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Automating windows with a script?

T

tekhed

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 14, 2002
Messages
136
I was wondering what type of language I could use to help automate some incredibly dull and time consuming windows tasks. I frequently use an IBM interface client for an AS400 server, and it's driving me nuts that I have to repeatedly do the same actions over and over. For instance, to get to the menu I use most often, I have to input my name and password twice (at two different screens), chose the option that I want and go through 2 more submenus. The kicker is that the info I input is the exact same each time, so is there a way I could use a shortcut for this somehow? I've already looked into the program saving my passwords for me and such, but it can't, and it can't default to the menu I want it to either. I was pondering the use of a script of some sort, similar to recording a macro in excel or something, where it would just 'copy' my actions and duplicate them each run of the script. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Mike
 
Sheesh, feel a bit stupid for answering MY OWN POST, but I guess I just needed a little more googlage (googleage? googleige? googling? googleing?). Anyway, this seemed like it would do the trick autoIT
Anyone used something like this before?
 
There may be a scripting language built into the IBM software. We use Attachmate Extra! to connect to IBM 3270 (mainframe) display and printer sessions, and Extra! has a complete scripting/programming language built in. I can automate anything I want to on my user's mainframe sessions.

One problem you might encounter (we did) is that you aren't interacting with Windows when you are using the emulator, you are interacting with the AS400. This may or may not make it tough to use some of the most common Windows automation methods.

- Qualm
 
You might want to think about Reflections - designed mainly for the Alpha/VMS environment, but works just as well as a text client for almost anything. Anyway, it supports VBA in the background, and so can be automated from pretty much anything.
 
Wow, I'll have to look into those a bit. My original idea was just to automate logons and stuff like that, but it sounds like with the proper tools I'd maybe even be able to pull data from spreadsheets and the like, and have it entered automatically? The program that lives on the AS400 (about 2000 miles away) is a purchase order/accounting database that I routinely have to plug data into, very often from spreadsheets. I'd definetly be willing to invest the time learning something that would allow me to backend(?) a module to upload a spreadsheet's seperate cell values into a non-conforming system with different syntatical input. I've been learning how to use VBA in excel, which has made my life much easier, so I am ripe for new ideas for "maximizing my efficiency"... :D
 
AutoIT did the trick! My script is kinda messy, but sure beats having to click through a few menus and a couple of logins. It even lets you compile it as an executable. Still working on that server backend though... :D
 
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