The illusion of activity: How to expose a lazy person at work. Automation of routine tasks on a PC - overview of solutions Built-in Windows scheduler
In this article I won’t write anything about how to install an OS or treat viruses; let’s rather talk about something frivolous, namely, about the best, in my opinion, jokes that can be realized using a computer.
Warning: None of the actions described in this article will harm the computer in itself, but if the victim of the prank does not understand what is happening, he decides to reinstall Windows or something else to fix what he sees on the screen, then this may already lead to unpleasant consequences. I am not responsible for this.
This idea is perfect for the office, but it’s up to you to think about the place of application. The bottom line is that you need (a disk will also work) to be at work before the employee who is the target and boot the computer in Live CD mode from bootable media. It is also advisable to remove the “Install Ubuntu” shortcut from your Linux desktop.
This is what the desktop looks like in Ubuntu Linux
After this, you can print on a printer an “official” announcement that from now on, by the decision of management and the system administrator, this computer will run Linux. Then you can just watch.
Windows Blue Screen of Death
On the Windows Sysinternals website, which contains many interesting and little-known programs from Microsoft, you can find such a thing as BlueScreen Screen Saver (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897558.aspx).
Windows Blue Screen of Death
When launched, this program generates the standard Windows blue screen of death (there are a large number of standard BSOD options - different each time). It can be installed as a Windows screensaver, which turns on after a certain time of inactivity, or you can hide it somewhere and put it in Windows startup. Another option is to add it to the Windows task scheduler, setting it to run at the desired time or at a certain frequency, etc. Exiting the Blue Screen of Death is done using the Escape key.
Connect another mouse to the computer
Do you have a wireless mouse? Connect it to the back of your colleague's system unit when he moves away. It is advisable that he is absent for at least 15 minutes, otherwise it may happen that he sees that Windows is installing drivers for a new device.
Then, when the employee returns, you can discreetly “help” work from your workplace. The stated range of most wireless mice is 10 meters, but in fact it is somewhat longer. (I just checked, the wireless keyboard works through two walls in the apartment).
Use Windows Task Scheduler
Explore the capabilities of the Windows Task Scheduler - there is also a lot you can do with this tool. For example, if someone at your work constantly sits in classmates or contacts, and at the same time constantly minimizes the browser window to hide it, then you can add a task to launch the browser and specify a social networking site as a parameter. Or you can make the blue screen of death described above start at the right time with the right frequency.
And make sure that this task is completed after a certain period of time. According to Murphy's law, one day Odnoklassniki will open at the very moment when an employee demonstrates the result of his work to his superiors on his monitor. You can, of course, indicate some other site...
Just try it, maybe you'll find a way to apply it
Press the keys Alt + Shift + Print screen on your keyboard, see what happens. It might be useful to slightly scare someone who is not yet familiar with a computer.
Are you almost a programmer? Use AutoHotkey!
Using the free AutoHotkey program (http://www.autohotkey.com/) you can create macros and compile them into executable exe files. It is not difficult. The essence of these macros is to intercept keystrokes on the keyboard and mouse, track their combinations and perform the assigned action.
For example, a simple macro:
#NoTrayIcon *Space::Send,SPACE
After you compile it and put it into startup (or just run it), every time you press the spacebar, the word SPACEBAR itself will appear in the text instead.
That's all I remember for now. Any other thoughts? Share in the comments.
To create the appearance of vigorous activity, some employees resort to very cunning techniques. Other slackers manage to remain in good standing with their superiors for years and even climb the career ladder without doing anything really. How to expose such a person? The most effective ways to simulate work are discussed by users of the discussion service Quora, popular among residents of Silicon Valley. We have translated the most interesting sayings.
Night letters
Bernard Yu, co-founder of Bombfell.com
These idle skills were honed by analysts at one bank over several years. To look busy, they walked through the corridors quickly and swiftly, as if they had some kind of purpose, almost crashing into corners. So they created the appearance that they did not even have time to calmly turn.
They also used the Outlook service, which sent emails on their behalf at 4 am. They tried to make sure that these were some meaningful messages, and not just links to interesting articles: no one will believe that you read Bloomberg all night long.
They often sighed tiredly, puffing out their cheeks, carrying a pen behind their ear, supposedly because they did not have time to run to the table. And so that no one would notice that they were aimlessly surfing the Internet, they typed some kind of gibberish while surfing online.
Tablet in hands
Russ Davis
One time, when I was a medic in the Army in the 70s, I was transferred to another base. I was assigned to one of the artillery units. There was another doctor there who liked to imitate vigorous activity. For example, he never walked through the corridors without a tablet with several sheets of paper on it. He explained this by saying that when you have something in your hands, it seems that you are busy with something. And it really worked: when we walked around the base, he was with a tablet, I was without, everyone gave me tasks, and he just walked by with a busy look.
Electronic media
Anonymous user
At my previous job, I used working time to write coursework, since I was still a student at that time. To hide the true nature of my studies, I never laid out books unrelated to my work on the table, and read all the necessary literature in PDF. Since I also needed him for work, I did not arouse the suspicion of my superiors. Moreover, they praised me for working diligently - despite the fact that I was doing 10-20 hours a week doing the wrong thing.
Serious look
John Mixon
When I talk to someone at work, I never smile. And it's not that I'm very concerned about business. When you smile, people think you have nothing better to do.
Paper
Ajay Murali
To create the appearance of work, an employee can put a piece of paper on the table and constantly write something on it, looking intently at the computer screen. In fact, there are some scribbles there.
Lunch at work
Kim Moser
If, before answering the call, you say a couple of business phrases supposedly to someone in the office and only then say hello, the person on the other end of the line will think that you are terribly busy.
Imitation of activity is also facilitated by the absence of a screensaver on the computer: those around you always see some documents on the screen and think that someone is working hard. Idlers may also eat at their desks, making it appear that they don't even have time to go to the cafeteria.
Knocking keys
Anonymous user
One day at work I wrote a novel. No one suspected me of being a slacker, and all because I was constantly tapping on the keyboard, and everyone thought that I was very busy.
Many regularly performed tasks on a computer, for example, opening many applications needed for work, checking the disk for viruses and spyware, backing up and synchronizing data, cleaning the disk from unnecessary files, etc., take the user quite a lot of time, which can could be better spent. The fact is that it is very easy to configure a computer to automatically perform such tasks, and at a time suitable from the point of view of system loading - for example, when synchronizing large amounts of data and checking a disk, it is better to choose night hours for these operations, when the computer is not used for other purposes . In reality, the range of tasks that are repeated day after day that can be automated is much wider and is not limited to the above. The computer can be entrusted with independently performing a variety of operations: opening documents and web pages, checking and cleaning the system registry, updating any data, downloading files, checking, receiving and sending email, archiving data, copying files, generating, sending by email mail and printing documents, etc. Depending on the settings, the computer can perform tasks specified by the user at strictly defined moments: every time Windows starts, when it is turned off, daily, weekly and monthly at specified hours, etc., as well as when certain system events occur. In other words, a computer can be taught to perform many actions on its own. Theoretically, there are two ways to do this.
Built-in Windows Scheduler
You can take advantage of the standard features of the Windows operating system, which has a built-in scheduler that allows you to automatically run program files when the system boots or according to a specified schedule on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This feature allows you to automate such time-consuming and regularly performed operations as backing up a disk, cleaning it from various file debris, testing the disk for viruses and/or spyware components, etc. In this case, it is not at all necessary to create your own task for each operation - you can pre-prepare a batch file with the required sequence of commands, which the scheduler will launch at a time specified by the user. Each operation creates its own task, and this is not difficult at all. First, open the Scheduled Tasks panel (from the Control Panel or by clicking Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks). And then click on the “Add task” object and, following the wizard’s instructions, indicate the required action to the scheduler.Please note that the password you enter for the task must match your Windows login password, and for programs to start automatically using Windows Scheduler, the Task Scheduler service must be running in automatic startup mode. To switch it to this mode (if for some reason the auto mode is disabled), launch the services administration editor (command "Start" > "Run" > "services.msc"), double-click on the name of the "Task Scheduler" service and on the tab "General" set the startup type to automatic.
If you need to perform several tasks sequentially (for example, launch a number of applications after logging into Windows), then it is more reasonable to prepare a batch file with the required sequence of commands (it can be created in Notepad), we provide an example of such a file below. And then configure the scheduler to run this file at the specified time. However, to do this you will have to understand the technology for creating batch files.
Specialized scheduler programs
Specialized scheduler programs allow you to perform a much wider variety of actions automatically than is possible with the standard Windows scheduler. For example, open the necessary folders and files, launch applications, reproduce certain sequences of keystrokes and mouse manipulations, download files, turn off the computer, etc. Moreover, to solve all these problems automatically, you do not need to be able to create batch files, much less have any programming skills. You can automate processes at a visual level by simply telling the system what task needs to be performed at what time and setting execution parameters. This path will be much more convenient, faster and more reliable, will allow you to optimally configure the system to automatically solve certain problems and will help save the user a lot of time. The range of scheduling programs is quite large and includes both solid, expensive packages for automating a wide range of network and computing operations, for example AutoMate ($995), which is designed for IT specialists, and more affordable (in terms of price and complexity of use) solutions, aimed at the general user. We will focus on the most popular of these solutions. The functionality of such programs is very wide. Some solutions allow you to create tasks in visual mode from a certain set of preset actions - that is, to assemble them, as it were, from “cubes”. This is not difficult at all and will take a little time, but the automation capabilities will be limited to the appropriate set of actions. Other solutions additionally support recording macros or action scripts - this means that the program, in a certain mode, can remember all actions performed by the user with the mouse and keyboard, and in the future will be able to perform them independently. However, when recording such macros, it is necessary to follow a number of rules (otherwise the result of the utility’s operation according to the script will be more than disappointing):- Before you start recording the script, you need to close all running applications;
- in the process of recording a script, when specifying any data, you must first set the focus to the edited field and only then enter the data, and when selecting a menu item, first select the parent item, and then the child;
- When defining a path, the desired path should be entered in the appropriate field manually, rather than by specifying a directory in the directory tree. Otherwise, the automatic execution process will hang because the directory tree may look different at runtime than it did when the script was written.
Macro Scheduler Automation Tool 11.1.18
Developer: MJT Net Ltd.
Distribution size: Macro Scheduler Lite - 4.42 MB; Macro Scheduler Standard - 5.39 MB; Macro Scheduler Professional - no demo version available
Spreading: shareware
Macro Scheduler is one of the most functional solutions among programs designed to automate tasks. In total, it implements three technologies for their creation. On the one hand, the program allows you to generate macros automatically - by remembering all actions performed by the user and independently generating the corresponding program code. On the other hand, Macro Scheduler allows for the development of tasks in a visual editor. Here you can limit yourself to selecting preset actions or even write program code manually, which allows you to automate almost any, even the most labor-intensive task. Therefore, the program will be useful for automating a variety of regularly performed operations. For example, it can help in automatically carrying out various work with a disk (backup, copying, synchronization, cleaning, etc.), automating control over the movement of files and downloading emails, testing and installing software, transferring files over a local network and downloading files from the Internet etc. Tasks can be launched manually, executed according to a schedule, or when certain conditions are triggered (pressing hot keys or occurrence of events related to windows/files/folders). It is possible to compile scripts created in the program into independent EXE files (alas, only in the Professional version), which can be run on any computer running Windows. The automatic creation of macro scripts is implemented in Macro Scheduler in exactly the same way as in other applications, the only difference is that it is possible to edit the macro generated by the program at the program code level. Writing a script manually is similar to developing a program, and in this case you cannot do without knowledge of the MacroScript scripting language. This language contains more than 200 script commands and standard programming constructs. These include program codes for sending messages to other applications about keystrokes and mouse operations, performing operations on the Internet, launching programs and executing commands, reading, writing, copying, moving, deleting and executing files, managing applications using dynamic data exchange (DDE - Dynamic Data Exchange), etc. If necessary, you can include VBScript code in scripts, which makes it possible to use the program to automate OLE/ActiveX tasks. The program (previously there was a Russian-language localization, the Russification package was downloaded separately from the main distribution) is presented in several editions; for the general user, the editions Macro Scheduler Lite, Macro Scheduler Standard and Macro Scheduler Professional may be of interest; a detailed comparison of editions is available at the following address. Demo versions of the first two editions are fully functional for 30 days, the cost of the commercial version of Macro Scheduler Lite edition is $39, Macro Scheduler Standard edition is $95, Macro Scheduler Professional is $195. The Macro Scheduler interface is elegantly designed and user-friendly. At the top of the working window there is a command menu and a toolbar. The side panel contains a list of categories - that is, macro tasks can be divided into various categories for convenience. The main part of the working window displays a list of tasks of the selected category, and immediately after installing the program, this list already contains many very useful examples.
To automatically create a new task based on the built-in list of actions, click on the "New" button. Then select the desired operation in the left panel of the "Macro" window that opens - say, to launch the application, open the Running Programs/Files rollout, select the "Run Program" operation and specify the name of the file to be launched, adjusting the launch parameters if necessary. This will cause the corresponding program line in MacroScript to appear in the task script (Script tab). The entire list of actions is generated in exactly the same way. Of course, any action can be entered directly manually, but this already requires programming skills. Then it is determined what will serve as a signal to start executing the task - a schedule (the "Run When" tab), pressing a keyboard combination ("Hot Key"), or another event associated with a specific window, file or folder ("Trigger"). The task name is requested after closing the Macro window. Any task is editable (the "Edit" button), and at any time you can insert/delete/change any lines of program code, and test any action using the built-in debugger. You can go another way - write down the script. Then the program will generate the program code completely independently, remembering all the actions performed by the user with the mouse and keyboard, and in the future will be able to perform it independently. To record a macro, you need to click on the "Record" button, enter the name of the macro, click on the "Start" button and start playing the desired set of actions. To end recording, by default you need to press the key combination "CTRL+ALT+S". After the script is recorded and tested successfully, the conditions for launching the corresponding task are configured.
If the script was recorded unsuccessfully, then its recording can be repeated, or the script code can be corrected manually using the debugger (the "Debug" menu), which allows you to perform the task step-by-step. For users new to programming, it is wiser to select the overwrite option.
To quickly launch individual tasks on demand, you can create shortcuts on them on the desktop (the "Shortcut" button).
To begin with, you need to understand that people who are interested in programs for automating various actions on the computer, simulating mouse movements and keyboard keystrokes, do not quite understand what they want. From the outside, everything seems simple - I need a program that will reproduce my actions with the mouse and keyboard, simulating them. Okay, let's try to understand the essence of the situation...
Macros - if you are looking for programs to automate and simulate actions on a computer, then you should know that there is such a thing as a macro. It's best to look at an example of the Microsoft Office suite. Their programs (Word, Excel...) contain a built-in Visual Basic language editor. Basic, Visual Basic, vbscript, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that it is a programming language related to Microsoft. Actually, a similar or analogous language syntax can be used in other programming languages from Uncle Bill. Unlike stand-alone packages, the Visual Basic Editor in Microsoft Office is designed to run code in an office environment, such as Word or Excel. There are similar tools in . So, you can write program code in the editor, save it, where it is called a macro, and run it periodically. A macro usually contains program code that allows you to quickly perform routine work, for example:
- Apply a style to every second paragraph.
- Convert all tables to text and apply the specified formatting.
- Automatically split contents and save into separate documents.
The macros themselves in other programs allow you to:
- Simulates a mouse button press.
- Simulation of pressing keyboard keys.
- simulate mouse clicks.
- Keyboard imitation.
- imitation of mouse movement.
There are a large number of examples of various macros for Word and Excel. However, their main advantage is that they can be created without having to write code, you can simply press the PLAY button and your actions will begin recording (selecting text, applying a style). After finishing recording (by pressing STOP), a new macro with program code will automatically appear. Next, you can run the saved macro, which will work to automate actions. It is clear that indirectly, macros can also be considered a kind of programs for automating user actions in the Word editor or Excel spreadsheet processor on a computer. Formally, macros are also created in Office, only within the editor.
You need to understand that such a concept as Macro is used in other areas of programming and languages.
Event interception– Aspects such as mouse movement and button clicks are usually called events. There can be many events, plus there are also various objects (windows, applications, window areas, and so on). Most programs for automating various user actions on the computer must be able to intercept events in the form of mouse movements, clicks and keyboard keystrokes, and then create their simulation. Some automation programs allow you to simulate or program mouse movements, others allow you to intercept, or vice versa, simulate keystrokes on the keyboard.
Making a program that can reproduce all your mouse and keyboard actions is not a problem; you can even turn on window processing. However, this will be just a simple simulation, which is suitable if you need to quickly make a few mouse clicks at one or more specified points, or automatically fill out several forms with data.
It is clear that there are many users, and there are also many tasks. Someone needs to automate the process of sorting and renaming files or directories. Someone wants to immediately apply one design to hundreds of Word documents. In the latter case, for txt documents, you can use the Notepad++ editor.
Okay, let's look at a few simple programs on the topic of the article.
Macro Dollar program to simulate keyboard, mouse, movements and clicks
Macro Dollar is an old and simple software for automating and simulating mouse and keyboard actions. Considering the fact that the program allows you to completely record and then simulate the actions of the mouse and keyboard, it can be called a full-fledged macro.
Once we launch Macro Dollar, we will see a small window with buttons to start recording, stop, and play. There are also a few things to check off:
- Topmost– the program window will always be in the foreground.
- Loop– if you check this option, the process of playing the mouse and keyboard simulation will continue endlessly.
- Shake- “shaking” function, when the mouse cursor shakes while playing a recording.
- Play or record iconized– the program window is minimized during recording.
Judging by the icons and text field, the program allows you to create your own macros using commands written in text scripts. However, it’s enough for me that Macro Dollar can record mouse and keyboard actions and then simulate them.
Macro Dollar is a portable program.
WinMacro is another simple program that simulates mouse movements and keyboard buttons.
WinMacro is as old a program as Macro Dollar and still works great. Only 3 steps are required to record; specify the file to record to, click on the record button and press the hotkey for Pause / Break to stop recording. Whenever you want to play back a recording, simply specify the path to the saved .log file and click the play button. Playback can be canceled using the hotkeys Ctrl + Esc. The Options button allows you to set the number of repetitions and playback speed.
GhostMouse – ghostly simulation of mouse and button presses
GhostMouse is a very simple program for simulating user actions, which has only 2 buttons in the main window (Play & Record). It is more suitable for quick and short-term use, but, of course, also for automating repetitive tasks.
Unlike previous examples, GhostMouse is not portable and requires installation. In the Options menu, you can set the playback speed, as well as specify what the program should record or not record - keystrokes, mouse movements, and so on.
Do It Again – creating a list of macros
Do it again is not much different from the other 3 tools listed above, but it has one advantage - a list of macro recordings displayed in the program, which makes it convenient for users who need to run various tasks without manually loading a script into the program.
Action(s) program – full automation of actions on the computer
Action(s) is a visual clone of Automator, which, however, offers slightly fewer options in the list of available interactions.
Automator- an ingenious built-in application for OS X that allows you to implement automation of actions on your computer without knowing any scripting language. The application may be useful for those who often work with digital photos. As a suitable example, you can specify the need for an automatic action - copy all photos from a given folder to a new directory, reduce their resolution by 72 DPI and convert them from a CMYK digital model to RGB. In addition, however, you can automate work with text, email, PDF documents, set scripts to run at a specified time, and, for example, work with a SQL database.
They offer their own version both for Windows and, paradoxically, for OS X. You can install automation of actions on your computer with email, files and folders, images, browser and plain text.
The advantage is a ready-made set of macros that are most often used by users - mainly for working with photographs and audiovisual content. And if the desired action (macro) is not in the library, and you want to create it, then, most likely, the desired solution can be found on the user forum dedicated to the Action(s) program. It is important to note that the program itself for automating your actions on a personal computer or laptop is written in Java. There is support for simulating mouse movements and keyboard keystrokes.
Conclusion
In rare cases, I resort to the last lines of an article in the form of a conclusion, but here I decided to make exceptions.
When starting the article, I forgot to say that it is available not only in the Word and Excel editor, but also in the Photoshop graphic editor. Yes, there is a function there that is, in some way, an analogue of a macro. So, you can record the actions that are used when processing a drawing, save them in the PSD file itself, and then easily reproduce it for other graphic data. I believe there are similar capabilities in Corel Draw and other similar programs.
