Introduction
Windows Sniper Introduction

Copyright 1998-1999 unHUman Software, Howard Uman, and Jeff Sak

Contact:

Howard Uman

unHUman Software

505 Farms Drive

Burlington, MA  01803

human@unhuman.com

http://www.unhuman.com

IMPORTANT: unHUman Software is moving on June 30, 1999.  If you need to contact us around that date, please see the website for an updated address.  Thank you.

Registration Fee: $12.00

Table of Contents:

1. Target Modes

2. Actions

3. Targeting

4. Training Mode

Message From unHUman Software:

Thank you for trying Windows Sniper.  The goal of this program is to give you back control of your computer.  Too often, software developers feel you want to do things the way they do things.  Unfortunately, often times this just does not work for the end user.  Now, you can use Windows Sniper to help make your computer behave the way you want it to.

Windows Sniper allows you to do these things.  Once you perform an action, you can teach Windows Sniper to automatically perform that action each time it detects that the scenario is occurring.  For example, if every time a window pops up, and you know you want to click a particular button each and every time it pops up (for example a dialog that only presents an "OK" choice), you teach Windows Sniper to do this, and when it sees the dialog, it will press the button for you.  Fast and easy!

It is recommended that you run Windows Sniper at startup, so it's automated features can always monitor your desktop.

Registration: When you register Windows Sniper, no notices pop up, so it makes using Windows Sniper transparent.  The only thing you'll notice is the icon in your tray bar.  Windows Sniper will stop functioning after 30 days if it is not registered.  All registrants are entitled to unlimited, lifetime, free updates.

IMPORTANT: Since Windows Sniper gives you incredible power over your desktop, Howard Uman, Jeff Sak, and unHUman Software cannot be held responsible for misuse, data loss, or any other problems that may be caused by its use.  You should not risk any important data while you are learning how Windows Sniper interacts with your system.


Target Modes
Windows Sniper Target Modes

To use Windows Sniper to the fullest of its capability, it is very important to understand the basics of how Windows works.  In Windows, at its lowest level, every item on the screen you see is a Window (hence the name).  A button is a window, a dropdown list is a window, a message box is a window, a dialog is a window, a window is a window.  You get the idea.

Here is a graphical representation of how things are on your screen:

As you an see the relationships are as follows:

1. "OK" button's parent is the "About Example Application" Window

2. "OK" button's application is the "Example Application" Window

3. "About Example Application" Window's parent is the "Example Application" Window

4. "About Example Application" Window's application is the "Example Application" Window

Note: Although internally in Windows the parent of the "Example Application" window is nothing, for the sake of simplicity of using Windows Sniper, it references itself, so #5 and #6 apply:

5. "Example Application" Window's parent is the "Example Application" Window

6. "Example Application" Window's application is the "Example Application" Window

How this will all work:

1. If you have Actual window selected and point to the "OK" button, the "OK" button will be selected.

2. If you have Parent window selected and point to the "OK" button, the "About Example Application" window will be selected.

3. If you have Application window selected and point to the "OK" button, the "Example Application" window will be selected.

4. If you have Actual window selected and point to the "About Example Application" button, the "About Example Application" button will be selected.

5. If you have Parent window selected and point to the "About Example Application" button, the "Example Application" window will be selected.

6. If you have Application window selected and point to the "About Example Application" button, the "Example Application" window will be selected.

7. If you have Actual window selected and point to the "Example Application" button, the "Example Application" button will be selected.

8. If you have Parent window selected and point to the "Example Application" button, the "Example Application" window will be selected.

9. If you have Application window selected and point to the "Example Application" button, the "Example Application" window will be selected.

Although this may seem complex, it is really quite simple.  Windows Sniper has a built in targeting mode which will simplify it even further.  The window that is targeted will be highlighted for you.


Actions
Windows Sniper Actions

Windows Sniper can perform many actions on windows.  Each action can (and in the case of the Menu Enabler, must) be used with the automated mode of Windows Sniper.

The features (and the Target Mode they can be used with) are:

1. Close Window (Application) - Closes an application.

2. Minimize Window (Application, Parent) - Minimizes a window.

3. Not Always On Top (Application) - If an application runs "always on top" of your other applications and it annoys you, you can use this feature to stop it from doing that (this may not work if the application keeps making the application stay on top).

4. Hide Window (Application, Parent, Actual) - Hides a window.  It still exists, but it is hidden from the user.  Hiding an application window will present a warning, since it is impossible to bring that window back on the desktop.

5. Option Enabler (Application, Parent, Actual) - Enables an object so you can interact with it.  For example, if you want to click on a button, but it is disabled, the Option Enabler will enable the button so you can click on it.

6. Menu Enabler (Application, Parent, Actual) - Enables every item on a menu.  This must be used with the Training Mode feature of Windows Sniper.  The reason is that an application updates the menu whenever it sees it.  An option might appear disabled, but if you pass the selection bar over it, you will notice that the item becomes enabled.

7. Reveal Password (Actual).  If you have a password that is entered in a box and appears like this '******', this option will turn the password to regular text.  This is helpful if Windows knows your password, but you forgot it.  Write it down!

8. Click (Actual) - Clicks on an item.  Just like if you used the mouse.

9. Encapsulate (Application) - Wraps the selected application with another window.  This is like putting a window on a virtual desktop on your desktop.

Important notes:

1. Hiding an application window leaves it running on your system, but you can't access it again.  This may be what you want to do, but be careful!

2. Menu enabler requires the automated functionality of Windows Sniper to work.

3. Encapsulate is not 100% compatible with some applications.  Its virtual desktop does not work 100% like a real desktop, therefore you should be careful with its use and learn it's limitations.  It can crash both Windows Sniper and the application it is encapsulating.  If you exit Windows Sniper, all encapsulated windows close too.  BE CAREFUL!!!!!!


Training Mode
Windows Sniper Training Mode

The key to Windows Sniper's power is training mode.  By using training mode, you can teach Windows Sniper how to recognize windows it should act on.  What this means to you is that Windows Sniper will never have to be told how to act on a window again.  It will do it for you.

IMPORTANT: Windows Sniper will only automatically process windows when it is minimized to the tray.

Below is the Training Mode portion of the Windows Sniper window:

Using training mode is simple.  Basically, you operate Windows Sniper as you normally would to target and process a window.  When you achieve a result you'd like to happen whenever the situation presents itself, simply press the [image] button to add the action to the list.  Pressing the [image] will allow you to modify the properties of a selected item.  Pressing the [image] button will remove the item from the processing list.

When you press the [image] button, you will be presented with an Action Properties screen, to allow you to modify when the action will occur:

The action properties has several fields which identify what is to occur:

1. Action Name - This is a unique identifier used to describe what is happening.  Only one action in the list may have this name.  Usually you might want to add a little bit of detail to the description.  Windows Sniper defaults this to be the action used and the window's text description.

2. Window Validation - This is broken down into the following attributes:

A. Match Size - Requires that a window is of the exact size of the window you selected.

B. Match Position - Requires that a window be positioned exactly where it was when you targeted it.

C. Strict - Uses an additional technique to ensure the window matches what you targeted originally.  This mode is very stringent and my not work with all programs.

3. Window Hierarchy - This represents the child -> parent -> application relationships that the window posesses.  You can change the data that is searched for by selecting the item and using the Update and Restore buttons.  You can only update an item to be a substring of the original value.  This allows Windows Sniper to generalize what is happening.  For example, if the text of one of the Windows is "unHUman Software - Netscape", changing it to "Netscape" will allow Windows Sniper to apply the action to any web site, not just "unHUman Software".

Upon pressing the OK button, this window will be added to the managed list and when Windows Sniper is minimized, will be watched for and acted on by Windows Sniper.

It is very important to experiment with these values to get a consistant result across multiple instances of the occurrance.  You can generalize searches by altering the properties (described in #3).


Targeting
Windows Sniper Targeting

Now that you understand the Target Modes and the Actions, you can make Windows Sniper work its magic.  It's really quite simple:

1. First select a Target Mode.

2. Aim the crosshairs at the window you would like to target for your action.

3. Select an Action.

4. Press the [image] button.

5. If the action occurred the way you wanted, you can add it to the Training Mode, so it will automatically happen.


Table Of Contents
Windows Sniper Introduction

Copyright 1998-1999 unHUman Software, Howard Uman, and Jeff Sak

1. Introduction