There are countless routine tasks you perform at your computer time and time again. You might launch the same set of programs, type the same set phrases, click the same menu options in applications time and time again.
Rather than doing all of this manually, you can turn to JitBit Macro Recorder to do the hard work for you, saving you not only effort, but also time
Download and Getting Started
Head on over to the Macro Recorder web site here and click the Free download button to save the installer to the desktop. Once the download is complete, double click the executable and run through the installation.
There is a freely downloadable version of MacroRecorder at the Jitbit web site
There is nothing particularly different about the installation process, but you will need to make sure that you are connected to the internet so that additional components can be downloaded. Once the installer has done its job, click the Evaluate button to get started with the program.
Stay online during the installation so the necessary files can be downloaded
Set Program Options
Before you start, it’s a good idea to configure a few options, so click Close to start with. Click the Settings button in the toolbar and make sure that you are on the Recording settings tab.
In the Mouse recording section, select the option labelled Record mouse clicks only and then click OK. This helps you to record macros that perform quickly and generate as little code as possible. You may now want to close and relaunch the program so you can configure a basic startup option before creating your first macro.
Create leaner code by opting not to record mouse movements
Creating a Macro
Launch the program and hit the Record a new macro button to jump into the app – you can tick the Don’t show this at startup box before clicking this or the Close button to prevent this welcome screen from being displayed on subsequent launches.
When you launch Macro Recorder you'll be given the chance to record a new one
We’ll start by creating a macro that launches a two applications one after the other – Notepad and Word – and then arrange them on the desktop. Once recording has started, just use the mouse or keyboard as normal to launch the programs you would like to control with a macro.
When you’ve got to the end of the actions you would like to automate, click the Stop recording button or press Ctrl and Q simultaneously.
Macro recording can be stopped by clicking the button or using a shortcut
In the Macro Recorder window, you’ll now see the series of commands that make up the actions you have just performed, and all of this has been recorded in a repeatable form without the need to type a single line of code.
You can view the code of a macro to see how it is saved
You can check that everything works as expected by hitting the Play button at the top of the screen.
Speeding Up Playback
The point of most macros is to help make certain tasks quicker and easier to perform. Having tasks automated certainly makes them easier, but it would be frustrating to have macros played back at the speed they were recorded.
Click the Tools menu and select Settings before moving to the Playback settings tab. Move the Playback speed slider all the way to the right to the Fast setting and then click OK. If you now playback you macro you should find that the actions are performed much more quickly.
Speed up macro playback to get things done faster
Shortcuts and Executables
There are countless different macros that you could create, but whatever you use them for you want them to be as easy to access as possible. The first option available to you is to assign a keyboard shortcut to a macro you have recorded. In the main program, click the Tools menu and select Bind macro to hotkeys.
Click the New button and select a macro you have recorded. Move to the Bind to hotkey field and press the keyboard shortcut you would like to use (such as Ctrl + Shift + D) before clicking OK.
Macros can be assigned keyboard shortcuts to make them easy to execute
The second option you can use is to convert a macro you have created into a standalone executable file – this means that it is essentially an application whose sole purpose is to perform the actions you have recorded.
With the macro you are interested in open in the program, click the File menu and select the Compile to EXE option and enter a suitable name before clicking the Save button.
By converting macro into EXE files, you create your own custom programs to automate tasks
The Lite version of Jitbit Macro can only save macros that are up to thirty commands long, and a warning message to this effect will be displayed – just click OK followed by OK. While this may seem like a strict limit, there is a still a great deal that can be achieved with thirty commands, but you may need to experiment with different ways of accomplishing tasks.
Summing Up
Macro Recorder is available in a standard and Lite version, with the latter lacking a number of option such as the ability to create standalone executable files that include more instructions. The Lite version is completely free of charge, and while it is not as feature-packed as the paid for edition, it is still well worth a look.
Whether you decide to opt to upgrade to the full version or not, this is still an incredibly powerful tool, and a utility that is wonderfully useful in its own right. There are countless uses for a macro recorder; let us know what you use the program for in the comments below.
