Midi Translator Manual: Outgoing Actions

Bomes MIDI Translator can natively output seven types of outgoing actions, as well as function with translators that are composed solely of rules with no defined outgoing action.

The Outgoing Actions supported are:

MIDI Message, Keystroke Emulation, Mouse, Timer, Preset Change, Special, WM_Messages and None.

1. MIDI Message

One of the most powerful features of the new Bomes MIDI Translator Pro and Author editions is the capabiity to translate MIDI messages and apply rules to them. In the screenshot below, the output value of the translator's outgoing MIDI message includes an 'xx' variable statement, meaning that any number of rules could have been used to assign value to this variable depending on many factors.

There are two options available to this outgoing action type. 'Output both translated action and incoming message' is effectively a localized 'MIDI Thru' that will pass on the incoming action MIDI event without interruption. Also, you may enter an optional description for the outgoing action if you desire.


translator outgoing - midi





2. Keystroke Emulation

Outgoing keystroke emulation actions are the cornerstone of Bomes MIDI Translator. The original version of Bomes MIDI Translator only operated with keystroke emulation, which is still considered by many users and the most useful feature of the program. Incoming actions can be translated to any combination of keystrokes, for use in complex macro routines to control 3rd party program functions. The best place to start with programming keyboard combination macros is to consult your software's instruction manual and determine what keyboard shortcuts are available to you.

Keyboard Emulation outgoing actions can either be whole key press/key combination events, or individual Key Up / Key Down events.

For outgoing keyboard commands that require the use of either the 'Tab' or 'Backspace' keys, a checkbox is provided that overrides the default behavior of those keys and allows them to be entered into the sequence box.

So let's explain the "Key down event" and "Key up event" a little further with a simple use case. If you want to fire a key event, and have the key repeated as long as you press a key on your MIDI Keyboard, then create these 2 translators:
1. The first translator's incoming MIDI message is e.g. 90 45 00 (i.e. it reacts on the Note Off event) with Stop Processing activated. As outgoing Key Stroke use "Key Up Event". Enter the letter to be "typed" in the text field (e.g. "X").
2. The second translator's incoming MIDI message is e.g. 90 45 qq (i.e. it will react on all Note On messages). As outgoing action, use "Key Down Event". Type the same letter in text field as for the Key Up event (e.g. "X"). Enable the Key Repeat box.
Now press the key on your MIDI Keyboard down. As long as you press it, the letter "X" will be typed. Once you release the key, the keystroke emulation stops, too.

translator outgoing - keystroke emulation





3. Mouse

Included in Mouse-type outgoing actions are multiple types of actions:

Movement, Abs Position, Button clicks and Wheel.


Each of those type of mouse actions includes settings for a variety of different parameters that can be manipulated to control the system mouse.

• Movement

Movement events can be transmitted to the system mouse pointer using this mouse event type. Move movement is defined in 'Mickeys' which are the smallest measurement of mouse movement. Movement is defined using two text boxes, one for Up/Down movement and the other for Left/Right movement. For Up and Left movement, use negative numbers. For Down and Right movement, use positive numbers.

• Abs Position

Absolute positioning type movement allows for the mouse to be moved to a pre-determined point on the screen. Absolute positioning is measured in pixels, similarly to how screen resolution is set. Use your system's screen resolution as a guide for setting absolute positioning (example: if you have a 1024x768 screen, the exact center of the screen would be absolute position 512x384).

• Button Clicks

Left, middle and right button clicks can be emulated using this mouse outgoing action. Button click events are usually positioned after mouse movement events, allowing the user to position the mouse properly before clicking or dragging, etc. A Button Click event is comprised of a complete Mouse Up/Mouse Down event, unless otherwise selected in the checkboxes provided.

• Wheel

Mouse wheel events can also be transmitted. Mouse wheel events can either be Forward (away from you) or Backward (towards you).


translator outgoing - mouse abs position





4. Timer

There are two main types of Timer actions - Activate Timer and Kill Timer. Timers can be instantiated by selecting them as an outgoing action, and setting their appropriate repeat times and other options. Timers are usually associated with other translators that have the Timer name as their incoming action. For instance, if you wanted to repeat the 'Up' arrow key as long as a condition is met, you would first create an outgoing Timer action that set the repeat rate, then you would create a new translator which would output the keyboard emulation for the 'Up' arrow key - using your existing Timer translator as the incoming action.

Timer parameters include repeat occurance (once, multiple times, indefinitely), initial delay, repetition delay and testing functionality.


translator outgoing - timer





5. Preset Change

Preset change outgoing actions have the capability of managing project presets, either by activating certain ones, deactivating certain ones, or cycling through them all as a set. The '[always active]' preset is normally excluded from Preset Change outgoing action preset management.


translator outgoing - preset change





6. Special

The Special type outgoing action has only two functions - disabling MIDI Translator Processing and enabling MIDI Translator Processing. The program as a whole can be bypassed using the 'Disable Processing' outgoing action, preventing any of the translators from activating. If MIDI Translator is disabled in this way, the only way to re-enable it is by using the 'Enable Processing' outgoing action defined in a different translator.


translator outgoing - special





7. WM_Messages

Bomes MIDI Translator is capable of outputting program-specifiy windows wm_ messages. The breadth of wm_ messages is beyond the scope of this manual. Please consult your program or systems programming manual for a list of appropriate wm_ messages.


translator outgoing - wm_messages





8. None

Choose this outgoing action to effectively disable any outgoing actions from occuring in response to this Translator. Howeer, the Rules of this translator will still apply. These outgoing actions are useful for events that require manipulation of MIDI Translator rules such as setting global variables or doing math functions.