WinMacro

WinMacro is a simple Macro recorder/player for Windows written in Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0. It can record whatever you do at your Windows Desktop, and can replay them exactly. It doesn`t record video, instead it uses windows hooking mechanisms to monitor your mouse and keyboard events, and plays them back. Therefore the recorded file is much smaller than what would be if you recorded live video, typically in the range of kilobytes.

If you are wondering what use such software will be, you`ll be surprised to know it`s power. WinMacro can be used to automate everyday tasks that you need to repetetively. You only have to look at Word or Excel to know how useful it is. I personally use WinMacro to connect to the internet using dialup, open browser windows and type URLs for checking my mail. All I had to do was do that once, and record the whole thing. The next time, I simply play that file back, and everything takes place automatically.

You can use it to give a practical demonstration as part of a tutorial. Just imagine, instead of instructing users to go to Start->Programs->blah blah, you can show the whole thing like somebody sitting nearby. You do what you want your users to do once, record it, and simply give the file as part of the tutorial. Users can then play back the file to get first hand knowledge. You can even use it for testing purposes, say to test a GUI. You needn`t keep moving the mouse or banging the keyboard, WinMacro can do it for you.