StrokesPlus (64-bit) 2.2.7

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on August 14, 2012

Mouse gestures can automate some of your most repetitive tasks. With a mere click and a flick, you can do everything from close your browser to initiate long strings of commands. StrokesPlus is a free mouse gestures application that lets you easily draw gestures to set actions for the program to trigger. StrokesPlus is free, but there are separate downloads for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. We tried StrokesPlus for 64-bit Windows in Windows 7 Home Premium.

StrokesPlus is a work in progress (what cutting-edge app isn't?) and improvements mean you no longer need to run the program as an administrator. However, a detailed installation note suggested that some users might still want to run StrokesPlus as an administrator, depending on the program's compatibility with your other apps. You can have multiple instances of StrokesPlus open at the same time, too. We ran StrokesPlus both with and without administrator privileges, with no problems in either mode. StrokesPlus is managed from its system tray menu. Clicking the program's tray icon toggles its main feature on and off; right-clicking it opens an extensive menu that includes an Ignore List, Actions, Preferences, button options, and more. Clicking Help opened a detailed manual, while clicking About opened not just a small credits dialog but a large, tabbed sheet listing Configured Actions, Ignore List, Global Lua code, and other program parameters in one easy-to-access location.

It's very easy to record a gesture in StrokesPlus. By default, the right mouse key activates the gesture-recording feature, though of course you can change that. But you just have to click the right mouse key, hold it down, draw your gesture, and then release it. You can then assign it to an action sequence. We started with Training Mode, which lets you save simple gestures until you get the feel of more complex actions. But StrokesPlus can really show its stuff in the hands of users with scripting experience. With rocker support, modifiers, and, of course, built-in Lua scripting, it can automate what you need to automate. But beginners will have little trouble starting with StrokesPlus, thanks to user-friendly documentation. Recommended for all mousers.

Publisher's Description

From StrokesPlus:

StrokesPlus (64-bit) is a mouse gesture recognition program that allows you to automate repetitive tasks by simply drawing a gesture with your mouse or performing mouse and/or keyboard modifiers to fire off an action sequence. Whether the action sequence you're wanting to fire uses a gesture, mouse or keyboard modifier(s), or both, you begin with pressing the selected Stroke button on your mouse. By default, the Stroke button is assigned to the right mouse button. To begin, press and hold the Stroke button and either draw the gesture or perform the mouse or keyboard modifier(s), then release the Stroke button. If the events are recognized as being tied to an action sequence, StrokesPlus (64-bit) will fire the action sequence.

What's new in this version: Version 2.2.7 adds a simple password protection and encryption feature.