Task automation can be as simple as assigning a specific task to a function key or as complex as monitoring a certain process or program and take specific actions according to its state. PTFB Pro can help you to design and perform both in a seamless and effective way, as well as to schedule a program to run at a specific time or to execute a batch file or an instruction from a command line. The possibilities are endless, and this tool seems to master them all.
This level of sophistication and versatility has its price, though, when it comes to the learning curve required to make the most of this tool. Don’t let its simplistic initial window and the macro type menu that opens when you click on the “New Macro...” button fool you – behind those apparently innocent buttons lies a plethora of settings, properties, tabs, and dialogs that you need to tweak and configure to produce the most accurate and reliable macros and automated tasks. Nobody said it was easy, but you can rest assured that once you get past the learning curve, you’ll find a reward that’s worth the effort.
Looking at the various tabs and configuration dialogs, one can see very clearly that nothing has been left to chance here. Every single detail required to make a macro perfect, to have every possible movement safely under control has been dealt with in PTFB Pro. When “recorded live”, macros will save every single movement and action you perform on your computer, and will be scrupulously reproduced every time you invoke them. Macros can then be triggered in various situations, such as when a program starts up, when a window pops up, when a given program hangs or isn’t running (or “is” running) at a specified time, etc., and each of these situations can be minutely configured to work as intended.
Thus, PTFB Pro can monitor processes and apps running on Windows and launch programs that haven’t been started properly, shut down those that shouldn’t be running, and restart programs at a given time or whenever they become unresponsive. You can also define the size, position, and overall state of a specified window, and respond to prompts or confirmation screens that keep withdrawing your attention from more important matters.
Sensitive macros can be protected with a password, shared between computers, deployed on multiple machines, and even left to work unattended even when the workstation is locked or in a dormant remote session. Finally, PTFB Pro can save logs of your macros’ activities and send you a notification via e-mail to let you know that the required processes have been carried out successfully.
Despite its exquisite level of sophistication, PTFB Pro is a tool that anyone can use to record and reproduce repetitive tasks easily – going further than that will require you a bit of patience and some trial and error. As said, however, you will soon find out that the reward is worth the effort.
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