Cursor Position coords issue

[mo]

NEVERMIND. I found that this is exactly what you have. (gizmo to follow cursor around).

SECOND EDIT: The Program is still in the way. How can I get the little tag to follow the curser around AND minimize the MS control panel etc.?

THIRD EDIT: Really, I don't FEEL like I'm having a bad day! OK I think this should be made a tad clearer in the help menu for beginners. Click on the window you want to work on to put it into focus and to hide the MS Control Panel, etc.

FOURTH EDIT: Here's the next thing: the first digit of the first coord falls under the outer barb of my curser and is partially hidden ... sufficiently so that it is not possible, without knowing it, to determine whether that number is a 5 or a 6, etc. I need to be able to specify the distance from the cursor. see that was an 8 not a 6.


Hello, this will, hopefully, be a quickie: How do you minimize the MS window so that you can move the cursor to the needed spots and note the coordinates...it sits on top and obscures the file.

Seems like what we could use is a little one of those Java applets that follows the cursor around giving the coords.

Or are you saying to determine coords I must always run the recorder?
This doesnt seem to square with writing scripts without using the recorder. Surely youall don't remember every coord on your screens?

[Bob Hansen]

Hello mo, still plugging away I see....

You asked:

How do you minimize the MS window so that you can move the cursor to the needed spots and note the coordinates...it sits on top and obscures the file.

Open any script in Macro Scheduler Editor.

From the Main Menu, select Tools. Click on Cursor Monitor so there is a check mark there. You should now see the Cusror Monitor following the mouse. Now minimize the Editor and the Macro Scheduler Control Panel by clicking on the Minimize button at the upper right corner of those windows.

If/when you close the Editor the tool will go away.

Rather than opening an existing script. open the editor with a blank screen for a new script. That should help prevent any mistakes from changing an existing script.

You also asked:

Or are you saying to determine coords I must always run the recorder?
This doesnt seem to square with writing scripts without using the recorder. Surely you all don't remember every coord on your screens?

I almost never use the Recorder, and I almost never use MouseMove commands. I use Keyboard commands instead. Because of that, I never really need the coordinates. I use MouseMove commands in fewer than 5% of hundreds of MS macros.

But on those rare occasions, like AdAware, that won't take keyboard commands, I manually write the script, enter the MouseMoveRel>x,y commands as needed. I can minimize MS Editor, continue the manual process with the Cursor Tool to see the coordinates, Resize the Editor and manually enter the values, and Minimize editor again if I need to continue manually. Definitely do not need to be Recording to use the tool.

I have found that most programs will take keyboard navigation (maybe games will be the exception) and using Mouse Movements is rare. But we all work in different environments, "so your results may differ".

Hope this helps.............good luck,
Bob

[Captive]

SECOND EDIT: The Program is still in the way. How can I get the little tag to follow the curser around AND minimize the MS control panel etc.?

Is there a reason you need to minimize it, instead of just alt-tab'ing to the application you're trying to find the window position of?

OK I think this should be made a tad clearer in the help menu for beginners.

The fourth page, in the 'Using macro scheduler' section shows the 'Creating Scripts' page. There's also a similar option if you use the debugger, instead of the properties window to create a script. The 'creating scripts' page, in the help file, is also linked to from both the MouseMove, and MouseMoveRel pages.

FOURTH EDIT: Here's the next thing: the first digit of the first coord falls under the outer barb of my curser and is partially hidden ...

You must have either some really large cursor, or some really large fonts. Maybe move the mouse one tiny position left or right, maybe you can figure out what the number was when you see that the next number is a 7 or a 9.

Instead of using the built in tool that will show you your cursor position (not only by following the cursor, but by showing the numbers in the properties window too).

There's commonly more than one way to find the answer. MacroScheduler has many commands and utilities to do acomplish the same things in different ways.

[mo]

Thanks Robert and Captive, enough there to solve my problems except for the cursor hiding the number. That actually is an issue. I'm getting on, as they say...long in the tooth (what's left of them)...and need a large cursor and it definately has caused me problems identifying the number. It's no good moving the cursor a tad as it's just not quick enough to leave the numbers behind. I'm getting an idea of where the hundreds are, but in a couple of cases I needed to use the recorder to confirm the numbers.

I can definately see me using keystrokes for everything I can use them for and not recording. I am at least partly doing this so that I can see what is going on, and that is much clearer with keystrokes. Also, the end-script looks neater, and that is another thing I have always liked in scripts I use.

I havn't posted the latest version of "open Ad-aware" because I have had problems with it, but I think I will either solve them today or need to post it for help with what is going wrong.

[Bob Hansen]

Captive's suggestion to use the Properties window may help with larger numbers.

From Macro Scheduler Control Panel, right click on a script name and then click on Properties. In the upper right corner you will see the mouse cursor positions (no color), but they are larger size and easier to read than those that follow the cursor with Cusror Monitor. You will have to keep that window open, but that's not a big deal.

Hope this helps..............good luck,
Bob

[mo]

Ok, I just changed to the Windows Standard pointers, etc. Something to consider in light of the aging baby-boomer population.

[Captive]

The following should work. I didn't make it clear in my above post.

1) Run MSChed, hilite a macro, bring the 'macro properties' window up as normal.

2) Alt-Tab to the application you're using.

3) Move the mouse to where you want it to be.

4) Alt-Tab back to MSched. You should be able to read the x/y coordinate.

This simple method should allow you to use whatever mouse cursors, and still provide a simple and fast method to find the X,Y mouse position. I'd hate to think that you'd switched cursors just because of issues seeing those values.

(I know that's what bob is referring to in his post above this... still, some detailed steps might show something obvious you were missing.)

[mo]

Thanks, Captive

I see. And actually I see that I actually see well enough to use the smaller cursor, but I will keep this in mind for the near future!