DataLoad Commands

*SL DataLoad can send data and keystrokes to applications faster than they can be processed. Delays are used to control the load speed to ensure the load is reliable and no fields are skipped. The *SLN command can be added to a spreadsheet cell to cause DataLoad to 'sleep' for a given number of seconds at that point in the load. For example, '*SL5' will cause a pause in the load for 5 seconds. Decimal numbers can be used for more precise delays, e.g. *SL0.5 will result in a half second delay. The number specifying the length of the delay may optionally be enclosed in brackets, e.g. *SL(0.5).

*SL is used to include a delay at a specific point in the load and is most useful for situations not covered by the pre-configured DataLoad delays. As such they will probably be used in particular one-off situations. Using them repeatedly in the spreadsheets should be avoided because it becomes very time consuming to change the delay when debugging or fine tuning the load.

A large number of other delays are available in DataLoad and these, along with *SL, are described in the Using delays page.

*CW is used to change loading to a different window. This command is useful where a load must work with more than application or the application has multiple windows. The name of the target window must supplied as a parameter to the *CW command. For example, the following would activate Excel:

*CW(Microsoft Excel)

The target application must be running before *CW is used and the window name should be as displayed in the application's icon in the Windows taskbar. The whole window name does not have to be used (except in Browser Control Named IE mode, where the full name must be used) but enough of the beginning of the name must be provided to uniquely identify the window. The example above will activate the correct Excel window if only one Excel workbook is open, otherwise the full window name must be provided including the workbook name.

One or more of the following actions may optionally be included after the window name (these are ignored when Browser Control is used to load to Named IE windows):

ACTIVATE: Bring the window to the foreground. This is the default action for *CW() and used if no actions are specified.
MAX: Maximize the window
MIN: Minimise the window
CLOSE: Close the window.

To activate and maximize the Excel window:

*CW(Microsoft Excel, ACTIVATE, MAX)

A final, optional, timeout parameter may be used in Load Control and Bowser Control loads to specify how long to wait to find the window before stopping the load with an error if the window can't be found. This is useful if the target window may still be opening when DataLoad tries to activate it. For example, to switch to Excel and allow 10 seconds to find the window:

*CW(Microsoft Excel, 10)

And to activate and maximize Excel while allowing a 15 seconds timeout:

*CW(Microsoft Excel, ACTIVATE, MAX, 15)

Note, if a timeout is specified it overrides the timeout specified in the Delays window.

*ML(), *MR() & *DL() These commands produce a left (*ML) or right (*MR) mouse click or a double left click (*DL) to occur at the screen location specified in the coordinates parameter. Using keystrokes in Macro loads is normally the most reliable approach, however mouse clicks have two important uses. First, some applications' forms have functionality that cannot be accessed using keystrokes and a mouse must be used. Second, if form navigation requires a large number or complex sequence of keystrokes then using the mouse may be more appropriate.

The coordinates parameter specifies the X and Y screen location where the click should occur. For example,

*ml(50, 294)

There is no way for a user to know what these coordinates should be so DataLoad will automatically insert the coordinates into the command. Once the coordinates are known the full command can be copied to all other spreadsheet cells where it is required.

Entering *ML(, *MR( or *DL( in a cell will cause DataLoad to help calculate the required coordinates. Having entered this an information message is displayed and this must be acknowledged to continue. DataLoad will then capture the location of the next mouse click. Thus, the target application should be activated using the keyboard, e.g. Alt + Tab, rather than with the mouse otherwise that mouse click will be captured. When the target application is visible, perform a single left mouse click where the click should occur during the load. DataLoad will capture the coordinates and complete the command in the spreadsheet cell.

The mouse commands are suitable where the item to be clicked will always be in the same location. Given that most applications' forms are always drawn in the same position this should not be a problem, however it is important that forms are left in their default positions and sizes while the load is being developed and later run. Maximising the application's main or parent window, i.e. the one containing all forms, helps to ensure the screen coordinates remain correct. Of course, if the screen resolution is changed or the load is used on a different PC with different screen resolution then the mouse coordinates will almost certainly have to be recalculated.

PROMPT(message) It is sometimes necessary to pause a load while the user reads a message or performs some action. That is achieved using the PROMPT(message) command. For example, the following may be used in a DataLoad cell:

PROMPT(Enter the password then click OK to continue)

That will cause DataLoad to pause the load and display the message "Enter the password then click OK to continue" to the user. The load will remain inactive until the user clicks the message's OK button. DataLoad will then re-activate the last window to which data was being sent and will continue with the load.

PHP(function) With this command PHP functions can be called from within a Macro load. Because the PHP() command can be used in any cell this allows PHP functions to be called at any time, providing significant flexibility for how PHP can add further functionality to DataLoad loads. The name of the PHP function to be executed is included as a parameter, i.e. between the brackets.