How to Perform Actions in Software by Clicking an HTML Hyper Link.

In the article Re-thinking the Online Help Paradigm. Pat McCandless and I talked about the inability to execute action in a software application by clicking a link in its associated help file. Most help files simply present a list of instructions that you must perform in order to perform a task. This often means switching or moving windows so that you can read the instructions in one window and perform those actions in the next. It now seems possible to use a few simple software programs to overcome this limitation and explore new techniques in building electronic performance support systems.

The techniques and software discussed in this article can also be used to launch software and execute actions in that software by clicking a hyper link on a page in a web browser. You could use this technique in your corporate Intranet to help people find, launch and execute actions in various software applications, such as opening a word processor with a letter template.

The techniques described here will only work in a Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT environment. The enabling software includes the IntraLaunch ActiveX component and any desktop macro program such as Macro Magic or RoboScript.

You can embed the IntraLaunch ActiveX component in any HTML document, including the help topic files for the Microsoft HTML Help viewer. With IntraLaunch you can start any software program (an executable), a shortcut, such as a desktop icon, or start an application by specifying an associated data file. This means you can use IntraLaunch to start a macro program that can open an application and perform actions in that application. You can download working demo of IntraLaunch from the Particle Software web site. The demo includes sample HTML files that load various applications.

Unfortunately Netscape does not directly support ActiveX components. However you can use the plug-in to add ActiveX support to Netscape.

With Macro Magic you can easily create macros that will launch programs and perform actions in those program, including entering text or selecting menu options. You can even record macros that show mouse movements. These macros could be used to show users how to perform actions in a software program. However the mouse movements are based on screen coordinates and may not work well in an environment of mixed screen resolutions.

While the RoboScript interface is not as finished as Macro Magic the macro builder has a feature that can read and display the menu structure of an application. This makes it easy to build a macro that executes menu commands. You can also add messages boxes that will appear as a macro runs. You can use these message boxes to provide explanations or tips.

While I was only able to perform a few basic tests, this technique seems to have some very extensive capabilities. If you have or do use this technique, please let us know how it works out.