MACRO RECORDER --

A way to program Dragon Naturally Speaking to make quick mouse moves and clicks, launched by verbal commands. (*1) by David Erk, MD

January 2006

For this example a simple two-step macro will be built that opens the Patient Lookup dialog box from the PP Dashboard toolbar using a verbal command. Have DNS running and PP open to Dashboard.

>From the DNS toolbar choose Tools and then Add New Command. (*2) This will bring up the MyCommands Editor dialog box.

In the MyCommand Name field, enter the name of the command that will be used to verbally launch the macro: "Open Chart" (*3). Use the Train button -- to the right of the field just completed -- to help ensure that DNS recognizes the command.

Skip down to Command Types and click on the drop-down arrow, choose Macro Recorder (*4).

Click on the Record button -- the one with the red dot -- in the right, mid-portion of the dialog box. Then move the mouse arrow to the Chart button on the PP Dashboard toolbar and single left click (*5).

Move the mouse arrow to the lower left-hand corner of the screen to the Recorder dialog box, and click on the Stop button (the black square).

Click on the small "x" just above the Stop button, and when the MyCommand Editor dialog box reappears, click on the Save button.

To return to the PP Dashboard, Cancel the Patient Lookup dialog box that opened when the macro was built. Test the macro by speaking "Open Chart."

This technique can be used to launch essentially any button or tab (or place the cursor in any field) in all EMR screens (*6)

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(*1) This is being used in a fat client environment.

(*2) Command Browser can also be used in a similar manner to create new macros. It is from Command Browser that one can review, edit, or delete existing macros.

(*3) Nomenclature for verbal commands becomes important since the number of verbal commands used in PP EMR can easily exceed 120. Conventions that are intuitive and do not require memory seem to work best -- name commands in a way that allows you to say what you want to happen, as opposed to giving a name that needs to be remembered.

(*4) Other choices in this list are useful when building different types of macros such as purely keystroke macros or purely text macros. One can combine the different techniques to make complex macros.

(*5) A useful technique is to make a single-step hotkey macro to launch the Record button with a verbal DNS command. This allows one to position the mouse near the button or tab that will be clicked on without having to traverse an entire screen to get there. Position the mouse arrow near the button or tab chosen (but not on it, as this doesn't seem to work); give the command to begin recording and then move the arrow a minimal distance to its target and left click.

(*6) Launching macros using Macro Recorder seems to be the fastest way when using DNS. Oftentimes though, tasks can be launched by using hotkeys as well. As the position of tabs and buttons on a particular screen may change over time given upgrades in PP, etc., it may be safer to use hotkey-based macros if you are given the choice.

David Erk