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DataLoad Commands
DataLoad commands are used to give
user friendly names to complex or
frequently used activities. Commands
may be built-in to DataLoad to provide
additional functionality while others are
aliases for commonly used or complex
keystrokes. Command names are not
case sensitive and may be entered in
upper or lower case in the DataLoad
spreadsheets. Each type of command is
documented below.

http://www.dataload.com/help/macro/commands.htm

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DataLoad User Guide

Most commands are aliases for
keystrokes
Built-in commands also exist for
special operations
Use commands to hide complex
keystroke definitions
Commands allow a single definition
for regularly used actions
Command Groups enable multiple
definitions of each command

Keystroke Aliases
Commands that are keystroke aliases are used to hide complex keystrokes behind a
more user friendly command name. For instance, to "Save & Proceed" in Oracle
E-Business Suite 11i/R12 the following keystroke combination is required:

DataLoad Home

\%F%V
DataLoad includes a standard Save & Proceed command called *SP that is an alias for
those keystrokes, i.e. when *SP is used in a spreadsheet DataLoad will actually send the
Save & Proceed keystrokes. Using the command alias makes the spreadsheet easier to
read and understand. Also, if the keystroke sequence needs to change then only the
command definition needs to be changed and no changes are required in the
spreadsheet.
Multiple definitions can exist for each command because the keystrokes required for the
command can vary between applications, for example the keystroke shortcut to create a
new record may be different in Oracle E-Business Suite, SAP and Sage. A Command
Group contains all the definitions for a particular application. Before running a Macro load
the Command Group must be set via the drop list on the DataLoad toolbar.
Commands and Command Groups may be created, edited and deleted in DataLoad. To
do this, open the Macro Commands window using the toolbar icon or with the
Edit->Commands menu entry. When a new Macro load is created the default commands
are added to the load. If the Commands or Command Groups are later changed then this
only affects that load. To save those changes such that they become the default and are
used for all future loads the "Make Default" button should be pressed. Similarly, to
overwrite a load's commands with the defaults the "Load Defaults" button should be
pressed.
While new commands can be added, DataLoad comes with a large number of
pre-configured commands. These are listed below.
DataLoad Command

Application Action(s)

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TAB

Press the Tab key

ENT

Press the Enter key

*UP

Press the up arrow key

*DN

Press the down arrow key

*LT

Press the left arrow key

*RT

Press the right arrow key

*SAVE

Save the current record

*SP

Save & proceed

*FE

Open the field editor

*PB

Navigate to the previous block

*NB

Navigate to the next block

*PF

Navigate to the previous field

*NF

Navigate to the next field

*PR

Navigate to the previous record

*NR

Navigate to the next field

*IR

Insert a new record

*CL

Clears the form field but does not delete any data

*ER

Clears a record from the form fields but does not delete it

*DR

Delete the current record

*FR

Navigate to the first record

*LR

Navigate to the last record

*SB

Press the Spacebar. This is useful for toggling the setting

of radio buttons and check boxes instead of using the mouse.

*ST

Select the entire field

*FI

Open the find window

*FA

Find all records

*QE

Put the form in to the query enter mode

*QR

Run a query when the form is in query enter mode

*BM

Open the block menu. This is used in Oracle E-Business

to select the block or tab to which to navigate.

*AX

Sends the Alt + X keystroke where X is a single letter (A-Z).

See Note 1

Note 1 In most applications the menus, buttons and other controls can usually be

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activated by using the Alt key combined with one other key. DataLoad provides *AX so
that all possible Alt key combinations are available as a DataLoad command.

Built-in Commands
The following commands are built-in to DataLoad to provide additional functionality
beyond sending data and keystrokes to applications. These commands cannot be edited
or replaced in the commands window. The built-in commands are listed in the following
table. Where available, please click the link on the command name for more information
about using each command.
Command

Application Action(s)

*SLN or *SL(N)

Pause the load for N seconds

*CW(window)

Change to window window

*ML(coordinates)

Position the mouse at coordinates and press the left button

*MR(coordinates)

Position the mouse at coordinates and press the right button

*DL(coordinates)

Position the mouse at coordinates and double click the left button

*ML(), *MR() & *DL() These commands produce a left (*ML) or right (*MR) mouse click
or a double left click (*DL) to occur at the screen location specified in the coordinates
parameter. Using keystrokes in Macro loads is normally the most reliable approach,
however mouse clicks have two important uses. First, some applications' forms have
functionality that cannot be accessed using keystrokes and a mouse must be used.
Second, if form navigation requires a large number or complex sequence of keystrokes
then using the mouse may be more appropriate.
The coordinates parameter specifies the X and Y screen location where the click should
occur. For example,
*ml(50, 294)
There is no way for a user to know what these coordinates should be so DataLoad will
automatically insert the coordinates into the command. Once the coordinates are known
the full command can be copied to all other spreadsheet cells where it is required.
Entering *ML(, *MR( or *DL( in a cell will cause DataLoad to help calculate the required
coordinates. Having entered this an information message is displayed and this must be
acknowledged to continue. DataLoad will then capture the location of the next mouse
click. Thus, the target application should be activated using the keyboard, e.g. Alt + Tab,
rather than with the mouse otherwise that mouse click will be captured. When the target
application is visible, perform a single left mouse click where the click should occur
during the load. DataLoad will capture the coordinates and complete the command in
the spreadsheet cell.
The mouse commands are suitable where the item to be clicked will always be in the
same location. Given that most applications' forms are always drawn in the same
position this should not be a problem, however it is important that forms are left in their
default positions and sizes while the load is being developed and later run. Maximising
the application's main or parent window, i.e. the one containing all forms, helps to ensure
the screen coordinates remain correct. Of course, if the screen resolution is changed or
the load is used on a different PC with different screen resolution then the mouse
coordinates will almost certainly have to be recalculated.

PROMPT(message)

Prompt the user with message and wait for a response

PHP(function)

Calls a PHP function when Scripting used with a Macro load

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Further commands are available that are specific to Browser Control loads and they are
detailed here.

DataLoad Classic & Professional - The original DataLoader for Oracle Forms, Oracle
E-Business Suite and Oracle Fusion.
DataLoad, the User Guide and this web site are Copyright JD Stuart Ltd 1999 - 2014, all
rights reserved.

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