NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article
Windows Scripting Software
by Dale Oliver, President, March 2001
d_oliver@swbell.net
(click to email author)


This article is not written using brilliant journalism techniques that keep you in suspense right up to the very end. If you are looking for a quick, user-friendly way to schedule system maintenance such as backing up your hard drive, running Disk Cleanup, ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter, use Windows Task Scheduler. If you are a relatively basic user and you don't want to fool around with installing new scheduling or scripting software and then learning the nuances of how to use it, you can stop reading after the second paragraph of this article.

In case you are unfamiliar with Windows Task Scheduler, you can learn about what it is and how to use it by clicking the Windows Start button, then Help. Type in the keyword "Task Scheduler" to find the help topics available for this software.

If you are a more curious or experienced computer user and you want to learn about some neat ways to write Windows script files that actually go beyond the capabilities of DOS batch files in many ways to help you automate potentially complex tasks in Windows, then keep reading.

CNET.com has a number of Windows scripting and automation type programs available. I considered cost, user feedback, the number of downloads and my personal experience while evaluating the programs to hone in on the four separate offerings that are included in this review. This will hopefully help steer you in the general direction you want to go so that you don't have to evaluate a half-dozen different programs to find the one that works for you.

  • WinBatch v2000C
  • Wilson WindowWare http://www.windowware.com/
  • Runs on: Windows 95, 98, NT
  • Winner PC Magazine Editor's Choice award
  • 21-day trial, $99.95 to purchase.
  • High user rating.
    WinBatch lets you take nearly anything your computer can do and assign it to a menu selection, command or hotkey. This is not a watered down GUI point-and- click program for the computer neophyte, nor is it something you can learn in an evening. It harnesses the power of a complete programming language in it's 500 functions, but is easy enough to use to give experienced computer users the ability to quickly create scripts that automate tasks without the overkill of writing a program in C, VB, etc. Wilson WindowWare even offers an optional compiler to let you create .EXE applications that can be distributed royalty- free. This product seems to be targeted primarily to power users, network system administrators, and the like. Technical support via the Web appears to be excellent. Here's a good sign: The software installation program itself is written using WinBatch.

  • Event Manager v2.5
  • SRO Systems http://www.srosystems.com/
  • Windows 95, 98, NT
  • Winner ZDNet Editor's Pick 5-Star Award
  • Nagware, $25 to register.
  • Positive reviews.
    Event Manager is a Windows task/alarm scheduler that will perform operations while you're away from the computer. Features allow you to schedule the PC by day or by date to launch any Windows or DOS program, exit, restart, and reboot Windows. It offers complete event logging, encrypted password protection, and a keystroke macro automation function. It is relatively a simple, yet powerful Windows task scheduler and automation program that allows you to run any number of programs in any order at any time. You can schedule, time and terminate programs, create macro events to run multiple programs with conditional execution, send keystroke macros, open control panel applets (switch printers/video modes etc.), logoff or reboot your system and much more. The GUI interface is fairly friendly and intuitive, and makes creating moderately complex batches of processes and scheduling tasks relatively easy. Scheduling unattended tasks with this program is certainly possible, but requires some trial-and-error and attention to detail.

  • GroundControl v2.10
  • Acrasoft http://www.acrasoft.com/
  • Windows 95, 98, NT
  • Winner Ziff-Davis' highest ranking
  • 30-day trial, then pop-up screen at startup. $39.95 to register.
  • Very positive reviews.
    GroundControl is an automation scripting utility that can be used to automate almost any task with over 120 functions. It has an easy to use GUI interface to help you put together your automation scripts. You can use GroundControl stand-alone or with one of Acrasoft's other products for additional functionality. This program is very similar to EventManager, with the major difference being the process for sending command keys to running applications. Event Manager uses a single text field for indicating strings of desired command keys, where Ground Control uses a sequential graphical listing of the different steps. They both appear to be very capable products, but in my (admittedly) short software review, I felt that Event Manager's "WINDOWWAIT" function allowed some additional flexibility when scheduling events that you have no idea how long they will take to run, such as tape backups.

  • ClockMan95 v1.0
  • Graphical Dynamics http://www.graphicaldynamics.com/
  • Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000
  • 30-day trial, $79.95 to purchase.
  • Mixed reviews, but more positive than negative.
    ClockMan95 is a Windows automation utility that you can use to gain control of your time. Like the other products, it automates disk backup, optimization, virus scanning, etc. It also allows you to display reminder messages to help you stay prepared and on time; and lets you control complex events via the Windows Interface Language of more than 450 functions. Features include Automation Assistant wizards that help automate processes such as PointCast, Diskeeper, Oil Change, and MetaStock. This program's approach is somewhat different than EventManager and GroundControl, and it adds a clock bar to the currently running window's title bar.

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