Freeware automation program?

[Roger Johansson]

Is there a freeware automation program which
is always running in the background looking
at what I do, and when it detects a repetetive
pattern of actions it pops up and asks if I
want it to take over the task?

If I open a link on a web page, and download
the video clip on that page, then open next link,
and download the video clip on that page,
and then open the next link and download the video
on that page..

Popup: Do you want me to continue with this pattern
of actions with all remaining such links on this page?

Yes, please.

 

[Fred]

Heh, a nice dream, but damn near impossible to do. What you're asking
for is a mind-reading app.

 

[Roger Johansson]

Heh, a nice dream, but damn near impossible to do. What you're asking
for is a mind-reading app.

No, just a slightly intelligent detection of repetitive operations,
a collection of standard situations, like the one I described
when working with a web browser for example.

It doesn't have to be very fast because it is tracking a human
who is pushing buttons, should be relatively easy to do for
a programmer.

He just has to understand the task, and I just explained it.

 

[Roger Johansson]

No, just a slightly intelligent detection of repetitive operations,
a collection of standard situations, like the one I described
when working with a web browser for example.

It doesn't have to be very fast because it is tracking a human
who is pushing buttons, should be relatively easy to do for
a programmer.

He just has to understand the task, and I just explained it.

Remember that we have a cpu which is moving at 2-3GHz

A human moves at 2-3 Hz maximum.

For every step the human takes the computer can take a thousand
millions of steps.

That means that we are to write a program which is watching a human
move like one step, than 200 million years go by, then he takes another
step, then 300 million years go by, which the program can use to
analyze patterns in his last 20 moves and compare it with typical
standard situations where the computer can offer to help with taking
care of those tasks. Don't you think a computer should be able to do
that?


It could feel like having a private secretary who can look for possible
jobs to do, to help you with repetitive tasks, to find ways to make you
happy, besides holding your balls in a soft and comforting grip all the
time.

 

[Fred]

It doesn't have to be very fast because it is tracking a human

who is pushing buttons, should be relatively easy to do for
a programmer.

Tracking keypresses is easy, yes; but that's not what you asked. You
want the app to "know" what the user is doing on the web page, which
isn't the same thing. Also, the net is not static, it's dynamic (eg.
pages load at different durations on different days due to congestion
etc) so it's not just a simple task of creating a macro to do the task.
If such an app was possible, it'd exist by now. But it doesn't,
because, as I said, it's impossible.

 

[Fred]

If I open a link on a web page, and download

the video clip on that page, then open next link,
and download the video clip on that page,
and then open the next link and download the video
on that page..

This assumes, of course, that the links have predictable names, and
that the app is able to know where you've clicked on the screen (and
will the next link be at the same screen location, or not due to
banners etc?), and to know when the page has finished loading, and if
the net connection is still online, and so on... too many variables;
impossible to cater for.

 

[Roger Johansson]

This assumes, of course, that the links have predictable names, and
that the app is able to know where you've clicked on the screen (and
will the next link be at the same screen location, or not due to
banners etc?), and to know when the page has finished loading, and if
the net connection is still online, and so on... too many variables;
impossible to cater for.

The program can ignore the mouse actions, it only has to see what
happens on the internet connection, in this case, just see that
the same web page is called repetitive times.

The program thinks: He calls for something on the same web page
several times, and after each time he downloads the same type of file
from the page he came to through a link on the first page

Are there more similar links on that first page?
Yes, there are 43 more such links, all leading to
a similar page, where there is one video clip on each page.

Maybe he wants to do the same action for the 43 remaining links,
so I ask him, showing him the pattern I have found.

Or if I am working in an editor, the program sees that I
delete the first character on a line, go down one line,
delete the first character, go down one line, delete the first
character
on the line... there are 200 remaining lines in that file,
so I ask him if he wants me to repeat the same action for all or
a certain number of lines.

 

[Fred]

It's not that simple. It's easy for a human to detect that the user
has a pattern of deleting the first character in a line, but for an app
it's much harder. Because it's not just the first char that is being
looked at, but EVERYTHING that the user is doing, and trying to detect
a pattern out of it. Not an easy programming task. Have you ever
coded?

 

[Fred]

From what you've said, I think what you want is a macro app, where you
physically teach the app what to do, and thus do the repetitions for
you. That would certainly work. But, you're teaching it -- it doesn't
learn from your actions unaided, and then you have to invoke the
actions action with a hotkey or such.

 

[Roger Johansson]

physically teach the app what to do, and thus do the repetitions for
you. That would certainly work. But, you're teaching it -- it doesn't
learn from your actions unaided, and then you have to invoke the
actions action with a hotkey or such.

Break down the task into parts.

To be able to supervise what is happening we need a way
to see what is happening.
Is it possible for a program to keep an eye on other programs, and see
what happens, the answer is yes, see process explorer, for example.

If we find out what to do, can we make things happen, through input to
other programs?
Yes, there are programs which control other programs.

Can we design an intelligence to handle the input and send output to
operate the computer, Yes, there is no problem to recognizing patterns
of action, or events.

If this program needs to be taught in the beginning of the development
I am sure some will help with that phase.

 

[Fred]

Like I said, if it were possible, it'd exist by now.