboard shortcuts” followed by the name of the application you are using. Here are links to pages documenting Keyboard Shortcuts for some popular applications: