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McDonald reviews CE Software's QuicKeys macro utility for the PC.
CE Software's QuicKeys, a longtime and deservedly lauded system utility for the Mac, has finally come to the Windows environment -- where, frankly, it's needed most.
While many other utilities that offer similar features, QuicKeys ($50 retail, or $40 if you buy online) is the best I've seen at what it does--automating those small but endless PC chores you have to do over and over. Mijenix's $40 PowerDesk 98 covers some of the same territory, but adds a ton of high-octane file management options that can be confusing for new users.
Jump Right In
QuicKeys works by letting you assign hot-key sequences (or toolbar icons) to just about any task you can manually punch in on your PC, such as opening programs, typing text, triggering your dial-up connection, adjusting system settings, and so on. In that respect it works much like macros do, but QuicKeys makes the process a lot less painful.
What I liked best about QuicKeys is how it immediately produced a dozen or so instantly usable timesaving options before I even opened the user guide. The set-up process automatically puts a toolbar atop your screen that offers one-button access to common PC tasks. Place your cursor over an icon, and pop-up text informs you of what will happen if you click.
For example, instead of going through the Start menu to get to your Program Files, one click on the toolbar generates a drop-down, alphabetized menu of all your applications--whether they reside in Program Files or elsewhere--such as in a desktop shortcut. Pretty basic, yes, but you'll be amazed at how much time you can save avoiding those dusty old alleyways you've been using to simply access programs.
Of course, the toolbar is entirely customizable and you can assign new tasks via easy-to-follow wizards. It's smart, too. QuicKeys realized, without my telling it, that I had two different dial-up services and now gives me a choice whenever I click my toolbar icon. It also recognized my new DVD player and provided one-click access to the drive via the toolbar.
Everyone's Invited
Once you spend some time with the well-organized user's manual, you'll see the scope of QuicKeys' power. Besides letting you quickly assign actions (easy stuff like "launch this app when I click this icon") QuicKeys also lets you record entire sequences of tasks that can afterwards be triggered with one click. For example, you can program a sequence that will activate your dial-up connection, enter your ID and password, then open your inbox and check for new mail.
Recording a sequence is surprisingly easy: Do it once, and you'll never have to sweat it again. As you proceed, you're given two options whenever you want to set up an action: either a step-by-step wizard walkthrough, or an action properties box for advanced users.
Again, you can accomplish much of this through macros, but macros are application-specific, and I've found them to be much harder to figure out. QuicKeys makes it all so simple, it's no surprise the program grew up in friendly realm of the Mac OS.
Odds and Ends
QuicKeys' name suggests it relies chiefly on hot-key combinations, but I found the bevy of customizable toolbars much more useful. You can create toolbars that show up only when you open a particular application, and you can also designate hidden floating toolbars that wait in the background until called upon.
In fact, my only gripe is a small one--I would have liked to see more options in the clipboard feature, which is designed to give you better control when you copy and paste. While QuicKeys smartly lets you remove carriage returns and white space from copied test, it would be nice to be able to specify which font all copied text will appear in when pasted.
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(Copyright 1999)