Footswitch Management Software (current version 1.1) is a special program to manage the work of Footswitch Controllers FSW-02 series. In this review you will learn about the program Footswitch Management Software,it is a practical part. Program setting example (Mouse Button action use)

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Program setting example (Mouse Btn action use)

Application management system of Microsoft Windows operating system is based on Windows Messages.
For example during mouse clicking at program controls a certain message is transmitted to the application window. Footswitch Management Software allows simulating these messages.

The program can simulate two message types.

1. Left mouse button clicking at the application window fixed place. With that action we transmit WM_LBUTTONDOWN window message containing place coordinates in the value lParam.

2. Clicking on definite controls (toolbar button or menu option). With that action we transmit WM_COMMAND window message containing command value wParam.

Caption (Window caption) and Class (Window class) parameters are common and determine the window which these messages are addressed to.

Now we'll overview every action type.

• Clicking at the application window fixed coordinates.

Amplitube2 program Standalone version has no possibility managing by hotkeys and MIDI interface. Let's see the action functioning by the example of this program.

First of all it's necessary choose the right controls in the application to exеcute this action.

As we click at the application window fixed place with mouse the controls shouldn't change its position during application window size modification, otherwise the action might stop work. Shown in the figure preset shift knobs are given the best fit for our purposes.

Window message parameters determination

We need to determine which message parameters are transmitted to the program while mouse clicking at these buttons.

Herein SPYxx special program will help us, it's a free applet included in Microsoft Visual Studio programming environment package, you can find it on the installation disk in the /Utils directory.

There are only three parameters.

Caption: a managed application window title.

Class: a managed application window class.

lParam: place coordinates where it's necessary mouse clicking.

Start SPYxx program and press Message Log button.



Message Options window will appear.

 

Take a sight (Finder Tool) and point it at the preset shift knobs in AmpliTube program window.



In Selected Object group we can already see a part of necessary parameters; window title is in the Text field, window class is in the Class field.

Go to the Messages tab.



To clear message filter press Clear All button and check Mouse mark, next press OK button.

After that if we move the mouse over Amplitude program window SPYxx program will intercept messages and in Messages window we'll see messages log.

Direct mouse cursor at the wanted AmpliTube program controls, the preset shift down knob.



Remember the last message number in SPYxx program Messages window, after that press mouse button clicking at the preset shift knob in Amplitube program.

Return to SPYxx program and go to the remembered message number in the messages list, in our example that number is 00173.



Move down through the list from the remembered message number looking for the string with WM_LBUTTONDOWN command, then make double clicking at this string.



In the appearing window we'll see required lParam parameter.

It remains only to write these settings into Footswich Management Software program and check command functioning.

Completed Mouse Btn command settings window looks like this.



Explanations how to fill in fields

For command exеcution it's necessary to fill in minimum two fields: IParam field and one of Caption or Class fields; exactly which fields are required to be filled in depend on the concrete program. To manage Amplitube program you can use both variants.

In some programs Window class and Window caption could be modified after program restart, for example in Amplitube program Window class is modified.

In that case you can use asterisk symbol (*) to replace ing ends.

For instance we can write IKWindow* instead of IKWindow21475218.

• Clicking on definite controls.

In contrast to previous action type this method doesn't depend on application window size modifications and buttons or controls positions.

For example if we set Footswitch Controller on toolbar button pressing, it's already unimportant toolbar position for further command exеcution; you can even disabling the toolbar in the program window, the command will be exеcuted anyway.

This action setting is very similar to previous action adjustment. As a case in point we'll overview Cakewalk Sonar program and adjust Controller to exеcute this program menu option.

Start SPYxx program and press Message Log button.



Message Options window will appear.



  Take a sight (Finder Tool) and point it at the frame of Cakewalk SONAR program main window.



In Message Options window check Parent, Children, Windows of Same Thread and Windows of Same Process marks, in such case we'll capture messages not only from the main window but generally from all windows of that program.



Go to the Messages tab.



To clear message filter press Clear All button.

In Messages to View list find and mark WM_COMMAND command and press OK button.

The program is set to capture messages.

Return to Cakewalk Sonar program and exеcute Tracks – Mute menu option.



In Messages window of SPYxx program the first message will be our desired command.



Make double click at this message.



In Message Properties window we'll see required wParam parameter.

To determine window Class and Caption click on the link in Window Handle string.



In the General tab we'll find a window title in Window Caption string.



In the Class tab we'll see a window class in Class Name string.

It remains only to write these settings into Footswich Management Software program and check command functioning.

Completed Mouse Btn command settings window looks like this.



Explanations how to fill in fields

For command exеcution it's necessary to fill in minimum two fields: wParam field and one of Caption or Class fields; exactly which fields are required to be filled in depend on the concrete program.

In this case Window caption is constantly modified depending on which project is open in the program, therefore we won't use it and leave Caption field empty.

Lest writing long Window class name in the Class field we can shorten it till one word (SONAR*).