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Send Hotkey

The "Send Hotkey" activity in AutomatR is a powerful tool for simulating keyboard inputs within an application or system. This activity is particularly useful for automating tasks that involve keyboard shortcuts or require specific key presses to navigate or interact with applications.

NameDescription
Misc
Display NameThis property allows you to customize the display name of the activity within the workflow.
Optional
DelaySpecifies a delay (in seconds) before executing the hotkey, providing flexibility in the timing of the workflow. Supports an Int32 variable. Ex.: If the amount of time is 1000 milliseconds or 1 sec, i.e. 1.
Send InputDetermines whether to send the simulated hotkey input to the application in the foreground. If set to false, the hotkey is sent to the AutomatR process. Supports a boolean variable.

Effectively configuring these properties allows for precise control over the simulated keyboard input, enabling automation workflows to interact seamlessly with applications using hotkeys.

Configuring Application - Send Hotkey​

Below is a step-by-step configuration procedure for the Application - Send Hotkey activity, considering the provided points:

  1. Locate the "Application: Send Hotkey" activity in the Toolbox panel and drag it into your workflow.

  2. In the properties panel, find the checkbox options for CTRL, SHIFT, ALT, and Text.

  3. Check the checkboxes corresponding to the keys you want to include in the hotkey combination.

  4. Find the dropdown menu that allows you to select the keyboard keys.

  5. Choose the specific key(s) you want to include in the hotkey combination.

  6. If you checked the "Text" option, a section should appear in the place of dropdown to enter text. Enter the desired text you want to include in the hotkey.

  7. Below the options, look for an ADD button. Click on it once you have configured your desired hotkey combination.

  8. After clicking ADD, the configured hotkey combination will be previewed below the ADD button. The preview should display the formatted string representation of the selected keys or text.

  9. The configured value is automatically added to the "Send Input" property of the Application - Send Hotkey activity.

  10. If you need to configure additional hotkeys, repeat the process by going back to step 2.

By following these steps, you can easily configure the "Application - Send Hotkey" activity to simulate keyboard inputs with the desired key combinations, including CTRL, SHIFT, ALT, and custom text. The preview feature helps ensure that the configured values match your expectations before being added to the workflow.