Launching Applications from Macro Script

You can launch applications, open documents, or open website URLs in your default web browser directly from a macro script using the Launch App or Launch & Wait macro actions. The Launch App action executes an application or file and immediately moves on to the next action in the script. In contrast, the Launch & Wait action launches an application or document and pauses script execution until the target window or process is closed.

How to Add a Launch App Action

1. Select and add Launch App from the Action Type dropdown menu.
2. Review the information dialog and click OK to dismiss it.
3. Double-click the newly added action row to open the file selection window and select an application executable (`.exe`) or document file from your computer.

When the macro action executes, it launches your chosen application or document and immediately moves on to subsequent actions in your script. If you require your script to wait for the application to close before continuing, use the Launch & Wait action instead. Note that Launch & Wait can also be used to execute another macro script from a parent script to modularize complex automation workflows.

How to Add a Launch & Wait Action

1. Select and add Launch & Wait from the Action Type dropdown menu.
2. Review the information dialog and click OK to dismiss it.
3. Double-click the newly added action row to select your application, document, or child macro script (`.mamc`).

For both actions, the target file path or URL is entered in the Comment field. You can also specify a web address (URL) in the Comment field; when executed, your default web browser will open to display the web page.

To modify file paths, double-click the action row to open the file browser. Using the Repeat Count parameter, you can execute application launches multiple times just like any other action in the script. Read our Edit or Update an Existing Action guide to learn more about editing parameters.