If you haven’t updated your copy of PTFB Pro for a while, now would be a good time. The previous release, 4.7, added some useful tweaks to make all edit screens retain their last-used position, and an advanced option to respect process session boundaries (great for machines with multiple active user accounts). It also had a little workaround to help tackle an old “stuck tray icon” problem that was really Microsoft’s fault, but hey, if they can’t fix it, someone has to fix it for them! Today’s new release adds another little fix to do with tight repeat loops around “forced delay” commands in macros, but its biggest change is actually a small tweak to the defaults for new users.

Up until now, PTFB Pro has always defaulted to require an exact match between a target window and the “snapshot” it takes when a macro or single-press item is created. This was for safety reasons; it left very little chance that PTFB Pro would act on the wrong window. Unfortunately, it also meant that PTFB Pro would routinely ignore any window that was ever so slightly different from one appearance to the next. The workaround for this was usually to edit the item you’d created and switch from “Strict” window contents checking to “Simple” checking, but for a new user just trying to get on with their work, this was often an unwelcome extra step. In fact if I were to check through our support history, I’d probably find that the vast majority of requests related to this very issue.

All that changes with 4.7.1 because now, “Simple” contents checking is the default. This should mean that more single presses and macros will work straight away without any tweaking, which will definitely improve the “out of the box” experience for new users. It’s worth noting though that this change won’t affect you if you already have PTFB Pro installed – it’ll keep your current defaults and operate just as it always has. Don’t forget though that seasoned PTFB Pro users as well as newbies are free to change the defaults for new items via Options -> Configure -> Defaults page.

That’s about it for this release, except to say that if you’re quick, you can pick up cheap a license for PTFB Pro in our Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale via the 40% off link below. Maybe you need an extra license of your favorite macro and button pusher, or maybe you’ve just downloaded our installer for the very first time. Either way, now is the time to buy!

https://sites.fastspring.com/tlhouse/instant/ptfbpro?coupon=BLACK2014

Find out more about saving time and finger-wear with PTFB Pro’s macros.
CLICK HERE to download a free 30 day trial, no strings attached. If you aren’t entirely happy simply uninstall!