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Tweaking Settings
To edit a target's properties:
- first open up PTFB Pro's main window, then
- either double-click the target in the list, or select the target and hit "Edit.."
The resulting properties sheet has six tabbed pages (or four if it's a screen macro) - click the links below to view information specific to each page:
ProgMon Item Properties - General Page
This page is divided into three sections:
Title
Here you can set the title that PTFB should display in the main list.
Target Program
The most important field in this section is the process (image) name. This tells PTFB Pro what name to look for in the list of currently running processes that Windows maintains. Case doesn't matter, but it's important that you use the full name that you'd see in the Process tab of Task Manager when the program is running. For example when PTFB Pro is running, its process name is PTFBPro.exe, which also happens to be the full name of PTFB Pro's main executable file.
This section also contains a description field. This isn't used by PTFB Pro internally, it's mainly there to help you remember which program this item applies to.
Comments
This field allows you to enter a short note or description for the single-press item. The comment will be shown in the tooltip displayed when you hover the mouse over the item's name on PTFB's main screen.
ProgMon Item Properties - Launch Page
This page is only present if your item is set up to launch a target program that doesn't seem to be running. The page lets you control exactly how the launch is to be carried out.
Command Line & Run from command console
For most programs, it's just a matter of entering the full path to the program's main executable file.
However, in some cases the "program" in question might run as a service, in which case you might use a "net start XXX" command line. Or maybe you want to run a batch (.bat) file, or a vbs script etc. In these cases, enter your command line and tick the "Use cmd console" box. This will cause the command to execute as though you'd entered it into a command console (aka DOS box for those who remember the bad old days...)
Run As (Optional, Windows 2000 and above)
One other option for those running under Windows 2000 or better is to cause the command line to execute as though it was issued from a different account. If you want to use this option, just fill in the account name and if appropriate, the corresponding password. The password should be entered twice for confirmation. Note that very few people will need to use the target account option - if in doubt, just leave those three fields blank and your command will run normally.
Test to avoid disappointment!
After you've entered your command details, hit the Test Now button. If anything goes wrong, PTFB Pro will try to give you an error message that will help you fix your command. Common problems include:
- Not enclosing a path in quotes when it contains spaces. For example, if the program resides in the Program Files folder, the command line should look something like this: "C:\Program Files\ProgXXX\ProgXXX.exe" /param1 /param2
- Not having Use cmd console ticked when it is needed
- Having Use cmd console ticked when it isn't needed!
ProgMon Item Properties - Close Page
This page is only present if your item is set up to close a target program that shouldn't be running. The page lets you control exactly how the closure is to be carried out.
There are three options:
- Request Quit
As the name suggests, this is the most polite method. It sends a message to the program's main window, telling it to close down. It's the preferred method, but not all programs will play fair, and a heavier handed approach may be required.
- Forced Exit
This is the most heavy handed method. PTFB Pro dons its "Terminator" shades and biker's jacket and goes about its business with ruthless efficiency. Assuming the termination succeeds, the unfortunate program gets no chance to close down cleanly. Under certain circumstances this can make Windows unstable, and/or lose data entered in that session. Use with care, and please do not shutdown any processes that Windows depends on!
- Use Cmd Line
If you wish, you can provide your own command line which will be used to terminate the target program. For example, you could use the extra functionality in a tool such as PSKILL to close the program in a specific way, or in the case of a service, you could request a controlled shutdown using the "net stop XXXX" command.
The command line you provide may contain the special parameter {{ProcID}}. When PTFB Pro executes the command line, it automatically substitutes the process ID of the target program in place of the {{ProcID}} variable. Note that this variable is case sensitive - must have a capitalized 'P' and 'ID'.
You can also instruct PTFB Pro to execute the command line as though you'd entered it into a command console (formerly known as a DOS box). To do this, just tick the "Run from command console" checkbox.
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