A macro is a set of commands that can be played back at will to perform a given task. These tasks may be something as simple as inserting a name and address into a word processor to something more complex such as launching a program, copying data from it, activating another program, pasting the data into it and repeating the process several times. Tasks performed by macros are typically repetitive in nature allowing significant savings in time by executing the macro instead of manually repeating the commands.
 
Building a Macro
There are several ways to create macros with Keyboard Express. One method is to capture (record) the keystrokes. The other method is to build the macro with the easy to use Editor or Quick Macro editor. This tutorial provides examples for creating macros through each of these methods.
 
Macro Playback Options 
Keyboard Express executes (plays back) macros in three different ways. The most common method is to press a hotkey combination such as CTRL+ALT+R or Shift F12. Or use the shortkey activation by typing a string of letters to invoke a macro. The last method is to execute the macro on a schedule. We'll go through examples of these options as well.
 
Macro Scopes
This guide also discusses the scope of a macro - or the restrictions placed on the macro. Assign global macros to play back in all Windows programs or Window Specific macros that only allow the macro to execute in a specific window.  We'll also go through examples of how to do this.
 
We'll start with some basic macros and then build several, more complex macros using some of the different commands that are available.