How To Create Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Keys or Macros or Whatever Else They Might Be Called

Question

Online, I (and probably you & ~almost everyone else) go to many different websites, order forms and sign up areas, etc. that all require me (and you) to repeatedly type in similar versions of the same, exact information over & over & over again.

The requested / required information often includes my (or your) ema (email address), physical address, account numbers, phone numbers, etc., etc., etc.

To save time, be more efficient & keep me from going crazy (!), please let me know how to do the following:

After I place the cursor in the appropriate area, how do I create keyboard shortcuts (or macros or whatever else they might be called) that automatically populate the requested information into the website/form areas, etc. ?

For instance, to submit my ema, how do I create a shortcut - possibly by holding down the shift or ctrl or alt (or any other) key, etc. & then simultaneously typing the e key (for ema) or h key (for home address), etc. & have the desired information automatically populate the form?

Of course, if crazy, I might want to use h for my ema & e for my home address. ;)

I don’t know if you’re aware of it or not, but Microsoft Word does have a similar function, as I programmed in typing e then spacebar which then populates my ema or typing h then spacebar which populates my home address !

Any and all suggestions would truly be appreciated.

Thank you very much !

• JohnSUN: Welcome! What browser do you use to visit many different websites? Have you looked in the settings of this browser? Have you seen autocomplete (or something similar)? See for Chrome, for Firefox...

Answer 1

One of the options you have is known as AutoHotKey, a free macro program, described as an automation scripting language for Windows.

One of the descriptors which appeared during the search referenced that this program is useful to fill forms in web pages. The linked site has full documentation as well as tutorials for learning to write the scripts you require.

What you ask is simple enough, as one would create a similar script as your ema reference.

I've used a paid program in the past known as MacroExpress, which performs similar tasks and includes a macro recording feature. The sequence you require is created with the recorder feature turned on, then edited as required to perform the needed task(s).

Another approach is a program known as RoboForm, which will recognize most web fields and enable you to auto-fill those fields, which were previously defined during setup of the software. It's free for limited capacity but requires a payment to have full capability, which also includes an encrypted password filling feature.