Automating Monarch

When you’re using it, capturing data and transforming it into actionable information, it’s immediately obvious that Monarch is an incredibly powerful tool. But what’s not so obvious is that you can have Monarch perform all of the work that you need done without you clicking a single button or menu item.

Built into Monarch are two distinct approaches to automation that you can use to your advantage:

• The first approach is batch file programming. These files with .bat or .cmd file extensions allow you to start Monarch and add instructions – via “command line parameters” – that you offer you a level of remote control of sorts over Monarch. But it can be a bit of a tricky process, so I built a utility, a Monarch Batch File Generator, that can help you create what you need to perform this type of automation. Read more about it and download the free utility.
• When you find that you need more control over Monarch than batch files offer, it’s time for you to move up to what’s called “COM automation”. To get control over Monarch’s COM programming features, you’ll need use another programming environment. You can choose to work with something freestyle as building VBScript with Notepad, or you can go with a more structured approach employing perhaps the C language, or my preference, Visual Basic for Applications, which is built into the Microsoft Office products like Excel and Access. I offer a free Monarch programming utility for Excel to subscribers.

To learn more about how you can excel with Monarch, enter your email address into the box below and click the “I want to excel with Monarch!” button to sign up for Excel with Monarch updates. Don’t forget that as a subscriber you’ll also receive my custom Monarch programming tool for Excel, designed to help you automate your Monarch work, for when you’re ready to move to that level.