Help - Using The Action Machine
Below you'll find a series of short videos, as well as some additional information to help you get up-and-running with The Action Machine.
User's Guide
- PDF User's Guide (Right-click this link to save this file to your computer)
Videos:
- Quickstart
- Creating And Working With Actions/Action Lists
- Creating And Working With Timers/Timer Groups
- Reports
- Version 2.1 New Features - Linking timers and moving timers between timer groups
- Version 2.2 New Features: Part 1 - Balloon notifications, estimated time functionality
- Version 2.2 New Features: Part 2 - Custom time on timers
- Version 2.3 Changes
FAQs:
- Why does text appear twice (ttwwiiccee) when entering a new action?
- I'm not seeing the entire interface, what's wrong?
- I cleaned up files on computer recently, and my saved data has disappeared. How can I get it back?
- How can I minimize the system resources used by The Action Machine?
Other Resources:
- Step-by-step guide to the benefits and process of creating Action Lists to share with others
- A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of The Action Machine
Be sure to click the full-screen button on each video for the best viewing experience!
Quickstart
Creating And Working With Actions/Action Lists
Creating And Working With Timers/Timer Groups
Reports
Version 2.1 New Features
Version 2.2 New Features: Part 1
Version 2.2 New Features: Part 2
Version 2.3 Changes:
There were several minor changes in version 2.3, most of which will go unnoticed to you.
The biggest change was the removal of built-in image backgrounds (you may STILL customize the application background with your own images).
The reason for this is that the built-in images (which were mostly in hi-definition) were causing the application to consume a lot of memory and resources on some machines.
FAQs
- Q:
Why does text appear twice (ttwwiiccee) when
entering a new action?
A: This is due to a strange conflict between The Action Machine and a program called ActiveWords. A workaround is to either disable ActiveWords when using The Action Machine, or start The Action Machine first, prior to starting ActiveWords. - Q: I'm
not seeing the entire interface, what's wrong?
A: This is usually due to your screen resolution settings. The Action Machine requires a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768. Check to make sure yours is set to at least this setting. - Q: I
cleaned up files on computer recently, and my saved data has
disappeared. How can I get it back?
A: Some Windows 'cleaner' utilities will remove the Action Machine data file (named ActionMachine.sol) when they 'sweep' your computer clean.
To restore this file to its original location or to set your sweeper utility from removing it in the first place, you need to know its location on your computer, which is:
Main Drive > Documents and Settings > [Your User Name] > Application Data > Macromedia > Flash Player > #SharedObjects > [Random Folder Name] > localhost > ActionMachine.sol
Specifically, the Action Machine data file is something CCleaner considers a Flash cookie. I believe it has an option to prevent the deletion of these (Flash cookies) in the cleanup process.
If you set it to keep Flash cookies, you shouldn't have this issue again. - Q: How can I minimize the
system resources used by The Action Machine?
A: For best results, minimize The Action Machine to the System Tray when you're not interacting or viewing it.