“Application control” tab is the place where you manage your remote-keys and control their behavior.

We will use the key remote_key_1 learned in chapter-2 (“Learn Key”) to launch winamp using following steps.

Add New Entry

a) Enter a Group name

b) Enter entry name

Provide an entry name in the edit-box. Since we want to launch winamp using this entry “Power-On” should be suitable name, user may give any name.

c) Associate a KEY

d) Enter Command

This is the place where you specify your keyboard-command, and the same command is sent to the program when the associated key on your remote is pressed. This keyboard-command can be any keyboard-key combination, for example when you want to close a program you send Alt + F4 keyboard-command to the program.

You need not type whole “Alt + F4” yourself, you just need to select the command edit-box and press the keyboard-key combination. For example to specify “Alt + F4”, click on command-edit-box, press Alt and while Alt is pressed press F4, “IR Power” will automatically detect the combination. A keyboard-key combination for Ctrl + F8 is shown below.

In our case we just want to launch the winamp hence we need not specify any command (let it be blank, as shown below). Commands are used when the program is already running and you want to control it using keyboard-commands.

e) Specify Action

Detailed explanation on Actions is covered in “Actions Explained” section. Here we will just select “Launch an Application” which enables the browse button. Use browse button to locate executable of winamp (generally found in C:\Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe) and then click Add.

New entry should get added to the root along with its group (shown below).

When entry-name “Power-On” is clicked, information related to it is updated in the “Entry Info” box (shown above).

f) Test

To test, first close winamp if already running and press key “remote_key_1” on your remote.

The winamp should get launched and status-bar should reflect the relevant information.

Actions Explained

In “Application Control” panel for each entry you have there action options.

A) Command to Top Window

This option sends keyboard-command to the focused window, hence just by changing program's focus you can route command to different programs. This option is very useful in scenario where specific window detection is not possible.

B) Command to Target Window

You can specify the target program to which you send your keyboard-command. When this option is selected “IR Power” first finds the specified program from current running programs and then dispatches the command to that program's window. Hence, in this option keyboard-command will always go to the specific program, even when it is not in focus.

Now, let’s see how “IR Power” identifies your specific program among other programs running on your computer. “Command to Target Window” selection enables the “Settings” button on the right-hand side. This “Setting” button allows you to specify the criteria on which your program will be identified.

Target Window Settings

Click on Settings button launches “Target Window Settings” dialog window, here you specify your specific program and matching criteria for identification.

To specify your specific program simply drag the green target icon and drop it to your program’s main window. Please note that target-icon should be dropped to the main window of your program and not to the sub window.

The “Title” and “Class” of program-window will automatically get update. In the matcher section user can specify the criteria to match for “Title”, “Class” or both. Here user should select matcher such that it becomes easy for “IR Power” to find this program among other running programs.

For example in winamp case, “Title” field gets updated with current-song and “Class” field by “winamp v.1x” value, hence we should not select “Match By Title” which keeps changing with current song, but select “Match By Class” as shown above. After selection is made click “OK” button.

Manually Editing “Title” and “Class”fields (for target window)

It may happen that user wants to edit “Title” or “Class” field manually before making entry. For this user needs to enable this feature from the “Setting” panel, and re-launch “Target Window Settings” dialog window.

C) Launch an Application

This option lets user to start/run any program from their remote. The right-side “browse” button is used to browse and point to the executable-file.

Automatic Program Association

Instead of pointing an executable-file user may also point to a non-executable file. “IR Power” will automatically find program-association and will launch the program. For example, user may directly point to a video file, and when remote-key is pressed “IR Power” will automatically launch this video in your video viewer.

D) Enable Repeat Delay (ERD)

Some remote-controls keep sending same data repeatedly till the remote-button is pressed, which may some time result into annoying behavior. For example, suppose your remote is of that type and you pressed your next-song button bit longer (which is very natural), but since your remote has transmitted next-song multiple times you mp3 player will skip multiple songs instead of just the current one. This feature is per-entry.

To deal with this problem “IR Power” provides you “Enable Repeat Delay” feature. Enabling this feature says that whenever an entry with ERD is executed don’t process further entries till the delay-time. During delay-time all the received data will be flushed. The delay-time is in milliseconds and can be programmed through “Settings” panel. Delay-time is global and affects both new and old entries.

For some requirement user may like to keep ERD disabled, for example while controlling volume, user would like to keep increasing/decreasing volume till remote-key is pressed.