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Mighty Desktop's automation strength is based on so called `Mighty Actions`. You can do about anything with your computer at whichever time you want. Mighty Actions consist of a sequence of built in `Mighty Commands`. Please note that this list will expand in future versions.
Mighty Commands
- Displaying your own customized message box
- Clicking a button in any Windows program
- Clicking on any point in any Windows program
- Changing the appearance of a window (minimize, maximize, hide, size, put on top, put on bottom, closing aso.)
- Saving the state of all running apps
- Closing some or all of the running apps
- Saving the state, closing all apps and either logging off, suspending, shutting down or restarting the PC
- Resuming all the saved apps in a saved state
- Directly logging off, suspending, shutting down or restarting the PC
- Executing a Windows shell script: See chapter Command Shell
- Starting an application with user-defined arguments or simply bringing it to the foreground. This can be considered similar to a double-click. If documents or folders are specified as the process path name, these are opened. Please note that a started application is executed in parallel to Mighty Desktop. So if you want to wait for this application to finish, you need to add a " Shell Script Command" from the dropdown and start the script as follows: 'Start /B /Wait "" "StartedApp.exe Arguments"'.
- Opening a document: Use 'Start Process' and enter the pathname as 'Process Pathname'
- Opening the newest document in a folder (for example a just scanned document)
- Playing an audio of any type (for example mp3, wav)
- Setting the volume level of the computer
- Opening a website
- Switching the monitor on or off
- Setting the priority of a Windows process (for example reducing that of a copy operation)
- Ending a Windows program gently
- Killing multiple Windows applications
- Making a backup of some files and folders (eg. your files in the cloud)
- Cleaning duplicates in a folder
- Switching to a window in Mighty Desktop to enter a calculation, conversion or scheduler event aso.
- Calling several of Mighty Desktop's functions of the other dialogs
- Reconnecting a network adapter
- Scanning the intranet for unknown devices
- Starting a timer or countdown
- Retrieving one of the last 10 items copied to the clipboard
- Flushing the clipboard
- Cleaning the temporary folders of the system
- Repairing blank icons on the Windows Desktop
- Adding a Quick Event
- Emptying the trash of just one drive
- Replacing tabs by blanks in a text file
- Activating one of the Quick Items of the list
- Ejecting a drive safely: The device is asked if it agrees and can veto (see also Mighty command 'Eject'). The reason for the veto is displayed, unlike the Windows built-in command, and a search for open files on the disk is started.
- Waiting for a certain amount of time
- and so forth
For example you could configure to start your favorite internet radio station each morning from Monday to Friday at 6:59 AM to hear the news, and then to stop it automatically at 07:15.
You can combine any number of Mighty Commands to form a Mighty Action. Each of the Mighty Commands have string type arguments which can contain Placeholders so you can parameterize them from the outside. There are literally no limits on what Mighty Actions can do. Even if you need a command that is not already predefined in Mighty Desktop you can create a small Windows command file (*.cmd or *.bat) and specify its content in the 'Shell Script' Mighty Command. You could also start the command file using the 'Start Application' command but it is recommended to use the 'Shell Script' command because it is specialized for this task. Theoretically you can execute any command and application existing on your computer. For example if you have a software that controls your smart devices in your smart home you could use Mighty Desktop to activate them and therefore extend their possibilities many times over.
The actions you define in the 'Actions' tab can be called by other tabs inside Mighty Desktop as well as from external actors by calling Mighty Desktop by command line. Any third party program that is equipped with a possibility to execute a Windows command line can be instructed to call Mighty Desktop. You can extend its power by a huge factor by executing a Mighty Action of Mighty Desktop.
Another goodie of Mighty Actions is that you can also add them to the Process Queue. Example: You can create a Mighty action that ejects a connected USB drive. If you want to make a long transfer from this drive and then eject the drive for security reasons, start the transfer in the File Copier first and then add the eject action to the queue in the Actions tab. This is especially useful for unattended work.
Placeholders in the form "{Argument}" can be used to access the given arguments. The names of placeholders must always be specified in English. The list of arguments which is passed to an action or command is a multilevel construct. This is the order in which they are overriding each other (the lower overrides the upper):
- The placeholders 'Now', 'NewGuid' and 'Random' are always recognized and replaced by a generated value
- The argument "/NonElevated" can be specified for starting processes as helper if Mighty Desktop runs in admin mode. It tells Mighty Desktop to start the process in user mode. It is processed internally and not passed to the started program.
- Arguments in the format "name:value" coming from the commandline
- Arguments that are explicitly specified in a box named 'Arguments' right of the box where you specified the action's name (uses also commandline syntax)
- Arguments given in the input boxes of each of the Mighty Commands that the Mighty Action is comprised of, as long as its content is not completely empty.
This flexible system allows you to call Mighty Desktop from a command line with two parameters 'action to execute' and 'additional arguments' (see chapter). You can see the resulting argument list if you check the box 'Display Placeholders Window' in the Actions tab or add the argument "DisplayPlaceholders:True". Placeholders inside placeholder values are supported. If a box is completely empty (not even a blank) it will automatically look for an argument that has the same name as the label left of the box after blanks were removed (in English). Example: If the command has the input box "Window Title: [__]" empty, it would be the same as if the box contained "{WindowTitle}". But if it contained at least one blank it would force the argument to be empty. When processing input Mighty Desktop usually doesn't distinguish between a field filled with blanks and a completely empty field.
As a conclusion, Mighty Desktop can execute complex actions that you can configure precisely and comfortably. It's the key to your fully automated 'Smart home of the future'.
Notes:
- Argument names must always be given in English. If you use another UI language and you need to find out their names, you can switch the language to US English in the settings and then look at the label. For example, if "Compare Content:" is in front of a field, the parameter is called 'CompareContent' without spaces and colon. In rare cases, where it does not go by default, the parameter name is listed in the tooltip of the field. As another method, you can also look in the language file, eg. "AppTranslation_de-CH.txt", next to the application for the localized label and the English label is then the line directly above it.
- When a process is started and Mighty Desktop runs in admin mode the argument '/NonElevated' can be used to force a process to be started in non-admin mode. In this case only the 'PathName' and the remaining 'Arguments' are relevant, all other options are ignored. For any comparisons of the arguments '/NonElevated' is ignored.
- When Mighty Commands are invoked from commandline their english name must be specified even in the localized app, eg. 'ShowMessageBox'. You can view these names by pointing on the header of a command with the pointer. This ensures the portability of command files between users with different languages.
- Point specifications can be given relative to any border of the window. For example in the case of clicking a 'Close' button in the upper right corner of a window it is advisable to specify "Point:R-30,10" which means "From right border 30 left and from upper border 10 down". This ensures that the button will still be hit if the window varies in width. Use "B-10" for from the bottom border up.
- The command 'Open Latest File' will automatically ignore link files (*.lnk)
- To open a document or folder use the 'Start Process' command. If the folder is already open in a window, it will be activated (put as front window). But you can specify the pseudo argument '/NoActivate' to suppress bringing the already open folder to the foreground.
- 'Put Window on Top' has the special feature to not rip away the focus if you are in sub-window. An example to make that more clear: When you order the function to put the main window of an application on the top but this app has a dialog box open it will not bring the main window to the front. The input focus will stay on the dialog box's input fields unchanged. Example apps where this is useful are 'TrueCrypt' and 'VeraCrypt'.
- The argument "Verbose:False" suppresses messages like "Starting action xxx" (purely informative ones) that are written to the 'Log' window. Important infos, warnings and errors are never suppressed by this.
- Show MessageBox Command: If a 'DecayDateTime:...' argument is given and the specified dateTime is less than 'StopDateTime' this will become the stop time. The same goes for 'MaximumDuration'. What's more, the MessageBox command has a built-in safety feature: If a second box with the same title and text is ordered to be opened it will just activate the already existing box.
- To execute a Mighty Action at specific times you can add an event to the Scheduler
- To execute a Mighty Action whenever a file or folder is changed take a look at Watchdog
- To execute a Mighty Action whenever a certain window is open take a look at WindowBot™.
- To execute a Mighty Action whenever a certain process is running take a look at ProcessBot.
- You can execute a Mighty Action also by the menu of the notification icon in the system tray. Hold [Ctrl] to execute it quietly (handing over argument "Verbose:False").
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