APPS - Send data the executed external application

Data is send as key-strokes, meaning if you are careful, you can control the other other application from your micro, or through a macro!

(Adopted from Microsoft MSDN files)

Each key is represented by one or more characters. To specify a single keyboard character, use the character itself. For example, to represent the letter A, use "A" for string. To represent more than one character, append each additional character to the one preceding it. To represent the letters A, B, and C, use ABC for string.

The plus sign (+), caret (^), percent sign (%), tilde (~), and parentheses ( ) have special meanings to APPS. To specify one of these characters, enclose it within braces ({}). For example, to specify the plus sign, use {+}. Brackets ([ ]) have no special meaning to APPS, but you must enclose them in braces. In other applications, brackets do have a special meaning that may be significant when dynamic data exchange (DDE) occurs. To specify brace characters, use {{} and {}}.

To specify characters that aren't displayed when you press a key, such as ENTER or TAB, and keys that represent actions rather than characters, use the codes shown below:

Key Code 

BACKSPACE {BACKSPACE}, {BS}, or {BKSP} 

BREAK {BREAK} 

CAPS LOCK {CAPSLOCK} 

DEL or DELETE {DELETE} or {DEL} 

DOWN ARROW {DOWN} 

END {END} 

ENTER {ENTER} or ~ 

ESC {ESC} 

HELP {HELP} 

HOME {HOME} 

INS or INSERT {INSERT} or {INS} 

LEFT ARROW {LEFT} 

NUM LOCK {NUMLOCK} 

PAGE DOWN {PGDN} 

PAGE UP {PGUP} 

PRINT SCREEN {PRTSC} 

RIGHT ARROW {RIGHT} 

SCROLL LOCK {SCROLLLOCK} 

TAB {TAB} 

UP ARROW {UP} 

F1 {F1} 

F2 {F2} 

F3 {F3} 

F4 {F4} 

F5 {F5} 

F6 {F6} 

F7 {F7} 

F8 {F8} 

F9 {F9} 

F10 {F10} 

F11 {F11} 

F12 {F12} 

F13 {F13} 

F14 {F14} 

F15 {F15} 

F16 {F16} 

To specify keys combined with any combination of the SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT keys, precede the key code with one or more of the following codes:

Key Code 

SHIFT + 

CTRL ^ 

ALT % 

To specify that any combination of SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT should be held down while several other keys are pressed, enclose the code for those keys in parentheses. For example, to specify to hold down SHIFT while E and C are pressed, use "+(EC)". To specify to hold down SHIFT while E is pressed, followed by C without SHIFT, use "+EC".

To specify repeating keys, use the form {key number}. You must put a space between key and number. For example, {LEFT 42} means press the LEFT ARROW key 42 times; {h 10} means press H 10 times.

Note You can't use APPS to send keystrokes to an application that is not designed to run in Microsoft Windows. APPS also can't send the PRINT SCREEN key {PRTSC} to any application.

Example:

After opening Excel (R) using the above APPE, data arriving in the macro may be passed to Excel using:

!APPS(RTIME){TAB}(AINVAL0)~

This will place data in the first cell, tab to second cell, then return to next row.

Data from micro's should NOT used braced data for integrity. Any braces found in strings resulting from above would cause them to be disregarded by S-Plot.

Once this process is started, care should be taken to not interfere with the accepting program or the key strokes may not match the current focus of the application.