There was a time when one of the main purposes of a PC was simply to save you time. The theory was that a computer could do what you do, but do it quicker and more efficiently. Weve all seen the SciFi films and series where this is the norm, but the modern day reality is often a little different. The fact is that the PC nowadays does a lot more than just save us time. We use it to surf the web, help run our businesses, control the world, communicate, research, purchase goods and much more. But we often overlook the fact that we can also put it to work for us as well.

Windows Automation Software, or Macro Software, is designed to do just that, and make easy work of the often complex task of scripting Windows to automate manual tasks and remove mundane, repetitive processes.

Automation tools let you create macros or scripts which control other applications, mimic user input (click buttons and type keystrokes to fields on the screen etc), extract data from files, databases or websites, scrape information from the screen, carry out internet and system tasks, and monitor system events, and so on.

Most automation tools provide a macro recorder where all you have to do is click a button and carry out the task. The macro recorder will record everything you do and create the macro automatically. When you play it back later the task is performed, exactly as you recorded it. This makes it extremely easy to create macros and means that anyone can build an automation routine without any technical knowledge.

Some more advanced automation tools also provide some form of scripting interface so that more technical users can modify the code produced by the macro recorder or write code from scratch. Automation tools incorporate a scripting language with high level functions to automate various tasks. The scripting language is usually less complicated than traditional programming languages so that non-programmers can master it easily and achieve results more quickly.

Some examples of what automation software can be used for include:

Eliminating Repetitive Data Entry
Automating Software Installations
Automating and Scheduling System & Network Tasks
Data Retrieval and Data Consolidation
Interfacing Multiple Incompatible Applications
Automating File Transfers and Internet Downloads
Automating Internet and Web Tasks
Automatically Replying to Emails
Extracting Data & Generating Reports
Automated Software & Web Testing
Batching Multiple Tasks Together

A good automation tool should also include a scheduler so that your automation routines can be scheduled to take place automatically at predefined times. Automation tools usually let you assign macros to hotkeys and desktop shortcuts so that macros can be fired quickly and easily.

More advanced features of automation software include a script compiler, to convert macros to EXE files which can run standalone on any PC; Debuggers to help find problems in scripts and make it easier to create macros; Dialog builders so that you can easily build custom dialogs to query data from the user; Wizards and templates.

Automation tools and macro recorders can save huge amounts of time by automating routine computer tasks and streamlining manual procedures. Almost anyone can benefit from an automation tool and you dont have to be a programmer to use one.