This section guides you through a number of common tasks for PTFB Pro:
Automatically dismiss the Outlook security message ("A program is trying to access...")
Automatically dismiss a popup message (dialog) with a single-click
Automatically dismiss a system tray notification balloon
Automatically perform a series of mouse clicks and/or key presses when a dialog appears
Reduce the delay before PTFB Pro takes action
Get PTFB Pro to record or notify you about its actions
Get PTFB Pro to handle dialogs even when your PC is locked
Make PTFB Pro start automatically each time your computer starts up
This is done using a "Single Press" target, as follows.
When the offending Outlook security message next appears:
If you haven't changed PTFB Pro's settings, the new target will have a 1 second delay before it dismisses the Outlook warnings. If you'd rather have PTFB Pro handle the dialogs as fast as possible, you can reduce the delay to 0 seconds - here's how.
Finally, please bear in mind that Microsoft added this security feature to Outlook with the best of intentions. PTFB Pro can't discriminate between legitimate attempts to send email and the work of rogue scripts and viruses - if you use PTFB Pro to override the warning dialogs, you assume the associated risks.
To do this, you'll need to open up PTFB Pro's main window and define a new "Single Press" target. Read the following section for a step-by-step guide: Automating Button Pushing - The Basics
Irritated by XP/Vista's balloon messages hovering over the system tray area? Use PTFB Pro's Single-Press facility to close them as soon as they appear. Click here for more details.
When you want do do something more complicated than a single click, you need to define a Macro. In brief, the procedure for this is:
Here's a full step-by step guide to the whole process: Automating Execution of Macros - The Basics
Unless you've already changed PTFB Pro's default settings, each new target you create starts out with a 1 second delay. This is for safety reasons - it lets you briefly see the target window just before PTFB Pro handles it for you.
You can raise the delay, or reduce it right down to zero seconds (almost instant, subject to the speed of your computer and current workload). To do this:
For more details about this and other settings you can change for single press and macro items, please read the following sections:
Automating Button Pushing - Tweaking the Settings
Recording and Playback of Macros- Tweaking the Settings
Since PTFB Pro is primarily designed for dismissing irritating messages, it carries out an action only once each time it sees the target window. You can change this, and allow PTFB Pro to repeat the action as follows:
Macros offer additional options for repeated playback:
For more details about this and other settings you can change for single press and macro items, please read the following sections:
Automating Button Pushing - Tweaking the Settings
Recording and Playback of Macros - Tweaking the Settings
To do this, you need to setup a notification on each of the targets you want to monitor. For more information please read the following section: Setting up Notifications
By default, PTFB Pro can't handle dialogs that pop up while your PC is locked, but you can give PTFB Pro the ability to briefly unlock then re-lock your PC when action needs to be taken. To do so, you need to:
For more details, please read the following section: Working with a locked computer / locking screensaver
In the dim and distance past, this required the addition of a shortcut to the "Startup" group of the Start menu, but this is no longer necessary!
To set automatic start up:
Note: if you have created a shortcut in the Startup group, then make choice between using that or the above method - don't use both, because PTFB will open its main window if a second attempt is made to run it while it's sitting minimized in the tray.
For more information, please read the section titled: PTFB Pro Configuration
If you want to call a temporary halt to PTFB's activities, here's a quick run-down of how to do it.
To stop a macro in mid-playback, hold down the CTRL and ALT keys together, and tap the Escape key. This will abort macro playback, and bring up the Start menu.
To temporarily disable PTFB, either left-click its icon in the tray to open the main window, or right-click the icon and choose "Disable PTFB".
Remember you can also define a hotkey for enabling/disabling PTFB. In fact, if you're considering setting up a repeating item with zero delays, this is a must!
To disable a particular item, untick it in PTFB's main list - this prevents the item from firing for any and all triggers you've defined